Vaishampayana said Having thus spoken to Dhritarashtra Vyasa went away. Having heard these words, Dhritarashtra also reflected in silence.

Having reflected for a moment, he sighed again and again. O foremost of the Bharata race, the king then thus spoke to the selfcontrolled Sanjaya.

Dhritarashtra said O Sanjaya, these kings, these rulers of carth, so brave and so cheerful in battle, are eager to strike one another with various kinds of weapon.

They are not to be restrained. They striking one another and giving up their lives will increase the population of the abode of Yama.

Being desirous to obtain prosperity of earth, they cannot bear the sight of one another. I therefore think that the earth must possess many attributes. O Sanjaya, tell me all this.

Many thousands, many millions, many tens of millions, many hundreds of millions of warriors have assembled at Kurukshetra.

O Sanjaya, I desire to hear in great detail about the situations and dimensions of those countries and cities from which they have come.

Through the grace of that immeasurably powerful Rishi Vyasa, you now possess the lamp of celestial vision and the eye of knowledge.

Sanjaya said O greatly wise one, I shall narrate to you the merits of the earth according to my knowledge. See them with your eye of scriptural wisdom. O foremost of the Bharata race, I bow to you.

Creatures in this world are of two kinds, namely mobile and immobile. Mobile creatures are three kinds, namely O viperous O viviparous O heat and damp produced.

O king, among mobile creatures, those that are viviparous are certainly the foremost. Among viviparous man is certainly the foremost, and next to man is animal.

O king, animals of various forms are of fourteen kinds. O king, O lord of earth, these fourteen are the domestic and wild animals mentioned in the Vedas and on which the sacrifice rests.

Among creatures that are domestic man is the foremost; lions are the foremost of all wild animals. All creatures keep themselves up by living upon one another.

The immovable are cailed Udbhijas. They have five species (Jati). These are-tree, shrub, creeper, plants (valli) and tvaksara (bamboo etc.). These all species are in the category (class) of straws.

Mobile and immobile creatures are thus of nineteen kinds. Their universal constituents are five. Thus they are twenty four in all. They are called Gayatri as is well known to all.

O best of the Bharata race, he who knows these to be the true sacred Gayatri which possesses every virtue, is not liable to worldly destruction.

Seven are wild and seven domestic. O king, lions, tigers, boars, buffaloes, elephants, bears, and monkeys are wild.

) Cows, goats, sheep, men, horses, mules and donkey i.e. seven animals are considered to be domestic by the learned men. O king! Thus, the grand total of village dweller and forest dwellers (Vanavasi) is fourteen in number i.e. these are fourteen animals.

Every thing rises from the earth and when destroyed every thing goes into her. The earth is the stay and the refuge of all creatures. The earth is eternal.

He who possesses the earth possesses the entire universe with its mobile and immobile creatures. It is for this kings long to possess the earth and thus kill one another.