gression which he had actually committed. Coming to the city of
Champa, he gave the flowers to his preceptor. Devoted to superiors and
seniors, he worshipped his preceptor in due form."'"

SECTION XLIII

"'Bhishma said, "Beholding his disciple returned from his mission,
Devasarman of great energy addressed him in words which I shall recite to
thee O king!

"'"Davasarman said, 'What hast thou seen, O Vipula, in course of thy
progress, O disciple, through the great forest? They whom thou hast seen
knew thee, O Vipula. I, as also my spouse Ruchi, know how thou hadst
acted in the matter of protecting Ruchi.'

"'"Vipula said, 'O regenerate Rishi, who are those two whom I first saw?
Who also are those other six whom I saw subsequently? All of them know
me: who, indeed, are they to whom thou alludest in thy speech to me?'

"'"Devasarman said, 'The first couple, O regenerate one, whom thou sawest,
are Day and Night. They are ceaselessly moving like a circle. Both of
them know the transgression of which thou hast been guilty, those other
men (six in number) whom, O learned Brahmana, thou sawest playing
cheerfully at dice, are the six Seasons. They also are acquainted with
thy transgressions. Having committed a sin in secrecy, no sinful man
should cherish the assuring thought that his transgression is known only
to himself and not to any one else. When a man perpetrates a sinful deed
in secret, the Seasons as also Day and Night behold it always. Those
regions that are reserved for the sinful shall be thine (for what thou
hast done). What thou hadst done thou didst not tell me. That thy sin was
not known to any one, was thy belief, and this conviction had filled thee
with joy. Thou didst not inform the preceptor of the whole truth,
choosing to hide from him a material portion. The Seasons, and Day and
Night, whom thou hast heard speak in that strain, thought it proper to
remind thee of thy transgression. Day and Night and the Seasons are ever
conversant of all the good and the bad deeds that are in a man. They
spoke to thee in that way, O regenerate one, because they have full
knowledge of what thou hadst done but which thou hadst not the courage to
inform me of, fearing thou hadst done wrong. For this reason those
regions that are reserved for the sinful will be thine as much. Thou
didst not tell me what thou hadst done. Thou wert fully capable, O
regenerate one, of protecting my spouse whose disposition by nature is
sin