“Vasudeva said, “Do not, O tiger among men, indulge in such grief that emaciates thy body.  They who have been slain in this battle will on no account be got back.  Those Kshatriyas, O king, that have fallen in this great battle, are even, like objects that one acquires in one’s dreams and that vanish when one awakes.  All of them were heroes and ornaments of battle.  They were vanquished while rushing with faces towards their foes.  No one amongst them was slain with wounds on the back or while flying away.  All of them, having contended with heroes in great battle and having cast off their life-breaths then, have, sanctified by weapons, proceeded to heaven.  It behoveth thee not to grieve for them.  Devoted to the duties of Kshatriyas, possessed of courage, perfectly conversant with the Vedas and their branches, all of them have attained to that blissful end which is obtainable by heroes.  It behoveth thee not to grieve for them after hearing of those high-souled lords of the earth, of ancient days, that departed from this world.  In this connection is cited the old discourse of Narada before Srinjaya when the latter was deeply afflicted with grief on account of the death of his son. (Narada said),—­Subject to happiness and misery, myself, thyself and all creatures, O Srinjaya, shall have to die.  What cause then is there for sorrow.  Listen to me as I recite the great blessedness of (some) ancient king.  Hear me with concentrated attention.  Thou shalt then, O king, cast off thy grief.  Listening to the story of those high-souled lords of the earth, abate thy sorrow.  O, hear me as I recite their stories to thee in detail.  By listening to the charming and delightful history of those kings of ancient times, malignant stars may be propitiated and the period of one’s life be increased.  We hear, O Srinjaya, that there was a king of the name of Marutta who was the son of Avikshit.  Even he fell a prey to death.  The gods with Indra and Varuna and Vrihaspati at their head came to sacrifice, called Viswasrij, performed by that high-souled monarch.[86] Challenging Sakra, the chief of the gods, that king vanquished him in battle.  The learned Vrihaspati, from desire of doing good unto Indra, had refused to officiate at Marutta’s sacrifice.  Thereupon Samvarta, the younger brother of Vrihaspati, acceded to the king’s request.  During the rule of that king, O best of monarchs, the earth yielded crops without being tilled and was adorned with diverse kinds of ornaments.  In the sacrifice of that king, the Viswedevas sat as courtiers, the Maruts acted as distributors (of food and presents) and the high-souled Sadhyas were also present.  In that sacrifice of Marutta, the Maruts drank Soma.  The sacrificial presents the king made surpassed (in value) those ever made by the gods, the Gandharvas, and men.  When even that king, O Srinjaya, who transcended thee in religious merit, knowledge, renunciation, and affluence, and who was purer than thy son, felt a prey to death,