or that of one like me, even when we are overwhelmed by Time, coming in contact with a calamity, suffer itself to be destroyed like a wrecked vessel at sea?[856] Myself, thyself, and all those who will in future become the chiefs of the deities, shall have, O Sakra, to go the way along which hundreds of Indras have gone before thee.  When thy hour matures itself, Time will surely destroy thee like me,—­thee that art now so invincible and that now blazest with unrivalled splendour.  In Time’s course many thousands of Indras and of deities have been swept off yuga after yuga.  Time, indeed, is irresistible.  Having attained to thy present position, thou regardest thyself very highly, even as the Creator of all beings, the divine and eternal Brahman.  This position of thine had been attained by many before thee.  With none did it prove stable or unending.  In consequence, however, of a foolish understanding, thou alone regardest it to be immutable and eternal.  Thou trustest in that which is not deserving of trust.  Thou deemest that to be eternal which is not eternal.  O chief of the deities, one that is overwhelmed and stupefied by Time really regards oneself after this manner.  Led by folly thou regardest thy present regal prosperity to be thine.  Know, however, that it is never stable in respect of either thee or me or others.  It had belonged to innumerable persons before thee.  Passing over them, it has now become thine.  It will stay with thee, O Vasava, for some time and then prove its instability.  Like a cow abandoning one drinking ditch for another, it will surely desert thee for somebody else.  So many sovereigns have gone before thee that I venture not to make an enumeration.  In the future also, O Purandara, innumerable sovereigns will rise after thee.  I do not behold those rulers now that had formerly enjoyed this earth with her trees and plants and gems and living creatures and waters and mines.  Prithu, Aila, Maya, Bhima, Naraka, Samvara, Aswagriva, Puloman, Swarbhanu, whose standard was of immeasurable height, Prahlada, Namuchi, Daksha, Vipprachitti, Virochana, Hrinisheva, Suhotra, Bhurihan, Pushavat, Vrisha, Satyepsu, Rishava, Vahu, Kapilaswa, Virupaka, Vana, Kartaswara, Vahni, Viswadanshtra, Nairiti, Sankocha, Varitaksha, Varaha, Aswa, Ruchiprabha, Viswajit, Pratirupa, Vrishanda, Vishkara, Madhu, Hiranyakasipu, the Danava Kaitabha, and many others that were Daityas and Danavas and Rakshasas, these and many more unnamed, belonging to remote and remoter ages, great Daityas and foremost of Danavas, whose names we have heard,—­indeed, many foremost of Daityas of former times,—­having gone away, leaving the Earth.  All of them were afflicted by Time.  Time proved stronger than all of them.  All of them had worshipped the Creator in hundreds of sacrifices.  Thou art not the one person that hast done so.  All of them were devoted to righteousness and all of them always performed great sacrifices.  All of them were capable of roaming through the skies, and all were heroes that