'No more, no more, Your Majesty,' they exclaimed; 'cease injuring your own body! This marvellous performance of yours, by which you win the hearts of all mendicants, has satisfied us.' So with great agitation, and respectfully bowing their heads, they bade the king stop; after which, they looked up to him with great regard, uplifting their faces moistened with tears of faithful contrition, and continued: 49. 'Justly people are prompted by devoutness to proclaim everywhere your glory. Justly _S_rî, disdaining the lotus-pond, loves to reside with you. Verily, if Heaven, though protected by _S_akra's sovereignty, does not feel something like jealousy, when it looks down on this earth, guarded by your heroism--Heaven, forsooth, is deceived. 'Why use many words? Mankind is happy, indeed, being under the protection of such a person as you; but we, we are utterly distressed at having approved of your suffering. Yet, we hope that applying to such a being as you are, may prove a means of salvation for us, be we ever so wicked as we are. Thus hoping, we put this question to you. 50. 'What is that exceedingly marvellous rank for which you long, acting in this way without regard to your royal happiness, that beloved state which you possess at your ease? 51. 'Is it the sovereignty of the whole earth you covet by means of this penance, or is it the rank of Kubera or that of Indra, or entire deliverance and absorption into the Brahma? 52. 'Be it what it may, the goal you are striving after cannot be very far from this strong determination. If we are allowed to hear it, you would please us by telling it, sir.' The king spoke: 'Hear then, for what I am exerting myself. 53-55. 'An illustrious high rank depends on existence, it is to be obtained by effort, and may be easily lost. It cannot give the pleasure of satisfaction, much less tend to serenity of mind. For this reason, I do not desire even the brilliancy of the Lord of the Devas, how much less, that of a king of the earth. Nor would my heart become content, if I were to succeed in destroying the suffering of myself alone[74]. I rather regard those helpless creatures, distressed by toil and sufferings because of the violent calamities and vices to which they are liable. For their sakes, may I by means of this my meritorious action attain All-knowingness, and vanquishing the evil passions, my enemies, may I save the creatures from the Ocean of Existence, that rough sea with its billows of old age, sickness and death!' [74] This is said in answer to the question whether he aimed at absorption into Brahma [or 'into the Brahma,' the Sanskrit word being brahmabhûya].