The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 93

Section LXLIII. *( Sambhava Parva continued. )* "Vasumana said, 'I am Vasumana, the son of Osadawsa. I would ask thee, O king, whether there are any worlds for me to enjoy, as fruits of my religious merits, in heaven or in the firmament. Thou art, O high-souled one, acquainted with all holy regions!' Yayati answered, 'There are as many regions for thee to enjoy in heaven as the number of places in the firmament, the Earth, and the ten points of the universe, illumined by the Sun.' "Vasumana then said, 'I give them to thee. Let those regions that are for me be thine. Therefore, though falling, thou shalt not fall. If to accept them in gift be improper for thee, then, O monarch, buy them with a straw.' "Yayati answered, 'I do not remember, ever having bought and sold anything unfairly. This has never been done by other kings. How shall *I* do it therefore?' "Vasumana said, 'If to buy them, O king, be regarded by thee as improper, then take them in gift from me. For myself I answer that I will never go to those regions that are for me. Let them therefore be thine!' "Shivi then addressed the king thus:—'I am, O king, Shivi by name, the son of Ushinara. O father, are there in the firmament or in heaven, any worlds for me to enjoy? Thou knowest every region that one may enjoy as the fruit of his religious merit!' "Yayati then said, 'Thou hast never, by speech or in mind disregarded the honest and the virtuous that applied to thee. There are infinite worlds for thee to enjoy in heaven, all blazing like lightning,' Shivi, then said, 'If thou regardest their purchase as improper, I give them to ye. Take them all, O king! I shall never take them,—those regions where the wise never feel the least disquiet.' "Yayati then answered, 'O Shivi, thou hast, indeed, obtained for thyself, possessed as thou art of the prowess of Indra, infinite worlds! But I do not desire to enjoy regions given to me by others. Therefore, I accept not thy gift.' "Ashtaka then said, 'O king, each of us have expressed our desire to give thee the worlds that each of us have acquired by our religious merit. Thou acceptest not them. But leaving them for thee, we shall descend unto the Earth-hell.' "Yayati answered, 'Ye all are truth-loving and wise: give me that which I deserve. I shall not be able to do that which I have never done before.' "Ashtaka then said, 'Whose are those five golden cars that we see? Do men that repair to regions of everlasting bliss ride on them?' "Yayati answered, 'Those five golden cars displayed in glory and blazing as fire, would, indeed, carry ye to the regions of bliss.' "Ashtaka said, 'O king, ride those cars thyself, and repair to heaven. We can wait. We will follow thee in time.' "Yayati then said, we can now all go together. Indeed, all of us have conquered heaven. Behold, the glorious path to heaven becomes visible!'" Vaisampayana continued, "Then all those excellent monarchs riding on those cars set out for heaven, for gaining admittance into it, illuminating the whole firmament by the glory of their virtues. "And Aahtaka, again breaking silence, asked, 'I had always thought that Indra was my especial friend, and that I of all the others, should first obtain admittance into heaven. But how is it that Usinara's son Shivi, hath already left us behind." "Yayati answered, 'This Usinara's son had given all he possessed for attaining to the region of Brahma. Therefore is he foremost among ye. Besides, Shivi's liberality, asceticism, truth, virtue, modesty, good-fortune, forgiveness, amiability, desire of performing good acts, have been so great that none can measure them.' Vaisampayana continued, "After this, Ashtaka, impelled by curiosity, again asked his maternal grand-father resembling Indra himself, saying, 'O king, I would ask thee, tell me truly, whence thou art, who thou art, and whose son? Is there any other Brahmana or Kshatria who hath done what thou didst on Earth?' Yayati answered, 'I tell thee truly, I am Yayati, the son of Nahusha and the father of Puru. I was lord of all the Earth. Ye are my relatives: I tell thee truly, I am the maternal grand-father of ye all. Having conquered the whole Earth, I gave clothes to Brahmanas and also a hundred handsome horses fit for sacrificial offering. For such acts of virtue the gods become propitious to those that perform them. I also gave to Brahmanas this whole Earth with her horses and elephants and kine, and gold and all kinds of wealth, along with an hundred *Arbudas* of excellent milch cows. Both the Earth and the firmament exist owing to my truth and virtue. Never hath word spoken by me been untrue. It is for this that the wise adore truth. O Ashtaka, all I have told thee, Pratarddana, and Vasumana, is the truth itself. I know it for certain that the gods and the Rishis and all the mansions of the blest are adorable only because of Truth that characterises them all. He that shall without malice duly read to good Brahmanas this account of our ascension to heaven shall himself attain to the same worlds with us.'" Vaisampayana continued, "It was thus that the illustrious king Yayati of high achievements, rescued by his collateral descendants, ascended to heaven leaving this earth and covering the three worlds by the fame of his deeds." And so ends the ninety-third Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.