“Yudhishthira said, ’It is not strange that thou shouldst speak thus, O scion of Madhu’s race! but to me truth seems to be the first consideration, above that of my sovereign power itself.  But it is Krishna alone who precisely knoweth what I am; and it is I alone who precisely know what Krishna (really) is.  O thou endued with valour!  O scion of Madhu’s race! as soon as he will perceive that the time is come for feats of bravery, then, O most valiant of Sini’s race, he also of beautiful hair (Krishna) will defeat Suyodhana.  Let the brave men of the Dasarha race go back today.  They are my patrons; and the foremost of human beings, they have visited me here.  O ye of immeasurable strength! never fall off from the path of virtue.  I shall see you again, when ye will be happily gathered together.’

“Then after mutual greeting and obeisance to seniors, and having embraced the youthful, those valiant men of the Yadu race and the sons of Pandu separated.  And the Yadus reunited to their home; and the Pandavas continued their journey to the sacred spots.  Then having parted with Krishna, the virtuous king, accompanied by his brothers and servants, and also by Lomasa, went to the sacred river Payosini.  Its fine landing place was constructed by the king of Vidarbha.  And he began to dwell on the banks of the Payosini, whose waters were mingled with the distilled Soma juice.  There the high-souled Yudhishthira was greeted with excellent laudatory, terms by numerous leaders of the twice-born class, who were delighted to see him there.”

SECTION CXXI

Lomasa said, “O king! when the Nriga performed a sacrifice here, he gratified Indra, the demolisher of hostile cities, by offering the Soma juice.  And Indra was refreshed and was very much pleased.  Here the gods together with Indira, and the protectors of all born beings, celebrated sacrifices of various kinds on a large scale, and paid abundant gratuities to the ministering priests.  Here king Amurtarayasa, the lord of the world, satisfied Indra, the holder of the thunderbolt, by the offer of the Soma juice, when seven horse-sacrifices were performed by that king.  The articles which in other sacrificial rites are uniformly made of the timber, wood and of earth, were all made of gold in the seven sacrifices performed by him.  And it is said that in all those rites, seven sets of stakes, rings for the sacrificial stakes, spots, ladles, utensils, spoons were prepared by him.  On each sacrificial stake, seven rings were fastened at the top.  And, O Yudhishthira! the celestials together with Indira, themselves erected the sacrificial stakes of shining gold which had been prepared for his sacred rites.  In all those magnificent sacrifices instituted by Gaya, the protector of the earth, Indira, was delighted by drinking the Soma juice, and the ministering priests were gratified with the gratuities paid to them.  And the priests