The aged couple replied,
"At home, O Brahmana, we are all right, with all our servants. Hast
thou, adorable sir, reached this place without any difficulty?"'
Markandeya continued, 'The Brahmana replied, "Yes, I have." Then the
fowler addressing himself to the Brahmana said to him, "These my
parents, worshipful sir, are the idols that I worship; whatever is due
to the gods, I do unto them. As the thirty-three gods with Indra at
their head are worshipped by men, so are these aged parents of mine
worshipped by me. As Brahmanas exert themselves for the purpose of
procuring offering for their gods, so do I act with diligence for these
two (idols of mine). These my father and mother, O Brahmana, are my
supreme gods, and I seek to please them always with offering of flowers,
fruits and gems. To me they are like the three sacred fires mentioned by
the learned; and, O Brahmana, they seem to me to be as good as
sacrifices or the four _Vedas_. My five life-giving airs, my wife and
children and friends are all for them (dedicated to their service). And
with my wife and children I always attend on them. O good Brahmana, with
my own hands I assist them in bathing and also wash their feet and give
them food and I say to them only what is agreeable, leaving out what is
unpleasant. I consider it to be my highest duty to do what is agreeable
to them even though it be not strictly justifiable. And, O Brahmana, I
am always diligent in attending on them.
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