me. These were born, O regenerate one, in the house of Dharma. Do
thou worship them always, and do thou perform those rites that are laid
down in the ordinances with respect to that worship. O Brahmana, do thou
ask of me the boons thou desirest. I am gratified with thee to-day, and I
appear unto thee now in my universal form as freed from decay and
deterioration.'

"'"Narada said, 'Since, O holy one, I have today succeeded in obtaining a
sight of thee. I regard that I have won without any delay the fruits of
my penances, O God, of my self-restraint, and of all the vows and
observances that I have gone through. This, indeed, is the highest boon
thou hast granted me for thou hast shown thyself to me today. O Eternal
Lord, Thou, O holy one, hast the universe for thy eye. Thou art the Lion.
Thy form is identifiable with everything. Possessed of puissance, thou, O
Lord, art vast and infinite.'"

"'Bhishma continued, "Having thus shown Himself unto Narada, the son of
Parameshthi, the great God addressed that ascetic and said,--'Go hence, O
Narada, and do not delay! These worshippers of mine, possessed of lunar
complexions, are divested of all senses and do not subsist upon any kind
of food. They are, again, all Emancipate; with minds wholly concentrated
upon Me, people should think of Me. Such worshippers will never meet with
any impediments. These men are all crowned with ascetic success and are
highly blessed. In ancient times they became entirely devoted to me. They
have been freed from the attributes of Rajas and Tamas. Without doubt,
they are competent to enter me and become merged into my Self.--He that
cannot be seen with the eye, touched with the sense of touch, smelt with
the sense of scent, and that is beyond the ken of the sense of taste. He
whom the three attributes of Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas do not touch, who
pervades all things and is the one Witness of the universe, and who is
described as the Soul of the entire universe; He who is not destroyed
upon the destruction of the bodies of all created things, who is unborn
and unchangeable and eternal, who is freed from all attributes, who is
indivisible and entire; He who transcends the twice twelve topics of
enquiry and is regarded the Twenty-fifth, who is called by the name of
Purusha, who is inactive, and who is said to be apprehended by Knowledge
alone, He into whom the foremost of the regenerate persons enter and
become emancipate. He who is the eternal Supreme