else, in the
company of Krishna, his heart filled with delight, in that palace of
celestial beauty. One day, those two listlessly proceeded to a particular
part of the palace that looked, O king, like a veritable portion of
Heaven. Themselves filled with delight, they were then surrounded by
their relatives and attendants. Pandu's son, Arjuna, filled with joy in
the company of Krishna, surveyed that delightful mansion, and then
addressed his companion, saying, "O mighty-armed one, thy greatness
became known to me upon the approach of the battle. O son of Devaki, thy
form also, as the Lord of the universe, then became known to me! What thy
holy self said unto me at that time, O Kesava, through affection, has all
been forgotten by me, O chief of men, in consequence of the fickleness of
my mind. Repeatedly, however, have I been curious on the subject of those
truths. Thou again, O Madhava, wilt repair to Dwaraka soon."'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by him, Krishna of mighty energy,
that foremost of speakers, embraced Phalguna and replied unto him as
follows.

"'Vasudeva said, "I made thee listen to truths that are regarded as
mysteries. I imparted to thee truths that are eternal. Verily, I
discoursed to thee on Religion in its true form and on all the eternal
regions. It is exceedingly disagreeable to me to learn that thou didst
not, from folly, receive what I imparted. The recollection of all that I
told thee on that occasion will not come to me now. Without doubt, O son
of Pandu, thou art destitute of faith and thy understanding is not good.
It is impossible for me, O Dhananjaya, to repeat, in detail, all that I
said on that occasion. That religion (about which I discoursed to thee
then) is more than sufficient for understanding Brahma. I cannot
discourse on it again in detail. I discoursed to thee on Supreme Brahma,
having concentrated myself in Yoga. I shalt now, however, recite to thee
an old history upon the same topic. O foremost of all persons, observant
of duty, listen to everything I now say, so that, with an understanding
adapted to my teaching, thou mayst succeed in attaining to the highest
end. O chastiser of foes, on one occasion, a Brahmana came to us from the
regions of Heaven. Of irresistible energy, he came from the regions of
the Grandsire. He was duly reverenced by us. Listen, O son of Pritha,
without yielding to scruples of any kind, to what he, O chief of
Bharata's race, said, in answer