If a man be a house-holder or Brahmacharin, a hermit or a mendicant, and if he wishes to acquire success, what god should he worship?

Whence can he surely acquire heaven and whence that which is of the highest benefit? According to what ordinances should he perform the Homa in honour of the gods and the departed manes?

What is the end to which one goes when he becomes Liberated? What is the essence of Liberation? What should one do, so that he, having attained to heaven, would not have to drop down thence?

Who is the God of the gods? And who is the Pitri of the Pitris? Who is He who is superior to him who is the God of the gods and the Pitri of the Pitris? Tell me all this, O Grandfather?"

Bhishma said "O you who are well acquainted with the art of questioning, this question which you have put to me, O pure one, is one which is enveloped in deep mystery. One cannot answer it with the help of logic even if one were to try for a hundred years.

Without the favour of Narayana, O king, or an acquisition of high knowledge, this question of yours cannot be answered. Though this subject is filled with deep mystery, I shall yet, O destroyer of enemies, explain it to you?

Regarding it is cited the old discourse between Narada and the Rishi Narayana.

I heard it from my father that in the golden age, O king, during the epoch of the Self-create Manu, the eternal Narayana, the Soul of the universe, was born as the son of Dharma in a quadrupie form, viz., as Nara, Narayana, Hari, and the Self-create Krishna.

Amongst them all, Narayana and Nara practised severest austerities by going to the Himalayan retreat known by the name of Vadari, and riding on their golden cars.

Each of those cars had eight wheels, and was made up of the five primal elements, and supremely beautiful. Those original regents of the world who had taken birth as the sons of Dharma, became extremely emaciated in body on account of the austerities they practised. Indeed, for those austerities and for their energy, the very gods were unable to look at them. Only that god to whom they were kind could see them.

Forsooth, with his heart given to them, and moved by a longing desire to see them, Narada dropped down on Gandhamadana from a summit of the high mountains of Meru and walked over all the world.

Endued with great speed, he at last went to that spot whereon was situate the retreat of Vadari. Moved by curiosity he entered that retreat at the hour of Nara's and Narayana's performing their daily rites.

He said to himself,-This is truly the retreat of that Being in whom are placed all the worlds including the gods, the Asuras, the Gandharvas, the Kinnaras, and the great snakes.

There was only one forin of this great Being before. That form took birth in four forms for the multiplication of the race of Dharma which have been reared by that god.

How wonderful it is that Dharma has thus been honoured by these four great gods, viz., Nara, Narayana, Krishna and Hari.

In this spot Krishna and Hari lived formerly. The other two, however, viz., Nara and Narayana, are now living here performing penances for the object of increasing their merit.

These two are the highest refuge of the universe. What can be the nature of the daily rites these two perform? They are the fathers of all creatures and the illustrious gods of all beings. Gifted with great intelligence, what is that god whom these two adore? Who are those Pitris whom these two Pitris of all beings worship.

Thinking of this mentally, and filled with devotion towards Narayana, Narada suddenly appeared before those two gods.

After those two gods had finished their adorations to their deities and the Rishis, they looked at the celestial Rishi arrived at their asylum. The latter was honoured with those eternal rites that are laid down in their scriptures.

Seeing that extraordinary conduct of the two original gods in themselves adoring other deities and Pitris, the illustrious Rishi Narada took his seat there, well pleased with the honours he had received.

With a cheerful soul he looked at Narayana, and bowing to Mahadeva he said these words.

In the Vedas and the Puranas in the auxiliary and sub-auxiliary treaties, you are sung with respect! You are unborn and eternal! you are the Creator! You are the mother of the universe! You are the embodiment of Immortality and you are the foremost of all things. The Past and the Future, indeed, the entire universe has been placed on you.

The four modes of life,olord, of which the domestic is the first, continually sacrifice to you who are of diverse forms.

You are the father and the mother and the eternal preceptor of the universe. We know not who is that god or that Pitri to whom you are sacrificing to-day.

This topic is one regarding which nothing should be said. It is an ancient ministry. Your devotion to me is very great. Hence, O twiceborn one, I shall describe it to you according to the truth.

That which is minute, which is inconceivable, unmanifest, immobile, durable dissociated from the senses and the objects of the senses, as well as the (five) elements,—that is called the in-dwelling Soul of all existent creatures. That is known by the name of Kshetrajna. Transcending the three qualities of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, that is regarded as Purusha in the scriptures.

From him has originated the unmanifest, O foremost of twice-born ones, endued with the three qualities of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Though really unmanifest, she is called indestructible Nature and lives in all manifest forins.

Know that from her we two have originated. That all-pervading Soul, which is made of all existent and non-existent things, is worshipped by us. Even He is what we adore in all those rites that we perform in honour of the gods and the departed manes.

There is no higher god, or father than He, O twice-born one! He should be known as our Soul. It is Him that we adore.

This course of duties followed by men has, O twice-born one, been laid down by Him. It is his ordinance that we should duly perform all the rites laid down regarding the gods and the departed manes.

Brahman, Sthanu, Manu, Daksha, Bhrigu, Dharma, Yama, Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vashishtha, Parameshthi, Vivaswat, Shoma, Karddama, Kroda, Avak, and Krita, these twenty-one persons called Patriarchs, were first born. All of them obeyed the eternal law of the Supreme God.

Observing all the rites, in full, that were laid down in honor of the gods and the departed manes, all those foremost of twice-born ones acquired all those objects which they sought.

The bodiless dwellers of heaven, itself bow to that Supreme God and through His favour they acquire those fruits and that end which he ordains for them.

This is the injunction of the scriptures that those persons who are freed from these seventeen attributes, who have renounced all facts, and who are divested of the fifteen elements which form the gross body, are said to be Liberated.

The ultimate end of the Liberated is called by the name of Kshetrajna. He is considered as both possessed of, and freed from, all the attributes.

He can be apprehended by knowledge alone. We two have originated from Him. Knowing him in that way, we worship that eternal soul of all things.

The Vedas and all the modes of life, though marked by diversities of opinion, all adore Him with devotion. It is he who, inclined to show favour, confers on them high ends fraught with happiness.

Those persons in this world who, filled with His spirit, become fully and conclusively devoted to him, acquire much higher end, for they succed in entering Him and becoming merged in his self.

I have now, O Narada, described to you what is highly mysterious, moved by the live I bear for you four devotion to me. Indeed, on account of that devotion which you profess towards me, you have succeeded in listening to this my discourse.

I have now, O Narada, described to you what is highly mysterious, moved by the live I bear for you four devotion to me. Indeed, on account of that devotion which you profess towards me, you have succeeded in listening to this my discourse.