despair in respect of again beholding my sire. I then paid my adoration
with a rapt soul to Maheswara who, gratified with me, showed himself to
me and said,--Thy sire, thy mother, and thyself, O son, shall all be
freed from death. Go quickly and enter thy abode; thou shall behold thy
sire there.--Having obtained the permission of the illustrious Deity, I
then repaired to my home, O Yudhishthira, and beheld my father, O son,
coming out after having finished his daily sacrifice. And he came out,
bearing in his hands a quantity of Homa-fuel and Kusa grass and some
fallen fruits. And he seemed to have already taken his daily food, for he
had washed himself properly. Throwing down those things from his hand, my
father, with eyes bathed in tears (of joy), raised me, for I had
prostrated myself at his feet. Embracing me he smelt my head, O son of
Pandu, and said.--By good luck, O son, art thou seen by me. Thou hast
come back, having acquired knowledge from the preceptor.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these marvellous and most wonderful
feats of the illustrious Mahadeva recited by the ascetics, the son of
Pandu became amazed. Then Krishna, that foremost of all intelligent
persons, spoke once more unto Yudhishthira, that ocean of righteousness,
like Vishnu speaking unto Puruhuta.'

"Vasudeva said, 'Upamanyu, who seemed to blaze with effulgence like the
Sun, said unto me,--Those sinful men that are stained with unrighteous
deeds, do not succeed in attaining to Isana. Their dispositions being
stained by the attributes of Rajas and Tamas, they can never approach the
Supreme Deity. It is only those regenerate persons who are of cleansed
souls that succeed in attaining to the Supreme Deity. Even if a person
lives in the enjoyment of every pleasure and luxury, yet if he be devoted
to the Supreme Deity, he comes to be regarded as the equal of forest
recluses of cleansed souls. If Rudra be gratified with a person, he can