us
and glad-some birth of thy father. Hearing of that feat of Vasudeva of
great intelligence, they all worshipped Krishna, the delighter of Devaki,
who was every way worthy of worship. Then, after a few days, Vyasa, the
son of Satyavati, endued with great energy, came to the city named after
the elephant. The perpetuators of Kuru's race worshipped the great Rishi
according to the usual custom. Indeed, those heroes, with those foremost
princes of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races, paid the sage their
adorations. After having conversed on various subjects, Dharma's son
Yudhishthira addressed Vyasa and said, "This treasure, O holy one, which
has been brought through thy grace I wish to devote to that great
sacrifice known by the name of the horse-sacrifice. O best of ascetics, I
desire to have thy permission. We are all, O Rishi, at thy disposal, and
at that of the high-souled Krishna."

"'Vyasa said, "I give thee permission, O king. Do what should be done
after this. Do thou worship the deities duly by performing the
horse-sacrifice with profuse gifts. The horse-sacrifice, O king, is a
cleanser of all sins. Without doubt, having worshipped the deities by
that sacrifice thou wilt surely be cleansed of all sins."'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed, the Kuru king Yudhisthira of
righteous soul then set his heart, O monarch, on making the necessary
preparations for the horse-sacrifice. Having represented all this unto
the Island-born Krishna, the king endued with great eloquence approached
Vasudeva and said,--"O foremost of all beings, the goddess Devaki has,
through thee, come to be regarded as the most fortunate of mothers! O
thou of unfading glory, do thou accomplish that which I shall now tell
thee, O mighty-armed one. O delighter of the Kurus, the diverse
enjoyments we enjoy have all been acquired through thy puissance. The
whole Earth has been subjugated by thee with the aid of thy prowess and
intelligence. Do thou, therefore, cause thyself to undergo the rites of
initiation. Thou art our highest preceptor and master. If thou performest
the sacrifice, O thou of the Dasarha race, I shall be cleansed from every
sin. Thou art Sacrifice. Thou art the Indestructible. Thou art this All.
Thou art Righteousness. Thou art Prajapati. Thou art the goal of all
creatures. Even this is my certain conclusion."

"'Vasudeva said, "O mighty-armed one, it becomes thee to say so, O
chastiser of foes. Thou art the goal of all creat