f great intelligence underwent such a change!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed by Yudhishthira, the great
_Muni_ Markandeya, O Bharata, then began the history of Dhundhumara!"

"Markandeya said, 'O royal Yudhishthira, listen to me, I will tell thee
all! The story of Dhundhumara is a moral one. Listen to it then! Listen
now, O king, to the story of how the royal Kuvalaswa of Ikshvaku's race
came to be known as Dhundhumara. O son, O Bharata, there was a
celebrated _Rishi_ of the name of Utanka and, O thou of the Kuru race,
Utanka had his hermitage in a delightful wilderness. And, O great king,
the _Rishi_ Utanka underwent ascetic austerities of the severest kind
and the lord Utanka underwent those penances for numberless years with
the object of obtaining the favours of Vishnu, and gratified with his
penances that illustrious Lord presented himself before Utanka. And
beholding the Deity, the _Rishi_ in all humility began to gratify him
with many hymns, and Utanka said, "O thou of great effulgence all
creatures with the gods, _Asuras_ and human beings, all things that are
mobile or immobile, even _Brahma_ himself, the Vedas, and all things
that are capable of being known, have, O lord, been created by thee! The
firmament is thy head, O god, and the sun and the moon are thy eyes!
And, O Unfading One, the winds are thy breath and fire thy energy! The
directions of the horizon constitute thy arms and the great ocean thy
stomach! And, O god, the hills and mountains constitute thy thigh and
the sky thy hips, O slayer of Madhu! The earth constitutes thy feet, and
the plants the bristles on thy body. And, O lord, Indra and Soma and
Agni and Varuna, indeed all the gods, the _Asuras_ and the great Snakes
all wait upon thee with humility, adoring thee with various hymns! O
Lord of the Universe, created things are pervaded by thee. The great
_Rishis_ of high energy and ever plunged in ascetic meditation, always
adore thee. When thou art gratified, the universe is in peace. And when
thou art angry, terror pervadeth every soul. Thou art, O Lord, the great
dispeller of all terrors and thou art the One Supreme Male Being! Thou
art the cause of happiness of both gods and human beings! And, O Lord,
by three steps of thine thou didst cover the three worlds! And it was by
thee that the _Asuras_ in the height of their power were destroyed! It
is owing to thy prowess, O God, that the celestials obtained peace and
happiness and, O tho