and blazing
as fire, would indeed, carry you to regions of bliss.'

"Ashtaka said, 'O king, ride on those cars thyself and repair to heaven.
We can wait. We follow thee in time.'

"Yayati 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 in
those cars set out for heaven for gaining admittance into it,
illuminating the whole firmament by the glory of their virtues.'

"Then Ashtaka, breaking the silence asked, 'I had always thought that
Indra was my especial friend, and that I, of all others, should first
obtain admittance into heaven. But how is it that Usinara's son, Sivi
hath already left us behind?'

"Yayati answered, 'This Usinara's son had given all he possessed for
attaining to the region of Brahman. Therefore, is he the foremost among
us. Besides, Sivi's liberality, asceticism, truth, virtue, modesty,
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 grandfather resembling Indra himself, saying, 'O
king, I ask thee, tell me truly, whence thou art, who thou art, and whose
son? Is there any other Brahmana or Kshatriya 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 grandfather of you
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 became propitious to those that perform them. I
also gave to Brahmanas this whole earth with her horses and elephants and
kine and gold all kinds of wealth, along with a hundred Arbudas of
excellent milch cows. Both the earth and the firmament exist owing to my
truth and virtue; fire yet burneth in the world of men owing to my truth
and virtue. Never hath a word spoken by me been untrue. It is for this
that the wise adore Truth. O Ashtaka, all I have told thee, Pratardana,
and Vasumat, is Truth itself. I know it for certain that the gods and the
Rishis and all the mansions of the blessed are adorable only because of
Truth that characteriseth them all. He that will without malice duly read
unto good Brahma