s, viz., Suka, stayed on his success
casting off the four kinds of faults. Casting off also the eight kinds of
Tamas, he dismissed the five kinds of Rajas. Endued with great
intelligence, he then cast off the attribute of Sattwa. All this seemed
exceedingly wonderful. He then dwelt in that eternal station that is
destitute of attributes, freed from every indication, that is, in Brahma,
blazing like a smokeless fire. Meteors began to shoot. The points of the
compass seemed to be ablaze. The Earth trembled. All those phenomena
seemed exceedingly wonderful. The trees began to cast off their branches
and the mountains their summits. Loud reports (as of thunder) were heard
that seemed to rive the Himavat mountains. The sun seemed at that moment
to be shorn of splendour. Fire refused to blaze forth. The lakes and
rivers and seas were all agitated. Vasava poured showers of rain of
excellent taste and fragrance. A pure breeze began to blow, bearing
excellent perfumes. Suka as he proceeded through the welkin, beheld two
beautiful summits, one belonging to Himavat and another to Meru. These
were in close contact with each other. One of them was made of gold and
was, therefore yellow; the other was white, being made of silver. Each of
them, O Bharata, was a hundred yojanas in height and of the same measure
in breadth. Indeed, as Suka journeyed towards the north, he saw those two
beautiful summits. With a fearless heart he dashed against those two
summits that were united with each other. Unable to bear the force, the
summits were suddenly rent in twain. The sight they thereupon presented,
O monarch, was exceedingly wonderful to behold. Suka pierced through
those summits, for they were unable to stop his onward course. At this a
loud noise arose in heaven, made by the denizens thereof. The Gandharvas
and the Rishis also and others that dwelt in that mountain being rent in
twain and Suka passing through it. Indeed, O Bharata, a loud noise was
heard everywhere at that moment, consisting of the words--Excellent,
Excellent!--He was adored by the Gandharvas and the Rishis, by crowds of
Yakshas and Rakshasas, and all tribes of the Vidyadharas. The entire
firmament became strewn with celestial flowers showered from heaven at
that moment when Suka thus pierced through that impenetrable barrier, O
monarch! The righteous-souled Suka then beheld from a high region the
celestial stream Mandakini of great beauty, running below through a
region ad