own purposes, had only stupefied them (by their addresses).  While the bird and the beast, both possessed of wisdom.. were thus disputing and while the kinsmen of the deceased child sat listening to them, the great god Sankara, urged by his divine spouse (Uma), came there with eyes bathed in tears of compassion.  Addressing the kinsmen of the deceased child, the god said, ‘I am Sankara the giver of boons.’  With hearts heavy with grief, those men prostrated themselves before the great deity and said unto him in reply, ’Bereft of this one who was our only child, all of us are at the point of death.  It behoveth thee to grant us life by granting life to this our son.’  Thus solicited, the illustrious deity, taking up a quantity of water in his hands granted unto that dead child life extending for a hundred years.  Ever employed in the good of all creatures, the illustrious wielder of Pinaka granted a boon unto both the jackal and the vulture in consequence of which their hunger was appeased.  Filled with delight and having achieved great prosperity, the men bowed unto the god.  Crowned with success, they then, O king, left that spot in great joy.  Through persistent hopefulness and firm resolution and the grace of the great god, the fruits of one’s acts are obtained without delay.  Behold, the combination of circumstances and the resolution of those kinsmen.  While they were crying with agonised hearts, their tears were wiped and dried up.  Behold, how within only a short time, through their steadiness of resolution, they obtained the grace of Sankara, and their afflictions dispelled, they were made happy.  Indeed, through Sankara’s grace, O chief of the Bharatas, those sorrowing kinsmen were filled with amazement and delight at the restoration of their child to life.  Then, O king, casting off that grief of which their child had been the cause, those Brahmanas, filled with delight, quickly went back to their town taking the restored child with them.  Behaviour like this has been laid down for all the four orders.  By frequently listening to this auspicious story fraught with virtue, profit, and salvation, a man obtains happiness both here and hereafter.’”

SECTION CLIV

“Yudhishthira said, “If a person, weak, worthless, and light-hearted, O grand sire, doth from folly provoke, by means of unbecoming and boastful speeches, a powerful foe always residing in his vicinity, competent to do good (when pleased) and chastise (when displeased), and always ready for action, how should the former, relying on his own strength, act when the latter advances against him in anger and from desire of exterminating him?’