SECTION –XXXII
(Arjunabhigamana Parva Continued)
"Draupadi said, 'I do not ever disregard or
slander religion, O son of Pritha! Why should I disregard God, the lord of all
creatures? Afflicted with woe, know me, O Bharata, to be only raving I will
once more indulge in lamentations; listen to me with attention O persecutor of
all enemies, every conscious creature should certainly act in this world. It is
only the immobile, and not other creatures, that may live without acting. The
calf, immediately after its birth, sucketh the mothers' teat. Persons feel pain
in consequence of incantations performed with their statues. It seemeth,
therefore, O Yudhishthira, that creatures derive the character of their lives
from their acts of former lives. Amongst mobile creatures man differeth in this
respect that he aspireth, O bull of the Bharata race, to affect his course of
life in this and the other world by means of his acts. Impelled by the
inspiration of a former life, all creatures visibly (reap) in this world the
fruits of their acts. Indeed, all creatures live according to the inspiration
of a former life, even the Creator and the Ordainer of the universe, like a
crane that liveth on the water (untaught by any one.) If a creature acteth not,
its course of life is impossible. In the case of a creature, therefore, there
must be action and not inaction. Thou also shouldest act, and not incur censure
by abandoning action. Cover thyself up, as with an armour, with action. There
may or may not be even one in a thousand who truly knoweth the utility of acts
or work. One must act for protecting as also increasing his wealth; for if
without seeking to earn, one continueth to only spend, his wealth, even if it
were a hoard huge as Himavat, would soon be exhausted. All the creatures in the
world would have been exterminated, if there were no action. If also acts bore
no fruits, creatures would never have multiplied. It is even seen that
creatures sometimes perform acts that have no fruits, for without acts the
course of life itself would be impossible. Those persons in the world who believe
in destiny, and those again who believe in chance, are both the worst among
men. Those only that believe in the efficacy of acts are laudable. He that
lieth at ease, without activity, believing in destiny alone, is soon destroyed
like an unburnt earthen pot in water. So also he that believeth in chance,
i.e., sitteth inactive though capable of activity liveth not long, for his life
is one of weakness and helplessness. If any person accidentally acquireth any
wealth, it is said he deriveth it from chance, for no one's effort hath brought
about the result. And, O son of Pritha, whatever of good fortune a person
obtaineth in consequence of religious rites, that is called providential. The
fruit, however that a person obtaineth by acting himself, and which is the
direct result of those acts of his, is regarded as proof of personal ability.
And, O best of men, know that the wealth one obtaineth spontaneously and
without cause is said to be a spontaneous acquisition. Whatever is thus
obtained by chance, by providential dispensation, spontaneously, of as the
result of one's acts is, however, the consequence of the acts of a former life.
And God, the Ordainer of the universe, judging according to the acts of former
lives, distributeth among men their portions in this world. Whatever acts, good
or bad, a person performeth, know that they are the result of God's,
arrangements agreeably to the acts of a former life. This body is only the
instruments in the hands of God, for doing the acts that are done. Itself,
inert, it doth as God urgeth it to do. O son of Kunti, it is the Supreme Lord
of all who maketh all creatures do what they do. The creatures themselves are
inert. O hero, man, having first settled some purpose in his mind,
accomplisheth it, himself working with the aid of his intelligence. We,
therefore, say that man is himself the cause (of what he doeth). O bull among
men, it is impossible to number the acts of men, for mansions and towns are the
result of man's acts. Intelligent men know, by help of their intellect, that
oil may be had from sesame, curds from milk, and that food may be cooked by
means of igniting fuel. They know also the means for accomplishing all these.
And knowing them, they afterwards set themselves, with proper appliances, to
accomplish them. And creatures support their lives by the results achieved in
these directions by their own acts. If a work is executed by a skilled workman,
it is executed well. From differences (in characteristics), another work may be
said to be that of an unskilful hand. If a person were not, in the matter of
his acts, himself the cause thereof, then sacrifices would not bear any fruits
in his case nor would any body be a disciple or a master. It is because a
person is himself the cause of his work that he is applauded when he achieved success.
So the doer is censured if he faileth. If a man were not himself the cause of
his acts, how would all this be justified? Some say that everything is the
result of Providential dispensation; others again, that this is not so, but
that everything which is supposed to be the result of destiny or chance is the
result of the good or the bad acts of former lives. It is seen, possessions are
obtained from chance, as also from destiny Something being from destiny and
something from chance, something is obtained by exertion. In the acquisition of
his objects, there is no fourth cause in the case of man. Thus say those that
are acquainted with truth and skilled in knowledge. If, however, God himself
were not the giver of good and bad fruits, then amongst creatures there would
not be any that was miserable. If the effect of former acts be a myth, then all
purposes for which man would work should be successful. They, therefore, that
regard the three alone (mentioned above) as the doors of all success and failure
in the world, (without regarding the acts of former life), are dull and inert
like the body itself. For all this, however, a person should act. This is the
conclusion of Manu himself. The person that doth not act, certainly succumbeth,
O Yudhishthira. The man of action in this world generally meeteth with success.
The idle, however, never achieveth success. If success, becometh impossible,
then should one seek to remove the difficulties that bar his way to success.
And, O king, if a person worketh (hard), his debt (to the gods) is cancelled
(whether he achieveth success or not). The person that is idle and lieth at his
length, is overcome by adversity; while he that is active and skillful is sure
to reap success and enjoy prosperity. Intelligent persons engaged in acts with
confidence in themselves regard all who are diffident as doubting and
unsuccessful. The confident and faithful, however, are regarded by them as
successful. And this moment misery hath overtaken us. If, however, thou
betakest to action, that misery will certainly be removed. If thou meetest
failure, then that will furnish a proof unto thee and Vrikodara and Vivatsu and
the twins (that ye are unable to snatch the kingdom from the foe). The acts of
others, it is seen, are crowned with success. It is probable that ours also
will be successful. How can one know beforehand what the consequence will be?
Having exerted thyself thou wilt know what the fruit of thy exertion will be.
The tiller tilleth with the plough the soil and soweth the seeds thereon. He
then sitteth silent, for the clouds (after that) are the cause that would help
the seeds to grow into plants. If however, the clouds favour him not, the
tiller is absolved from all blame. He sayeth unto himself, 'What others do, I
have done. If, notwithstanding this, I meet with failure, no blame can attach
to me.' Thinking so, he containeth himself and never indulgeth in
self-reproach. O Bharata, no one should despair saying, 'Oh, I am acting, yet
success is not mine! For there are two other causes, besides exertion, towards
success. Whether there be success or failure, there should be no despair, for
success in acts dependeth upon the union; of many circumstances. If one
important element is wanting, success doth not become commensurate, or doth not
come at all. If however, no exertion is made, there can be no success. Nor is
there anything to applaud in the absence of all exertion. The intelligent,
aided by their intelligence, and according to their full might bring place,
time, means, auspicious rites, for the acquisition of prosperity. With
carefulness and vigilance should one set himself to work, his chief guide being
his prowess. In the union of qualities necessary for success in work, prowess
seemeth to be the chief. When the man of intelligence seeth his enemy superior
to him in many qualities, he should seek the accomplishment of his purposes by
means, of the arts of conciliation and proper appliances. He should also wish
evil unto his foe and his banishment. Without speaking of mortal man, if his
foe were even the ocean or the hills, he should be guided by such motives. A
person by his activity in searching for the holes of his enemies, dischargeth
his debt to himself as also to his friends. No man should ever disparage
himself for the man that disparageth himself never earneth high prosperity. O
Bharata, success in this world is attainable on such conditions! In fact,
success in the World is said to depend on acting according to time and
circumstances. My father formerly kept a learned Brahmana with him. O bull of
the Bharata race, he said all this unto my father. Indeed, these instructions
as to duty, uttered by Vrihaspati himself, were first taught to my brothers. It
was from them that I heard these afterwards while in my father's house. And, O
Yudhishthira, while at intervals of business, I went out (of the inner
apartments) and sat on the lap of my father, that learned Brahmana used to
recite unto me these truths, sweetly consoling me therewith!"
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