“The king said, ’It has been said that Brahmanas are armed with the thunder of speech, and that Kshatriyas have might of arms.  Hence, learned Brahmana, this wordy warfare has set in between thee and me.’

“The Brahmana said, ’As regards myself, even that is my resolution today.  What shall I give thee according to my might?  Tell me, O king of kings, and I shall give thee, having wealth of my own.  Do not tarry.’

“The king said, ’If, indeed, thou desirest to give me anything, then give me the fruits thou hast earned by practising recitation for these thousand years.’

“The Brahmana said, ’Take the highest fruit of the recitations I have gone through.  Indeed, take half, without any scruple, of that fruit.  Or, O king, if thou wishest, take without any scruple the entire fruits of my recitations.’

“The king said, ’Blessed be thou, I have no need for the fruits of thy recitations which I solicited.  Blessings on thy head.  I am about to leave thee.  Tell me, however, what those fruits are (of thy recitations).’

“The Brahmana said, ’I have no knowledge of the fruits I have won.  I have, however, given thee those fruits that I have acquired by recitation.  These, viz., Dharma and Time, and Yama, and Mrityu, are witnesses (of the act of gift).’

“The king said, ’What will the fruits, that are unknown, of these thy observances, do for me?  If thou dost not tell me what the fruits are of thy recitations, let those fruits be thine, for without doubt I do not wish for them.’

“The Brahmana said, ’I will not accept any other utterance (from thee).  I have given thee the fruits of my recitations.  Let, O royal sage, both thy words and mine become true.  As regards my recitations, I never cherished any specific desire to accomplish.  How then, O tiger among kings, should I have any knowledge of what the fruits are of those recitations?  Thou saidst, ‘Give!’ I said ‘I give!’ I shall not falsify these words.  Keep the truth.  Be calm!  If thou request to keep my word, O king, great will be thy sin due to falsehood.  O chastiser of foes, it does not become thee to utter what is untrue.  Similarly, I dare not falsify what I have uttered.  I have, before this, unhesitatingly said, ‘I give!’ If, therefore, thou art firm in truth, accept my gift.  Coming here, O king, thou didst solicit of me the fruits of my recitations.  Therefore, take what I have given away, if, indeed, thou art firm in truth.  He who is addicted to falsehood had neither this world nor the next.  Such a person fails to rescue his (deceased) ancestors.  How again shall he succeed in doing good to his (unborn) progeny?  The rewards of sacrifices and gifts, as also of fasts and religious observances, are not so efficacious in rescuing (a person from evil and hell) as Truth, O bull among men, in both this and the next world.  All the penances that have been undergone by thee and all those that thou wilt undergo