come.  All the carpets and furnitures of his sacrificial compound were of gold.  The regenerate classes, desirous of food, all ate as they pleased, at his sacrifices, food that was clean and agreeable to their desires.  And in all his sacrifices, milk and cards and clarified butter and honey, and other kinds of food and edibles, all of the best order, and robes and ornaments covetable for their costliness, gratified Brahmanas, thoroughly conversant with the Vedas.  The very gods used to become distributors of food in king Marutta’s palace.  The Viswedevas were the courtiers of that royal sage, the son of Avikshit.  By him were gratified the denizens of heaven with libations of clarified butter.  And gratified (therewith), these, in their turn, increased that powerful ruler’s wealth of crops with copious showers of rain.  He always contributed to the gratification of the Rishis, the Pitris, and the gods, and thereby made them happy, by practising Brahmacharya, study of the Vedas, obsequial rites, and all kinds of gifts.  And his beds and carpets and vehicles, and his vast stores of gold difficult to be given away, in fact, all that untold wealth of his, was given away voluntarily unto the Brahmanas, Sakra himself used to wish him well.  His subjects were made happy (by him), Acting always with piety, he (ultimately) repaired to those eternal regions of bliss, acquired by his religious merit.  With his children and counsellors and wives and descendants and kinsmen, king Marutta, in his youth, ruled his kingdom for a thousand years.  When such a king, O Srinjaya, died who was superior to thee, in respect of the four cardinal virtues (viz., ascetic penances, truth, compassion, and liberality), and who, superior to thee, was much superior to thy son, do not grieve saying ’O Swaitya, for thy son who performed no sacrifice and gave no sacrificial present.’”

SECTION LVI

“Narada said, ’King Suhotra also, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a prey to death.  He was the foremost of heroes, and invincible in battle.  The very gods used to come for seeing him.  Acquiring his kingdom virtuously, he sought the advice of his Ritwijas and domestic priests and Brahmanas for his own good, and enquiring of them, used to obey their behests.  Well-acquainted with the duty of protecting his subjects, possessed of virtue and liberality, performing sacrifices and subjugating foes, king Suhotra wished for the increase of his wealth.  He adored the gods by following the ordinances of the scriptures, and defeated his foes by means of his arrows.  He gratified all creatures by means of his own excellent accomplishments.  He ruled the earth, freeing her from Mlecchas and the forest-thieves.[91] The deity of the clouds showered gold unto him from year’s end to year’s end.  In those olden days, therefore, the rivers (in his kingdom) ran (liquid) gold, and were open to everybody for use.[92] The deity of the clouds showered