answered,—­’The report of one’s good action reacheth heaven and spreadeth over the earth.  As long as that report lasteth, so long is a person to whom the agreeable and the disagreeable, weal and woe, the past and the future, are the same, is said to possess every kind of wealth.’  The Yaksha said,—­’Thou hast, O king truly answered who is a man, and what man possesseth every kind of wealth.  Therefore, let one only amongst thy brothers, whom thou mayst wish, get up with life!’ Yudhishthira answered,—­’Let this one that is of darkish hue, whose eyes are red, who is tall like a large Sala tree, whose chest is broad and arms long, let this Nakula, O Yaksha, get up with life!’ The Yaksha rejoined,—­’This Bhimasena is dear unto thee, and this Arjuna also is one upon whom all of you depend!  Why, then, O king, dost thou wish a step-brother to get up with his life!  How canst thou, forsaking Bhima whose strength is equal to that of ten thousand elephants, wish Nakula to live?  People said that this Bhima was dear to thee.  From what motive then dost thou wish a step-brother to revive?  Forsaking Arjuna the might of whose arm is worshipped by all the sons of Pandu, why dost thou wish Nakula to revive?’ Yudhishthira said,—­’If virtue is sacrificed, he that sacrificeth it, is himself lost.  So virtue also cherisheth the cherisher.  Therefore taking care that virtue by being sacrificed may not sacrifice us, I never forsake virtue.  Abstention from injury is the highest virtue, and is, I ween, even higher than the highest object of attainment.  I endeavour to practise that virtue.  Therefore, let Nakula, O Yaksha, revive!  Let men know that the king is always virtuous!  I will never depart from my duty.  Let Nakula, therefore, revive!  My father had two wives, Kunti and Madri.  Let both of them have children.  This is what I wish.  As Kunti is to me, so also is Madri.  There is no difference between them in my eye.  I desire to act equally towards my mothers.  Therefore, let Nakula live.’  The Yaksha said,—­’Since abstention from injury is regarded by thee as higher than both profit and pleasure, therefore, let all thy brothers live, O bull of Bharata race!’”

    [67] Lit.  Letters.

[68] Behind the plain and obvious meanings of the words employed both in the question and the answer, there is a deeper signification of a spiritual kind.  I think Nilakantha has rightly understood the passage.  By Aditya, which of course commonly means the Sun, is indicated the unpurified soul (from adatte sabdadin indriadivis &c.).  The first question then, becomes, ‘Who is it that exalteth the unpurified soul?’ The act of exaltation implies a raising of the soul from its earthly connections.  The answer to this is, ’Brahma, i.e., Veda or self-knowledge.’  The second question—­’What are those that keep company with the soul during its progress of purification?’ The answer is, ’Self-restraint and other qualities, which are all of a god-like