“Brahma said, ’O Death, thou hast been intended for achieving the destruction of creatures.  Go, destroy all creatures, thou needst have no scruples.  Even this must be.  It cannot be otherwise.  Do but my behest.  Nobody in the world will find any fault in thee.’

“Narada continued, ’Thus addressed, that lady became very much affrighted.[85] Looking at Brahma’s face, she stood with joined hands.  From desire of doing good to creatures, she did not set her heart upon their destruction.  The divine Brahma also, that Lord of the lord of all creatures, remained silent.  And soon the Grandsire became gratified in his own self.  And casting his eyes upon all the creation he smiled.  And, thereupon, creatures continued to live as before i.e., unaffected by premature death.  And upon that, invincible and illustrious Lord having shaken off his wrath, that damsel left the presence of that wise Deity.  Leaving Brahma, without having agreed to destroy creatures, the damsel called Death speedily proceeded to the retreat called Dhenuka.  Arrived there, she practised excellent and highly austere vows.  And she stood there on one leg for sixteen billions of years, and five times ten billions also, through pity for living creatures and from desire of doing them good, and all the time restraining her senses from their favourite objects.  And once again, O king she stood there on one leg for one and twenty times ten billions of years.  And then she wandered for ten times ten thousand billions of years with the creatures (of the earth), Next, repairing to the sacred Nanda that was full of cool and pure water, she passed in those waters eight thousand years.  Observing rigid vows at Nanda, she cleansed herself of all her sins.  Then she proceeded, first of all, to the sacred Kausiki, observant of vow.  Living upon air and water only, she practised austerities there, Repairing then to Panchaganga and next to Vetasa, that cleansed damsel, by diverse kinds of especial austerities, emaciated her own body.  Going next to the Ganga and thence to the great Meru, she remained motionless like a stone, suspending her life-breath.  Thence going to the top of Himavat, where the gods had performed their sacrifice (in days of yore), that amiable and auspicious girl remained for a billion of years standing on the toe only of her feet.  Wending then to Pushkara, and Gokarna, and Naimisha, and Malaya, she emaciated her body, practising austerities agreeable to her heart.  Without acknowledging any other god, with steady devotion to the Grandsire, she lived and gratified the Grandsire in every way.  Then the unchangeable Creator of the worlds, gratified said unto her, with a softened and delighted heart.  ’O Death, why dost thou undergo ascetic austerities so severe?’ Thus addressed, Death said unto the divine Grandsire, ’Creatures, O Lord, are living in health.  They do not injure one another even by words.  I shall not be able to slay them.  O Lord, I desire even this boon at thy hands.