exceedingly sad; and he was also overpowered by the sin of Brahmanicide on account of having killed the three-headed son of Twashtri.  And he betook himself to the confines of the worlds, and became bereft of his senses and consciousness.  And overpowered by his own sins, he could not be recognised.  And he lay concealed in water, just like a writhing snake.  And when the lord of celestials, oppressed with the dread of Brahmanicide, had vanished from sight, the earth looked as if a havoc had passed over it.  And it became treeless, and its woods withered; and the course of rivers was interrupted; and the reservoirs lost all their water; and there was distress among animals on account of cessation of rains.  And the deities and all the great Rishis were in exceeding fear; and the world had no king, and was overtaken by disasters.  Then the deities and the divine saints in heaven, separated from the chief of the gods, became terrified, and wondered who was to be their king.  And nobody had any inclination to act as the king of the gods.’

SECTION XI

“Salya said, ’Then all the Rishis and the superior gods said, “Let the handsome Nahusha be crowned as king of the gods.  He is powerful and renowned, and devoted to virtue ever more.’  And they all went and said to him, ‘O lord of the earth, be thou our king.’  And Nahusha intent on his welfare, spoke to those gods and saints accompanied by the progenitors (of mankind), ’I am feeble; I am not capable of protecting you; it is a powerful person who should be your king; it is Indra who hath always been possessed of strength.’  And all the gods, led by the saints, spoke again to him, ’Aided by the virtue of our austerities, rule thou the kingdom of heaven.  There is no doubt that we have all our respective fears.  Be crowned, O lord of monarchs, as the king of heaven.  Whatever being may stand within thy sight, whether he be a god, an Asura, a Yaksha, a saint, a Pitri, or a Gandharva, thou shalt absorb his power and (thereby) wax strong.  Always placing virtue before (all other things), be thou the ruler of the worlds.  Protect also the Brahmarsis (Brahmana saints) and the gods in heaven.’  Then, O lord of monarchs, Nahusha was crowned king in heaven.  And placing virtue before (everything else), he became the ruler of all the worlds.  And though always of a virtuous disposition, yet when he obtained that precious boon and the kingdom of heaven, Nahusha assumed a sensual turn of mind.  And when Nahusha became the king of the gods, he surrounded himself with celestial nymphs, and with damsels of celestial birth, and took to enjoyments of various kinds, in the Nandana groves, on mount Kailasa, on the crest of Himavat, on Mandara. the White hill Sahya, Mahendra and Malaya, as, also upon seas and rivers.  And he listened to various divine narratives that captivated both the ear and the heart, and to the play of musical instruments of different sorts, and to sweet vocal strains.