“Yudhishthira said, ‘O grandsire, O thou of great wisdom, O thou that artconversant with all branches of knowledge, what is that subject of silentrecitation by reciting which every day one may acquire the merit ofrighteousness in a large measure?
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having heard all the duties in their entirety andall those sacred acts and objects that cleanse human beings of theirsins. Yudhishthira once more addressed the son of Santanu in thefollowing words.’
“Narada said, ‘At the conclusion of Mahadeva’s speech, loud roars wereheard in the firmament. Thunders bellowed, with flashes of lightening.
“Narada said, ‘Having said these words, the puissant Mahadeva himselfbecame desirous of hearing (instead of talking), and with that view hequestioned his dear spouse who was seated by his side and she was fullyinclined to act up to his desire.’
“Uma said, ‘By what disposition, what conduct, what acts, and what gifts,does a man succeed in attaining to Heaven?’
“Uma said, ‘O holy one, O Lord of all beings, O thou that art worshippedby the deities and Asuras equally, tell me what are the duties andderelictions of men.
“Uma said, ‘O holy one, O thou that didst tear off the eyes of Bhaga andthe teeth of Pushan, O destroyer of the sacrifice of Daksha, O three-eyeddeity, I have a great doubt. In days of yore, the Self-born One createdthe four orders.
“Uma said, ‘Forest recluses reside in delightful regions, among thesprings and fountains of rivers, in bowers by the sides of streams andrills, on hills and mountains, in woods and forests, and in sacred spotsfull of fruits and roots.
“The blessed and holy one said, ‘In days of yore, a blessed woman wascreated by Brahman, called Tilottama, by culling grains of beauty fromevery beautiful object in the universe.
“Bhishma said, ‘Then Narada, that holy Rishi, that friend of Narayana,recited the following narrative of the discourse between Sankara and hisspouse Uma.’
