And, living upon air alone, he stood erect upon one leg
for six months. And the king of sacred deeds ascended to heaven, covering
heaven as well as the Earth (with the fame of his achievements).'"
SECTION LXXXVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'While that king of kings dwelt in heaven--the home of
the celestials, he was reverenced by the gods, the Sadhyas, the Maruts,
and the Vasus. Of sacred deeds, and mind under complete control, the
monarch used to repair now and then from the abode of the celestials unto
the region of Brahman. And it hath been heard by me that he dwelt for a
long time in heaven.
"One day that best of kings, Yayati, went to Indra and there in course of
conversation the lord of Earth was asked by Indra as follows:
'What didst thou say, O king, when thy son Puru took thy decrepitude on
Earth and when thou gavest him thy kingdom?'
"Yayati answered, 'I told him that the whole country between the rivers
Ganga and Yamuna was his. That is, indeed, the central region of the Earth,
while the out-lying regions are to be the dominions of thy brothers. I
also told him that those without anger were ever superior to those under
its sway, those disposed to forgive were ever superior to the unforgiving.
Man is superior to the lower animals. Among men again the learned are
superior to the un-learned. If wronged, thou shouldst not wrong in return.
One's wrath, if disregarded, burneth one's own self; but he that regardeth
it not taketh away all the virtues of him that exhibiteh it.
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