that I have said such words unto thee.  Having been begotten of me this speech of thine well becometh thee.  Do thou, O Bharata, repairing unto my abode learn all the weapons of Vayu, of Agni, of the Vasus, of Varuna, of the Marutas, of the Siddhas, of Brahma, of the Gandharvas, of the Uragas, of the Rakshasas, of Vishnu and of the Nairitas; and also all the weapons that are with me, O perpetuator of the Kuru race.”  Having said this unto me Sakra vanished at the very spot.  Then, O king, I saw the wonderful and sacred celestial car yoked with steeds arrive conducted by Matali.  And when the Lokapalas went away Matali said unto me, “O thou of mighty splendour, the lord of the celestials is desirous of seeing thee.  And O mighty-armed one, do thou acquire competence and then perform thy task.  Come and behold the regions, attainable by merit and come unto heaven even in this frame.  O Bharata, the thousand-eyed lord of the celestials wisheth to see thee.”  Thus addressed by Matali, I, taking leave of the mountain Himalaya and having gone round it ascended that excellent car.  And then the exceedingly generous Matali, versed in equine lore, drove the steeds, gifted with the speed of thought or the wind.  And when the chariot began to move that charioteer looking at my face as I was seated steadily, wondered and said these words, “Today this appeareth unto me strange and unprecedented that being seated in this celestial car, thou hast not been jerked ever so little.  O foremost of Bharata race, I have ever remarked that at the first pull by the steeds even the lord of the celestials himself getteth jerked.  But all the while that the car had moved, thou hast been sitting unshaken.  This appeareth unto me as transcending even the power of Sakra.”

“’Having said this, O Bharata, Matali soared in the sky and showed me the abodes of the celestials and their palaces.  Then the chariot yoked with steeds coursed upwards.  And the celestials and the sages began to worship (that car), O prime of men.  And I saw the regions, moving anywhere at will, and the splendour also of the highly energetic Gandharvas, Apsaras, and the celestial sages.  And Sakra’s charioteer, Matali, at once showed me Nandana and other gardens and groves belonging to the celestials.  Next I beheld Indra’s abode, Amaravati, adorned with jewels and trees yielding any sort of fruit that is desired.  There the Sun doth not shed heat; nor doth heat or cold or fatigue there affect (one), O king.  And, O great monarch, the celestials feel neither sorrow nor poverty of spirit, nor weakness, nor lassitude, O grinder of foes.  And, O ruler of men, the celestials and the others have neither anger nor covetousness.  And, O king, in the abodes of the celestials, the beings are ever contented.  And there the trees ever bear verdant foliage, and fruits, and flowers; and the various lakes are embalmed with the fragrance