Verse 39

³²While he joined his mind in this way by austerity, recitation and restraint, Hari as Nara and Narayana showed himself to him, to give him grace. ³³The two of them, one white and one dark, with eyes like fresh lotuses, four-armed, dressed in deerskin and bark, purifying grass in their hands, the threefold thread across them, a water pot and a straight bamboo staff; ³⁴a string of lotus seeds too, a brush for sweeping small creatures out of the way, and the Veda itself; the two of them were austerity given a shape, tall, holding a light tawny as burning lightning, honoured by the bulls among the gods. ³⁵Seeing these two forms of the Bhagavan, the sages Nara and Narayana, he stood up and bowed low with his whole body straight as a staff, in deep respect.

³⁶With his self and senses and mind stilled by the joy of that sight, the hair standing up on his body and his eyes full of tears, he could not bear to look at them. ³⁷He rose with his hands joined and his body bent, and out of longing all but embraced them, and said to the two lords, Salutation, salutation, the syllables choking in his throat. ³⁸He brought a seat for them and washed their feet, and honoured them with an offering, with ointment, with incense and with garlands. ³⁹The two sages sat at ease on the seat with their faces turned toward him in favour; he bowed again at their feet, and said this to those weightiest ones.