respect of the four cardinal virtues and who
superior to thee was, therefore, much more superior to thy son, thou
shouldst not, saying, "Oh, Swaitya, Oh Swaitya", grieve for the latter
who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial present.'"'"

SECTION LXVI

"'"Narada said, 'Gaya, the son of Amartarayas, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a
prey to death. That king, for a hundred years, ate nothing but what
remained of the libations of clarified butter poured into the sacrificial
fire. Agni (gratified with his proof of great devotion) offered to give
him a boon. Gaya solicited the boon (desired), saying, "I desire to have
a thorough knowledge of the Vedas through ascetic penances, through
practice of Brahmacharya, and of vows and rules, and through the grace of
my superiors.[107] I desire also inexhaustible wealth, through practice
of the duties of my own order and without injury to others. I wish also
that I may always be able to make gifts unto the Brahmanas, with
devotion. Let me also procreate sons upon wives belonging to my own order
and not upon others. Let me be able to give away food with devotion. Let
my heart always delight in righteousness. O (Agni) thou supreme cleanser,
let no impediment overtake me while I am engaged in acts for the
attainment of religious merit." Saying "Be it so," Agni disappeared then
and there. And Gaya also, acquiring all he had asked for, subjugated his
foes in fair fight. King Gaya then performed, for a full hundred years,
diverse kinds of sacrifices with profuse presents unto the Brahmanas and
the vows called Chaturmasyas and others. Every year, for a century, the
king gave (unto the Brahmanas) one hundred and sixty thousand kine, ten
thousand steeds, and one crore gold (nishkas) upon rising (on the
completion of his sacrifices). Under every constellation also he gave
away the presents ordained for each of these occasions.[108] Indeed, the
king performed various sacrifices like another Soma or another Angiras.
In his great Horse-sacrifice, king Gaya, making a golden earth, gave her
away unto the Brahmanas. In that sacrifice, the stakes of king Gaya were
exceedingly costly, being of gold, decked with gems delightful to all
creatures. Capable of killing every wish, Gaya gave those stakes unto
well-pleased Brahmanas and other people. The diverse classes of creatures
dwelling in the ocean, the woods, the islands, the rivers male and
female, the waters, the towns, the provinces, and ev