SECTION –CCVIII
(Markandeya-Samasya Parva Continued)
Markandeya continued, "O Yudhishthira, the
virtuous fowler, eminent in pity, then skilfully addressed himself again to
that foremost of Brahmanas, saying, 'It is the dictum of the aged that the ways
of righteousness are subtle, diverse and infinite. When life is at stake and in
the matter of marriage, it is proper to tell an untruth. Untruth sometimes
leads to the triumph of truth, and the latter dwindles into untruth. Whichever
conduces most to the good of all creatures is considered to be truth. Virtue is
thus perverted; mark thou its subtle ways. O best of virtuous men, man's
actions are either good or bad, and he undoubtedly reaps their fruits. The
ignorant man having attained to an abject state, grossly abuses the gods, not
knowing that it is the consequence of his own evil karma. The foolish, the
designing and the fickle, O good Brahmana, always attain the very reverse of
happiness or misery. Neither learning nor good morals, nor personal exertion
can save them. And if the fruits of our exertion were not dependent on anything
else, people would attain the object of their desire, by simply striving to
attain it.
It is seen that able, intelligent and diligent
persons are baffled in their efforts, and do not attain the fruits of their
actions. On the other hand, persons who are always active in injuring others
and in practising deception on the world, lead a happy life. There are some who
attain prosperity without any exertion. And there are others, who with the
utmost exertion, are unable to achieve their dues. Miserly persons with the
object of having sons born to them worship the gods, and practise severe austerities,
and those sons having remained in the womb for ten months at length turn out to
be very infamous issue of their race; and others begotten under the same
auspices, decently pass their lives in luxury with heaps of riches and grain
accumulated by their ancestors. The diseases from which man suffer, are
undoubtedly the result of their own karma. They then behave like small deer at
the hands of hunters, and they are racked with mental troubles. And, O
Brahmana, as hunters intercept the flight of their game, the progress of those
diseases is checked by able and skilful physicians with their collections of
drugs. And, the best of the cherishers of religion, thou hast observed that
those who have it in their power to enjoy (the good things of this earth), are prevented
from doing so from the fact of their suffering from chronic bowel-complaints,
and that many others that are strong and powerful, suffer from misery, and are
enabled with great difficulty to obtain a livelihood; and that every man is
thus helpless, overcome by misery and illusion, and again and again tossed and
overpowered by the powerful current of his own actions (karma). If there were
absolute freedom of action, no creature would die, none would be subject to
decay, or await his evil doom, and everybody would attain the object of his
desire. All persons desire to out distance their neighbours (in the race of
life), and they strive to do so to the utmost of their power; but the result
turns out otherwise. Many are the persons born under the influence of the same
star and the same auspices of good luck; but a great diversity is observable in
the maturity of their actions. No person, O good Brahmana, can be the dispenser
of his own lot. The actions done in a previous existence are seen to fructify in
our present life. It is the immemorial tradition that the soul is eternal and
everlasting, but the corporeal frame of all creatures is subject to destruction
here (below). When therefore life is extinguished, the body only is destroyed,
but the spirit, wedded to its actions, travels elsewhere.'
"The Brahmana replied, 'O best of those
versed in the doctrine of karma, and in the delivery of discourses, I long to
know accurately how the soul becomes eternal.' The fowler replied, 'The spirit
dies not, there being simply a change of tenement. They are mistaken, who
foolishly say that all creatures die. The soul betakes itself to another frame,
and its change of habitation is called its death. In the world of men, no man
reaps the consequences of another man's karma. Whatever one does, he is sure to
reap the consequences thereof; for the consequences of the karma that is once
done, can never be obviated. The virtuous become endowed with great virtues,
and sinful men become the perpetrators of wicked deeds. Men's actions follow
them; and influenced by these, they are born again.' The Brahmana enquired,
'Why does the spirit take its birth, and why does its nativity become sinful or
virtuous, and how, O good man, does it come to belong to a sinful or virtuous
race?' The fowler replied, This mystery seems to belong to the subject of
procreation, but I shall briefly describe to you, O good Brahmana, how the
spirit is born again with its accumulated load of karma, the righteous in a
virtuous, and the wicked in a sinful nativity. By the performance of virtuous
actions it attains to the state of the gods, and by a combination of good and
evil, it acquires the human state; by indulgence in sensuality and similar
demoralising practices it is born in the lower species of animals, and by
sinful acts, it goes to the infernal regions. Afflicted with the miseries of
birth and dotage, man is fated to rot here below from the evil consequences of
his own actions. Passing through thousands of births as also the infernal regions,
our spirits wander about, secured by the fetters of their own karma. Animate
beings become miserable in the next world on account of these actions done by
themselves and from the reaction of those miseries, they assume lower births
and then they accumulate a new series of actions, and they consequently suffer
misery over again, like sickly men partaking of unwholesome food; and although
they are thus afflicted, they consider themselves to be happy and at ease and
consequently their fetters are not loosened and new karma arises; and suffering
from diverse miseries they turn about in this world like a wheel. If casting
off their fetters they purify themselves by their actions and practise
austerities and religious meditations, then, O best of Brahmanas, they attain
the Elysian regions by these numerous acts and by casting off their fetters and
by the purification of karma, men attain those blissful regions where misery is
unknown to those who go there. The sinful man who is addicted to vices, never
comes to the end of his course of iniquities. Therefore must we strive to do
what is virtuous and forbear from doing what is unrighteous. Whoever with a
heart full of gratefulness and free from malice strives to do what is good,
attains wealth, virtue, happiness and heaven (hereafter). Those who are
purified of sins, wise, forbearing, constant in righteousness, and
self-restrained enjoy continuous felicity in this as well as in the next world.
Man must follow the standard of virtue of the good and in his acts imitate the
example of the righteous. There are virtuous men, versed in holy writ and
learned in all departments of knowledge. Man's proper duty consists in
following his own proper avocation, and this being the case these latter do not
become confused and mixed up. The wise man delights in virtue and lives by
righteousness. And, O good Brahmana, such a man with the wealth of
righteousness which he hereby acquires, waters the root of the plant in which
he finds most virtue. The virtuous man acts thus and his mind is calmed. He is
pleased with his friends in this world and he also attains happiness hereafter.
Virtuous people, O good man, acquire dominion over all and the pleasure of
beauty, flavour, sound and touch according to their desire. These are known to
be the rewards of virtue. But the man of enlightened vision, O great Brahmana,
is not satisfied with reaping the fruits of righteousness. Not content with
that, he with the light of spiritual wisdom that is in him, becomes indifferent
to pain and pleasure and the vice of the world influenceth him not. Of his own
free will he becometh indifferent to worldly pursuits but he forsaketh not
virtue. Observing that everything worldly is evanescent, he trieth to renounce
everything and counting on more chance he deviseth means for the attainment of
salvation. Thus doth he renounce the pursuits of the world, shuneth the ways of
sin, becometh virtuous and at last attaineth salvation. Spiritual wisdom is the
prime requisite of men for salvation, resignation and forbearance are its
roots. By this means he attaineth all the objects of this desire. But subduing
the senses and by means of truthfulness and forbearance, he attaineth, O good
Brahmana, the supreme asylum of Brahma.' The Brahmana again enquired, 'O thou most
eminent in virtue and constant in the performance of the religious obligations,
you talk of senses; what are they; how may they be subdued; and what is the
good of subduing them; and how doth a creature reap the fruits thereof? O pious
man, I beg to acquaint myself with the truth of this matter."
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