tered that hole in
the Earth in which king Vasu was living. Suddenly taking the king up, the
son of Vinata soared into the sky and there released the king from his
beaks. At that moment, king Uparichara once more acquired his celestial
form and re-entered the region of Brahman. It was in this way, O son of
Kunti, that great king first fell down through the curse of the Brahmanas
for a fault of speech, and once more ascended to heaven at the command of
the great God (Vishnu). Only the puissant Lord Hari, that foremost of all
Beings, was devoutly worshipped by him. It was for this devout worship
that the king succeeded very soon in escaping from the curse denounced
upon him by the Brahmanas and in regaining the felicitous regions of
Brahman."

"'Bhishma continued, "I have thus told thee everything respecting the
origin of the spiritual sons of Brahman. Listen to me with undivided
attention, for I shall now narrate to thee how the celestial Rishi Narada
proceeded in days of yore to White Island."'"

SECTION CCCXXXIX

"'Bhishma said, "Arrived at the spacious realm called White Island, the
illustrious Rishi beheld those same white men possessed of lunar
splendour (of whom I have already spoken to thee). Worshipped by them,
the Rishi worshipped them in return by bending his head and reverencing
them in his mind.[1816] Desirous of beholding Narayana, he began to
reside there, attentively engaged in the silent recitation of mantras,
sacred to him, and observant of vows of the most difficult kind. With
concentrated mind, the regenerate Rishi, with arms upraised, stood in
Yoga, and then sang the following hymn unto the Lord of the universe,
Him, viz., who is at once the soul of attributes and divested of all
attributes.

"'"Narada said, 'Salutations to thee, O God of gods, O thou that art freed
from all acts! Thou art he who is divested of all attributes, who is the
Witness of all the worlds, who is called Kshetrajna, who is the foremost
of all Beings, who is Infinite, who is called Purusha, who is the great
Purusha, who is the foremost of all Purushas, who is the soul of the
three attributes, who is called the Foremost, who is Amrita (nectar), who
is called Immortal, who is called Ananta (Sesha), who is Space,[1817] who
is without beginning, who is both Manifest and Unmanifest as existent and
not-existent things, who is said to have his home in Truth,[1818] who is
the first of gods (Narayana), who is the giver of wealth