possessed my wretched self.'[641]

"'"The Brahmana said, 'Accept, O king! I owe thee. Thou didst solicit it,
and I also have become pledged (to give thee). If, however, thou refuse
to take, O monarch, I shall without doubt curse thee.'

"'"The king said, 'Fie on kingly duties, the settled conclusion about the
operation of which is even such. I should, however, take what thou
givest, for only this reason, viz., rendering the two courses of duty
exactly equal.[642] This is my hand, that was never before (stretched
forth for acceptance of gifts), is now stretched forth (for acceptance as
also) for giving away. Give me what thou owest me.'

"'"The Brahmana said, 'If I have won any fruits by reciting the Gayatri,
accept them all.'

"'"The king said, 'These drops of water, behold, O foremost of Brahmanas,
have fallen upon my hand. I also desire to give thee. Accept my gift. Let
there be equality between us (through thy accepting my gift as I have
accepted thine).'

"'"Virupa said, 'Know, O king, that we two are Desire and Wrath. It hath
been by us that thou hast been induced to act in this way. Thou hast made
a gift in return to the Brahmana. Let there be equality between thee and
this regenerate person in respect of regions of felicity in the next
world. This Vikrita really does not owe me anything. We appealed to thee
for thy own sake. Time, Dharma, Mrityu, and we two, have examined
everything about thee, here in thy very presence, by producing this
friction between thee and that Brahmana. Go now, as thou choosest, to
those regions of felicity which thou hast won by means of thy deeds.'"

"'Bhishma continued, "I have now told thee how Reciters obtain the fruits
(of their recitation) and what, indeed, is their end, what the spot, and
what the regions, that a Reciter may win. A Reciter of Gayatri goes to
the supreme god Brahman, or repairs to Agni or enters the region of
Surya. If he sports there in his (new) energetic form, then stupefied by
such attachment, he catches the attributes of those particular
regions.[643] The same becomes the case with him if he goes to Soma, or
Vayu, or Earth, or Space. The fact is, he dwells in all these, with
attachment, and displays the attributes peculiar to those regions. If,
however, he goes to those regions after having freed himself from
attachments, and feels a mistrust (respecting the felicity he enjoys)
and wishes for That Which is Supreme and Immutable, he then enters even
Tha