there in uninterrupted happiness of great measure.
Unacquainted with sorrow of every kind, he rides in
the foremost of cars for making his journeys, and
waited upon by the foremost of celestials, damsels,
and possessed of puissance, he sports in joy like a
celestial himself. That man who having fasted
for one and twenty days takes a single meal on the
twenty-second day and bears himself in this way for
a full year, pouring libations on his sacred fire every
day, abstaining from injuring any creature, adhering
to truthfulness of speech, and freed from malice attains
to the regions of the Vasus and becomes endued with
effulgence of the sun. Possessed of the power
of going everywhere at will, subsisting upon nectar,
and riding in the foremost of cars, his person decked
with celestial ornaments, he sports in joy in the
company of celestial damsels. That man who having
fasted for two and twenty days takes a single meal
on the twenty-third day and bears himself in this
way for a full year, thus regulating his diet and
keeping his senses under control, attains to the regions
of the deity of Wind, of Usanas, and of Rudra.
Capable of going every where at will and always roving
at will, he is worshipped by diverse tribes of Apsaras.
Riding in the foremost of cars and his person decked
with celestial ornaments, he sports for countless
years in great felicity in the company of celestial
damsels. That man who having fasted for three
and twenty days eats a little ghee on the twenty-fourth
day, and bears himself in this way for a full year,
pouring libations on his sacred fire, resides for
countless years in great happiness in the regions of
the Adityas, his person decked with celestial robes
and garlands and celestial perfumes and unguents.
Riding in an excellent car made of gold and possessed
of great beauty and drawn by swans, he sports in joy
in the company of thousands and thousands of celestial
damsels. That man who having fasted for four
and twenty days eats a single meal on the twenty-fifth
day and bears himself thus for a full year, succeeds
in obtaining a car of the foremost kind, full of every
article of enjoyment. He is followed in his journeys
by a large train of cars drawn by lions and tigers,
and producing a rattle as deep as the roar of the
clouds ridden by celestial damsels, and all made of
pure gold and possessed of great beauty. Himself
riding on an excellent celestial car possessed of great
beauty, he resides in those regions for a thousand
Kalpas, in the company of hundreds of celestial damsels,
and subsisting upon the succulence of ambrosia that
is sweet as nectar itself. That man who having
fasted for five and twenty days eats only one meal
on the twenty-sixth day, and bears himself thus for
a full year in the observance of such a regulation
in respect of diet, keeping his senses under control,
freed from attachment (to worldly objects), and pouring
libations every day on his sacred fire,—that
blessed man,—worshipped by the Apsaras,