her to all the worlds that acquired through penances, Those eternal and everlasting worlds from which none cometh back will be attained by thee even in this gross body of thine.  Thou hast conquered Death, and attained to the highest of all felicities, and by thy own power (of mind), attaining to the speed of thought, thou hast risen above the power of the five elements!  By thus adhering to the duties of a householder, thou hast conquered thy passions, desires, and anger, and this princess, O prince of virtuous men has, by serving thee, conquered affliction, desire, illusion, enmity and lassitude of mind!’

“Bhishma continued, ’Then the glorious Vasava (the lord of the gods), riding in a fine chariot drawn by a thousand white horses, approached that Brahmana.  Death and Soul, all the worlds, all the elements, intellect, mind, time, and space as also desire and wrath, were all conquered.  There-fore, O best of men, do thou bear this in mind, that to a householder there is no higher divinity than the guest.  It is said by the learned that the blessings of an honoured guest are more efficacious than the merit of a hundred sacrifices.  Whenever a deserving guest seeks the hospitality of a householder and is not honoured by him, he takes away (with him) all the virtues of the latter giving him his sins (in return).  I have now recited to thee, my son, this excellent story as to how Death was conquered of old by a householder.  The recital of this excellent story confers glory, fame, and longevity (upon those that listen to it).  The man that seeks worldly prosperity should consider it as efficacious in removing all evil.  And, O Bharata, the learned man that daily recites this story of the life of Sudarsana attains to the regions of the blessed.’”

SECTION III

“Yudhishthira said, ’If, O prince, Brahmanahood be so difficult of attainment by the three classes (Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras), how then did the high souled Viswamitra, O king, though a Kshatriya (by birth), attain to the status of a Brahmana?  I desire to know this, O sire.  Therefore, do thou truly relate this matter to me.  That powerful man, O sire, by virtue of his austerities, destroyed in a moment the hundred sons of the high-souled Vasishtha.  While under the influence of anger, he created numerous evil spirits and Rakshasas of mighty vigour and resembling the great destroyer Kala himself.  The great and learned race of Kusika, numbering hundreds of regenerate sages and belauded by the Brahmanas, was founded in this world of men by him.  Sunasepha of austere penances, the son of Richika, having been sought to be slain as an animal in the great sacrifice of Amvarisha, obtained his deliverance through Viswamitra.  Harishchandra, having pleased the gods at a sacrifice, became a son of the wise Viswamitra.  For not having honoured their eldest brother Devarat, whom Viswamitra got as a son from the gods, the other fifty brothers