August 20, 2026
itaḥ svapiti keśavaḥ kulamitastadīyadviṣā
mito ‘pi śaraṇārthinaḥ śikharipatriṇaḥ śerate |
ito ‘pi vaḍavānalaḥ saha samastasaṁvartakai
raho vitatamūrjitaṁ bharasahaṁ ca sindhorvapuḥ (115/6)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
Thus pursuing their fleeing enemies the four kings which were Vipaścit had traversed a long, long distance. Impelled by the indwelling consciousness which is omnipotent they had embarked on a campaign for the conquest of the world known as digvijaya. For a considerable distance they were accompanied by their own forces. As they were marching without rest or respite, these forces and their equipment, as also the forces of the enemy which they pursued, weakened and perished. The missiles that the kings had had also ceased to be effective just as fire is quenched after burning all its fuel.
The four kings going in the four different directions were met by huge oceans. The remaining missiles that they had fell into mud created by the terrible rain that fell, and they disintegrated. The four brothers beheld that limitless ocean with great wonder. (N.B.: There follows a highly poetic description of the ocean.)
The kings’ ministers who had followed them on this expedition pointed out to the kings the various beautiful sights – the forests, the trees, the oceans, the mountains, the clouds and also the hill tribes. (N.B.: Again, there is a poetic description of all these in the text. There is also a “reverse”-comparison…) Just as Brahman, though one, appears to be divided into diversity and, though infinite, appears to have created this finite and perishable world, even so this ocean, though one, appears to be divided into several oceans, and it appears to be both eternal and the transient waves.
The ministers pointed to more oceans and said: “Lord, here on this ocean, lord Nārāyaṇa rests. Here in the other ocean his enemies the demons lie hidden. In that other ocean, mountains lie hidden. Beneath this ocean there is the cosmic fire of unimaginable heat, along with the clouds of cosmic dissolution. How wonderful it is that this ocean is so vast, so firmly established and able to support so much of burden. Look at the moon. As it rises on the eastern horizon, it spreads its soft light everywhere and thus brings auspiciousness to all, ridding all of their fear of darkness and night. But even this moon is tainted with dark spots. When such is the case with these celestial bodies, what can we call an untainted object in this world, what shall we call good and excellent in this world, which time or fate will not tarnish in the twinkling of an eye? Surely, there is no such thing on earth.”