and eminences made of jewels and
gems. These shine in beauty in consequence of their tall summits which
are composed of all kinds of gems. The trees that adorn those regions
always put forth flowers and fruits, and are always covered with dense
foliage. The flowers always emit a celestial fragrance and the fruits are
exceedingly sweet, O chief of Bharata's race. Those persons that are of
righteous deeds, O Yudhishthira, always sport there in joy. Freed from
grief and wrath, they pass their time there, crowned with the fruition of
every wish. Persons of righteous deeds, possessed of fame, sport there in
happiness, moving from place to place, O Bharata, on delightful vehicles
of great beauty. Auspicious bands of Apsaras always amuse them
there, with music and dance. Indeed O Yudhishthira, a person goes to such
regions as the reward of his making gifts of kine. Those regions which
have for their lords Pushan, and the Maruts of great puissance, are
attained to by givers of kine. In affluence the royal Varuna is regarded
as pre-eminent. The giver of kine attains to affluence like that of
Varuna himself. One should, with the steadiness of a vow, daily recite
these Mantras declared by Prajapati himself (in respect of kine).
Viswarupa and viz.,--Yugandharah, Surupah, Vahurupah, and
Matara.[379]--He who serves kine with reverence and who follows them with
humility, succeeds in obtaining many invaluable boons from kine who
become gratified with him. One should never, in even one's heart, do an
injury to kine. One should, indeed, always confer happiness on them. One
should always reverence kine and worship them, with bends of one's head.
He who does this, restraining his senses the while and filled with
cheerfulness, succeeds in attaining to that felicity which is enjoyed by
kine (and which kine alone can confer). One should for three days drink
the hot urine of the cow. For the next three days one should drink the
hot milk of the cow. Having thus drunk for three days hot milk, one
should next drink hot ghee for three days. Having in this way drunk hot
ghee for three days, one should subsist for the next three days on air
only. That sacred thing by whose aid the deities enjoy regions of
felicity, that which is the most sacred of all sacred things, viz., ghee
should then be borne on the head.[380] With the aid of ghee one should
pour libations on the sacred fire. By making gifts of ghee, one should
cause the Brahmana to utter benedic