manner in which he had acted in protecting his preceptor’s wife from the machinations of Indra.  ’I had penetrated the body of that lady, placing limb within limb, face within face, Although I had acted in this way, I did not yet tell my preceptor the truth!’ Even this was the transgression.  O thou of Kuru’s race which Vipula recollected in himself.  Indeed, O blessed monarch, without doubt that was the transgression which he had actually committed.  Coming to the city of Champa, he gave the flowers to his preceptor.  Devoted to superiors and seniors, he worshipped his preceptor in due form.’”

SECTION XLIII

“Bhishma said, ’Beholding his disciple returned from his mission, Devasarman of great energy addressed him in words which I shall recite to thee O king!’

“Davasarman said, ’What hast thou seen, O Vipula, in course of thy progress, O disciple, through the great forest’ ’They whom thou hast seen knew thee, O Vipula.  I, as also my spouse Ruchi, know how thou hadst acted in the matter of protecting Ruchi.’

“Vipula said, ’O regenerate Rishi, who are those two whom I first saw?  Who also are those other six whom I saw subsequently?  All of them know me:  who, indeed, are they to whom thou alludest in thy speech to me?’

“Devasarman said, The first couple, O regenerate one, whom thou sawest, are Day and Night.  They are ceaselessly moving like a circle.  Both of them know the transgression of which thou hast been guilty, those other men (six in number) whom, O learned Brahmana, thou sawest playing cheerfully at dice, are the six Seasons.  They also are acquainted with thy transgressions.  Having committed a sin in secrecy, no sinful man should cherish the assuring thought that his transgression is known only to himself and not to any one else.  When a man perpetrates a sinful deed in secret, the Seasons as also Day and Night behold it always.  Those regions that are reserved for the sinful shall be thine (for what thou hast done) What thou hadst done thou didst not tell me.  That thy sin was not known to any one, was thy belief, and this conviction had filled thee with joy.  Thou didst not inform the preceptor of the whole truth, choosing to hide from him a material portion.  The Seasons, and Day and Night, whom thou hast heard speak in that strain, thought it proper to remind thee of thy transgression.  Day and Night and the Seasons are ever conversant of all the good and the bad deeds that are in a man.  They spoke to thee in that way, O regenerate one, because they have full knowledge of what thou hadst done but which thou hadst not the courage to inform me of, fearing thou hadst done wrong.  For this reason those regions that are reserved for the sinful will be thine as much.  Thou didst not tell me what thou hadst done.  Thou weft fully capable, O regenerate one, of protecting my spouse whose disposition by nature, is sinful.  In doing what thou didst, thou didst