with eyes reddened with intoxication.  And then smilingly addressing him, Hanuman said the following words, ’Ill as I am, I was sleeping sweetly.  Why hast thou awakened me?  Thou shouldst show kindness to all creatures, as thou hast reason.  Belonging to the animal species, we are ignorant of virtue.  But being endued with reason, men show kindness towards creatures.  Why do then reasonable persons like thee commit themselves to acts contaminating alike body, speech, and heart, and destructive of virtue?  Thou knowest not what virtue is, neither hast thou taken council of the wise.  And therefore it is that from ignorance, and childishness thou destroyest the lower animals.  Say, who art thou, and what for hast thou come to the forest devoid of humanity and human beings?  And, O foremost of men, tell thou also, whither thou wilt go to-day.  Further it is impossible to proceed.  Yonder hills are inaccessible.  O hero, save the passage obtained by the practice of asceticism, there is no passage to that place.  This is the path of the celestials; it is ever impassable by mortals.  Out of kindness, O hero, do I dissuade thee.  Do thou hearken unto my words.  Thou canst not proceed further from this place.  Therefore, O lord, do thou desist.  O chief of men, to-day in very way thou art welcome to this place.  If thou think it proper to accept my words, do thou then, O best of men, rest here, partaking of fruits and roots, sweet as ambrosia, and do not have thyself destroyed for naught.’”

SECTION CXLVI

Vaisampayana said, “O represser of foes, hearing these words of the intelligent monkey-chief, the heroic Bhima answered, ’Who art thou?  And why also hast thou assumed the shape of a monkey?  It is a Kshatriya—­one of a race next to the Brahmanas—­that asketh thee.  And he belongeth to the Kuru race and the lunar stock, and was borne by Kunti in her womb, and is one of the sons of Pandu, and is the off spring of the windgod, and is known by the name of Bhimasena.’  Hearing these words of the Kuru hero, Hanuman smiled, and that son of the wind-god (Hanuman) spake unto that offspring of the windgod (Bhimasena), saying, ’I am a monkey, I will not allow thee the passage thou desirest.  Better desist and go back.  Do thou not meet with destruction.’  At this Bhimasena replied.  ’Destruction at anything else do I not ask thee about, O monkey.  Do thou give me passage.  Arise!  Do not come by grief at my hands.’  Hanuman said, ’I have no strength to rise; I am suffering from illness.  If go thou must, do thou go by overleaping me.’  Bhima said, ’The Supreme Soul void of the properties pervadeth a body all over.  Him knowable alone by knowledge, I cannot disregard.  And therefore, will I not overleap thee.  If I had not known Him from Whom become manifest all creatures, I would have leapt over thee and also the mountain, even as Hanuman had bounded over the ocean.’  Thereupon Hanuman said, ’Who is that Hanuman, who had