with living creatures, O thou of unfading glory!  Indeed, O king, the three worlds seemed to swell with living beings, and became as it were breathless.  Then, O monarch, the thought arose in the Grandsire’s mind as to how he should destroy that overgrown population.  Reflecting on the subject, the Self-born, however, could not decide what the means should be by which the destruction of life was to be brought about.  Thereupon, O king, Brahman gave way to wrath, and in consequence of his wrath a fire issued out of his body.  With that fire born of his wrath, the Grandsire burnt all the quarters of the universe, O monarch.  Indeed, that conflagration born of the Divine lord’s anger, O king, burnt heaven and earth and the firmament and the whole universe with all its mobile and immobile beings.  Truly, when the Grandsire thus gave way to wrath, all mobile and immobile beings began to be consumed by the irresistible energy of that passion.  Then the divine and auspicious Sthanu, that slayer of hostile heroes, that lord of the Vedas and the scriptures, filled with compassion, sought to gratify Brahman.  When Sthanu came to Brahman from motives of benevolence, the great God burning with energy, addressed him, saying, ’Thou deservest boons at my hands.  What desire of thine shall I accomplish?  I shall do thee good by accomplishing whatever is in thy breast.’”

SECTION CCLVII

“Sthanu said, ’Know, O lord, that my solicitations to thee are on behalf of the created beings of the universe.  These beings have been created by thee.  Do not be angry with them, O grandsire!  By the fire born of thy energy, O illustrious one, all the created beings are being consumed.  Beholding them placed in such a plight, I am penetrated with compassion.  Do not be angry with them, O lord of the universe.’

“The lord of all created beings said, ’I am not angry, nor it is my wish that all the created beings should cease to exist.  It is only for lightening the burthen of the earth that destruction is desirable.  The goddess Earth, afflicted with the weight of creatures, solicited me, O Mahadeva, for destroying them, especially as She seemed to sink under their burthen into the water.  When after exercising my intelligence for even a long while I could not hit upon the means by which to accomplish the destruction of this overgrown population, it was then that wrath took possession of my breast.’

“Sthanu said, ’Do not give way to wrath, O lord of the deities, with respect to this matter about the destruction of living creatures.  Be gratified.  Let not these mobile and immobile beings be destroyed.  All tanks, all kinds of grass and herbs, all immobile beings, and all mobile creatures also of the four varieties, are being consumed.  The whole universe is about to be denuded of beings.  Be gratified, O divine lord!  O thou of righteous heart, even this is the boon that I solicit at thy hands.  If destroyed, these creatures would not