every soul.  Thou art, O Lord, the great dispeller of all terrors and thou art the One Supreme Male Being!  Thou art the cause of happiness of both gods and human beings!  And, O Lord, by three steps of thine thou didst cover the three worlds!  And it was by thee that the Asuras in the height of their power were destroyed!  It is owing to thy prowess, O God, that the celestials obtained peace and happiness and, O thou of great effulgence, it was the anger that destroyed hundred great Daitya chiefs.  Thou art the Creator and destroyer of all creatures in the world.  It is by adoring thee that the gods have obtained happiness.  It was thus, O Yudhishthira, that the high-souled Utanka praised the Lord of the senses.  And Vishnu, therefore, said unto Utanka, ’I am gratified with thee.  Ask thou the boon that thou desirest.’  And Utanka said, ’This indeed hath, been a great boon to me, in that I have been able to behold Hari, that eternal Being, that divine Creator, that Lord of the universe!” Thus addressed Vishnu said, ’I am gratified with this absence of all desires on thy pail and with thy devotion, O thou best of men!  But, O Brahmanas, O regenerate one, thou shouldst of a certainty accept some boon from me!  Thus requested by Hari to accept a boon Utanka then, O thou best of Bharatas, with joined hands begged a boon saying, ’O illustrious one, O thou of eyes like lotus leaves, if thou hast been gratified with me, then let my heart always rest on virtue, truth, and self-content.  And, O Lord, let my heart always turn to thee in devotion.’  And hearing these words of Utanka, the holy one said, ’O regenerate one, all this shall happen to thee through my grace.  And there will also appear in thee a yoga power endued with which thou shalt achieve a great thing for the dwellers of Heaven, as also for the triple world.  Even now a great Asura of the name of Dhundhu is undergoing ascetic penances of fierce austerity with the object of destroying the triple world.  Hear now as to who will slay that Asura.  O son, there will appear a king of invincible energy and great prowess and he will be born in the race of Ikshvaku and will be known by the name of Vrihadaswa who will have a son of the name of Kuvalaswa endued with great holiness and self-control and celebrity.  And that best of kings will be furnished with yoga power springing from me and urged and commended by thee, O regenerate Rishi, that king will be the slayer of the Asura Dhundhu.’  And having said these words unto that Brahmana, Vishnu disappeared there and then.”

SECTION CCI