for the thousand and ten hundred years.  Then he ascended to his own abode.  Ever since, here Apsaras and Gandharvas delight me, singing for aye the deeds of that hero, O sinless one.  O son of the Kurus, this path is impassable to mortals.  For this, O Bharata, as also with the view that none might defeat or curse thee, have I obstructed thy passage to this path trod by the immortals.  This is one of the paths to heaven, for the celestials; mortals cannot pass this way.  But the lake in search of which thou hast come, lieth even in that direction.’”

SECTION CXLVIII

Vaisampayana continued, “Thus addressed, the powerful Bhimasena of mighty arms, affectionately, and with a cheerful heart, bowed unto his brother, Hanuman, the monkey-chief, and said in mild words, ’None is more fortunate than I am; now have I seen my elder brother.  It is a great favour shown unto me; and I have been well pleased with thee.  Now I wish that thou mayst fulfil this desire of mine.  I desire to behold, O hero, that incomparable form of thine, which thou at that time hadst had, in bounding over the main, that abode of sharks and crocodiles.  Thereby I shall be satisfied, and also believe in thy words.’  Thus addressed, that mighty monkey said with a smile, ’That form of mine neither thou, not any one else can behold.  At that age, the state of things was different, and doth not exist at present.  In the Krita age, the state of things was one; and in the Treta, another; and in the Dwapara, still another.  Diminution is going on this age; and I have not that form now.  The ground, rivers, plants, and rocks, and siddhas, gods, and celestial sages conform to Time, in harmony with the state of things in the different yugas.  Therefore, do not desire to see my former shape, O perpetuator of the Kuru race.  I am conforming to the tendency of the age.  Verily, Time is irresistible.’  Bhimasena said, ’Tell me of the duration of the different yugas, and of the different manners and customs and of virtue, pleasure and profit, and of acts, and energy, and of life and death in the different yugas.’  Thereupon Hanuman said, ’O child, that yuga is called Krita when the one eternal religion was extant.  And in that best of yugas, every one had religious perfection, and, therefore, there was no need of religious acts.  And then virtue knew no deterioration; nor did people decrease.  It is for this that this age is called Krita (perfect).  But in time the yuga had come to be considered as an inferior one.  And, O child, in the Krita age, there were neither gods, nor demons, nor Gandharvas, nor Yakshas, nor Rakshasas, nor Nagas.  And there was no buying and selling.  And the Sama, the Rich, and the Yajus did not exist.  And there was no manual labour.  And then the necessaries of life were obtained only by being thought of.  And the only merit was in renouncing the world.  And during that yuga, there was neither disease, nor