Narada said Then that helpless lady restraining her grief within herself, thus addressed the lord of the people, with folded palms and bending like a creeper with humility.

Death said O most eloquent of all speakers, how shall I, created a female by you, do such heartless and mischievous deeds, knowing them at the same time to be so?

I fear sin greatly-O illustrious lord, be propitious on me. Sons, friends, brothers, fathers and husbands are always dear to creatures. If they are destroyed by my hands, they that will incur the loss, shall endeavour to avenge themselves on me. It is them that I fear.

The drops of tears that will fall from the eyes of grief-stricken and bewailing persons. Fill me with terror. Thus affrighted, O illustrious Lord, I seek your protection.

O foremost of the celestials, O Divine Being, I will not go to Yama's abode. O you. that bestow boons, I do propitiate you, by bending my head low and by folding my hands, O Grandsire of the worlds, I desire the fulfillment of even this wish of mine at your hands.

O Lord of the creation, I desire to carry on ascetic austerities through your grace. O great Lord, O divine being, accord me this boon.

Permitted by you, I shall go to the excellent hermitage of Dhenuka and there shall I practice ascetic austerities of the most severe sort, being engaged in worshipping yourself.

O Lord of the celestials, I shall not be able to destroy the dear lives of living creatures, when they will weep in grief. Save me from unrighteousness.

Brahma said You have been created, O Death, for causing the destruction of creatures; go, destroy all the creatures; entertain no scruples whatsoever.

This must have happened and nothing could have prevented it. Carry out my command; none in the world will find any fault with you.

Narada said Thus spoken to, the lady became pleased and she stood with her face turned towards the illustrious god. And out of desire for doing good to the creatures, she did not set her heart upon the destruction of creature.

Then that Divinity, the Lord of the lords of creatures also remained silent for a while; and the grandsire soon became satisfied with his ownself.

Then turning his eyes upon the creatures he smiled. Then the creatures lived cheerfully as before, undisturbed by premature death.

When that invincible and illustrious divinity had cast his wrath off, that lady also went away from the presence of that intelligent being.

Then without having promised the destruction of creatures, she went away, O king; and then Death hastily came to Dhenuka.

There she practised a vow excellent and greatly severe. There she stood on one leg for sixteen times ten billions of years and five times ten billions also, through compassion for living creatures and through desire for doing them good, all the time withholding her senses from their dear objects.

Once more, O monarch, she stood there on one leg for twenty one times ten billions of years.

Then she roved for ten times ten thousand billions of years with the animals. Then once again repairing to the holy river Nanda that was full of cool and translucent water.

She passed in those waters eight thousand years. Practising austere penances on the banks of the Nanda, she purged herself of all her sins.

Then observant of her vows, she first visited the sacred Kousiki; living upon air and water only, she practised penances there.

Going then to Panchaganga and afterwards to Vetasa, that already-purified lady, pulled her own body down by performing various kinds of asceticism.

Repairing next to the Ganga and thence to the great Meru, she remained inert like a block of stone, devoting herself in the practice of Pranayama (suspension of breaths).

From that place repairing to the crest of the Himavat mountain, where, in the days of yore, the gods had performed their sacred sacrifices, that excellent and auspicious damsel stood on her tip toe for a billion of years.

Thence going to Puskara and Gokarna and Naimisha and Malaya, she pulled her health down by the practice of penances after her own choice.

Without worshipping any other god and with firin devotion to the Grandsire, she lived and propitiated him in every way and everywhere.

Thereafter the undeteriorating Creator of die universe, thus propitiated, spoke to her with

"O Death, what for are you under-going all these severe ascetic penances?" Thereat Death once more addressed the illustrious divinity, the Grandsire, sayingनाहं हन्यां प्रजा देव स्वस्थाश्चाक्रोशतीस्तथा।

"O God, I shall not be able to destroy of living creatures. They are all in the enjoyment of health and do not envy one another. O Lord, even this is the boon that I want at your hands, Omaster of all.

I am afraid of sin; and it is for this reason hat I am engaged in the practice of ascetic austerities. 0 blessed Lord! vouchsafe assurances of eternal safety to overwhelmed with terror.

A woman by birth, helpless and sinless, I iimplore your mercy, be you my refuge." Thereupon that Divinity possessed to the knowledge of the past, the present and the future thus spoke to her again.

“in destroying all these creatures, O Death, vou shall reap no sin. My words, O handsome dainsel, can never be false. me

Therefore, O blessed lady, destroy these four kinds of creatures. Eternal virtue shall always be yours.

Yama, the Regent of the worlds and the vai tous maladies, shall help you in your work of destruction. Myself and the celestials also will bestow boons on you;

So that purged of all sins and perfectly purified, you shall attain glory. Having been thus spoken to, O mighty monarch, she, with her palms folded, thus addressed the Lord, saluting him by bending her head low. "If, O lord, such be the state of things and if it cannot do without me.

Then I place your behest upon my own head. However hear what I have to say. Let covetousness, anger, animosity malice, dissensions and folly and shamelessness and other stern passions tear to pieces the frames of corporeal beings.'

Brahma said It shall be as you desire, O Death. Do you begin to destroy the creatures. No sin will hang on you; I shall not seek to injure you, O blessed damsel.

There tears of yours which I hold in my hands, even they will become maladies, starting into existence from the creatures themselves. They will destroy men whose lifetime has been exhausted. No sin will hang on you. Do not be frightened.

Verily sin shall not be yours. You shall be the righteousness of living creatures, and the presiding deity of that righteousness. Devoted to virtue and observant of your duties, you shall control all creatures. Therefore destroy always the lives of these corporeal creatures.

Renouncing both desire and anger, snatch out the lives of all living creatures. In this way you shall sccure eternal merit. Sin will destroy those who are vicious in their conduct of life.

Carrying out my command, purify yourself. The task of plunging those who are wicked, in their own sins, will be left to you. Therefore renounce desire and anger and begin destroying those creatures possessed of life.”

Narada said Thereafter that lady, seeing that she was persistently called by the name of Death, became afraid of acting otherwise. And in fear of Brahma's malediction, she said Yea.' Unable to set at naught the behests of Brahma, she began, renouncing wrath and desire, 10 deprive living creatures of their lives, when their last days came.

Death is the lot of all living creatures. Maladies originate out of living creatures. Maladies are the abnormal conditions of living beings and they are pained by them. Discase and death fall to the share of all creatures. Therefore do you not indulge in fruitless griet

Upon the death of living creatures, their senses go with them; and achieving their respective functions in the other world, they come back with their possessors, (when they are born anew). Thus all creatures including the gods going thither, have to act like mortals, O best of all kings.

The wind that is tremendous. of dreadful roars and great strength, omni-present and endowed with energy infinite, even that wind will tear open the bodies of living creatures. It will, in this action, put forth no active energy. nor will it suspend its workings.

Even all the gods and qualified with the adjective mortal. Therefore, o foremost of kings, do not bewail you son. Your son having ascended to heaven, is enjoying perpetual happiness, in those delightful regions allotted to the heroes.

Renouncing all grief, he has obtained the fellowship of the virtuous. Death has been ordained for all corporeal beings by the Creator himself. So when their days are numbered, they suffer destruction. The death of creatures is brought about by their ownselves.

Creatures destroy themselves. Death does not destroy any one, armed though she is with the mortal dart. Therefore the wise, knowing death to be unavoidable being ordained by Brahma, never lament for those that are dead. Now knowing that death is ordained by the highest divinity, renounce, without delay, your sorrow for you son.

Vyasa said Having heard these words of grave signification uttered by Narada, Narada, king Akampana, addressing his friend Narada said-

"O illustrious one, O foremost of Rishis, I am gratified an my sorrow has left me. Hearing this story from you, I am contented and I salute you.”

Thus spoken to by that monarch, Narada, that excellent of all the foremost sages, that celestial sage of immeasurable soul, speedily went back to the Nandana forest.

The frequent audition as well as the recital of this piece of history is held to be purifying, fame-giving leading to paradise, life-giving and fraught with all blessings.

Having heard this instructive story, renounce your sorrow, O king Yudhishthira, you know the duties of a Kshatriya and the region they may attain to after death.

The mighty car-warrior Abhimanyu endued with great energy has ascended to heaven, having slain his enemies in battle, before the presence of all bowmen. That mighty carwarrior, that fierce bowman, has been slain, when fighting, with swords, lances, maces and bows. He is the sinless son of the moon and is now dissolved in the lunar essence.

Therefore, O son of Pandu, mustering all your courage, yourself accompanied by your brothers, speedily march out for battle inflamed with wrath and without allowing your senses to become stupefied.