and penance.  Thou beholdest Time as clearly as if it were an emblic myrobalan on the palm of thy hand.  O son of Virochana, fully conversant art thou with the topic of Time’s conduct.  Thou art well-versed in all branches of knowledge.  Thou art of cleansed Soul and a thorough master of thy persons.  Thou art, for this, an object of affection with all persons endued with wisdom.  Thou hast, with thy understanding, fully comprehended the whole universe.  Though thou hast enjoyed every kind of happiness, thou art never attached to anything, and hence thou hast not been stained by anything.  The qualities of Passion and Darkness do not soil thee for thou hast conquered thy senses.  Thou waitest only upon thy Soul which is divested of both joy and sorrow.  The friend of all creatures, without animosity, with thy heart set upon tranquillity, beholding thee thus, my heart is inclined to compassion towards thee.  I do not desire to afflict an enlightened person like thee by keeping him in an enchained condition.  Abstention from injury is the highest religion.  I feel compassion towards thee.  These nooses of Varuna, with which thou hast been bound, will loosen Time’s course in consequence of the misconduct of men.  Blessed be thou, O great Asura!  When the daughter-in-law will set the aged mother-in-law to work, when the son, through delusion, will command the sire to work for him, when Sudras will have their feet washed by Brahmanas and have sexual congress fearlessly with women of regenerate families, when men will discharge the vital seed into forbidden wombs, when the refuse of houses will begin to be carried upon plates and vessels made of white brass, and when sacrificial offerings intended for the deities will begin to be borne upon forbidden vessels, when all the four orders will transgress all restraints, then these bonds of thine will begin one by one, to loosen.  From us thou hast no fear.  Wait quietly.  Be happy.  Be divested of all sorrow.  Let thy heart be cheerful.  Let no illness be thine.’  Having said these words unto him, the divine Indra, having the prince of elephants for his vehicle, left that spot.  Having vanquished all the Asuras, the chief of the deities rejoiced in gladness and became the one sole lord of all the worlds.  The great Rishis hymned the praises of that lord of all mobile and immobile creatures.  The deity of fire once more began to bear the libations of clarified butter that were poured (by all) into his visible form, and the great god took charge of the nectar that was committed to his care.  His praises hymned by the foremost of Brahmanas engaged in sacrifices, the lord Indra, blazing with splendour, his wrath pacified, and his heart tranquillised, became gladdened, and returning to his own abode in heaven, began to pass his days in great happiness.’"[857]

SECTION CCXXVIII

“Yudhishthira said, ’Tell me, O grandsire, the indications of future greatness and future fall in respect of a person.’