compass the death of Kalayavana, a Danava who will be endued
with great might in consequence of his being equipt with the energy of
Gargya.[1839] A proud Asura will appear as a king at Girivraja, of the
name of Jarasandha, who will quarrel with all the other kings of the
world. His death will be compassed by me through some one else guided by
my intelligence. I shall next slay Sisupala in the sacrifice of king
Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, which sacrifice all the kings of the
world will bring tribute. In some of these feats, only Arjuna, the son of
Vasava, will become my assistant. I shall establish Yudhishthira with all
his brothers in his ancestral kingdom. People will call me and Arjuna as
Narayana and Nara, when, endued with puissance, we two, exerting our
strength, shall consume a large number of Kshatriyas, for doing good to
the world. Having lightened the burthen of the Earth according to our
pleasure, I shall absorb all the principal Sattwatas as also Dwaraka, my
favourite city, into my own self, recollecting my all-embracing
Knowledge. Endued with four forms, I shall, in this way, achieve many
feats of great prowess, and attain at last to those regions of felicity
created by me and honoured by all the Brahmanas. Appearing in the forms
of a swan, a tortoise, a fish, O foremost of regenerate ones, I shall
then display myself as a boar, then as a Man-lion (Nrisingha), then as a
dwarf, then as Rama of Bhrigu's race, then as Rama, the son of Dasaratha,
then as Krishna the scion of the Sattwata race, and lastly as Kalki. When
the auditions in the Vedas disappeared from the world, I brought them
back. The Vedas with the auditions in them, were re-created by me in the
Krita age. They have once more disappeared or may only be partially heard
here and there in the Puranas. Many of my best appearances also in the
world have become events of the past. Having achieved the good of the
worlds in those forms in which I appeared, they have re-entered into my
own Prakriti. Brahman (the Creator) himself never obtained a sight of me
in this form of mine, which thou, O Narada, hast seen today in
consequence of thy entire devotion to me. I have now said everything, O
Brahmana,--unto thee that art devoted to me wholly, I have disclosed to
thee my ancient appearances and future ones also, O Best of men, together
with all their mysteries.'"

"'Bhishma continued, "The holy and illustrious
deity, of universal and immutable form, havin