Chapter 287

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Living creatures always stand in fear of sorrow anddeath. Tell me, O grandsire, how the occurrence of these two may beprevented.’

“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection, O Bharata, is cited the old narrativeof the discourse between Narada and Samanga.’

“Narada said, ‘(While others salute their superiors by only a bend of thehead) thou salutest thy superiors by prostrating thyself on the groundtill thy chest comes into contact with the ground. Thou seemest to beengaged in crossing (the river of life) with thy hands.[1452] Thouseemest to be always free from sorrow and exceedingly cheerful. I do notsee that thou hast the least anxiety. Thou art always content and happyand thou seemest to sport (in felicity) like a child.’

“Samanga said, ‘O giver of honours, I know the truth about the Past, thePresent, and the Future. Hence I never become cheerless.[1453] I knowalso what the beginning of acts is in this world, what the accession oftheir fruits, and how varied are those fruits. Hence I never yield tosorrow.[1454] Behold, the illiterate, the destitute, the prosperous, ONarada, the blind, idiots and madmen, and ourselves also, all live.[1455]These live by virtue of their acts of past lives. The very deities, whoexist freed from diseases, exist (in that state) by virtue of their pastacts. The strong and the weak, all, live by virtue of past acts. It isfitting, therefore, that thou shouldst hold us in esteem. The owners ofthousands live. The owners of hundreds also live. They that areoverwhelmed with sorrow live. Behold, we too are living! When we, ONarada, do not give way to grief, what can the practice of the duties (ofreligion) or the observance of (religious) acts do to us? And since alljoys and sorrows also are not unending, they are, therefore, unable toagitate us at all.[1456] That for which men are said to be wise, indeed,the very root of wisdom, is the freedom of the senses from error. It isthe senses that yield to error and grief. One whose senses are subject toerror can never be said to have attained wisdom. That pride which isindulged in by a man subject to error is only a form of the error towhich he is subject. As regards the man of error, he has neither thisworld nor the next. It should be remembered that griefs do not last forever and that happiness cannot be had always.[1457] Worldly life with allits vicissitudes and painful incidents, one like me would never adopt.Such a one would not care for desirable objects of enjoyments, and wouldnot think at all of the happiness their possession may bring about, or,indeed, of the griefs that present themselves.[1458] One capable ofresting on one’s own self would never covet the possessions of others;would not think of gains unacquired, would not feel delighted at theacquisition of even immense wealth; and would not yield to sorrow at theloss of wealth. Neither friends, nor wealth, nor high birth, norscriptural learning, nor mantras, nor energy, can succeed in rescuing onefrom sorrow in the next world. It is only by conduct that one can attainto felicity there. The Understanding of the man unconversant with Yogacan never be directed towards Emancipation. One unconversant with Yogacan never have happiness. Patience and the resolution to cast off sorrow,these two indicate the advent of happiness. Anything agreeable leads topleasure. Pleasure induces pride. Pride, again, is productive of sorrow.For these reasons, I avoid all these. Grief, Fear, Pride,–these thatstupefy the heart,–and also Pleasure and Pain, I behold as (anunconcerned) witness since my body is endued with life and movesabout.[1459] Casting off both wealth and pleasure, and thirst and error,I wander over the earth, freed from grief and every kind of anxiety ofheart. Like one that has drunk nectar I have no fear, here or hereafter,of death, or iniquity, or cupidity, or anything of that kind. I haveacquired this knowledge, O Brahmana, as the result of my severe andindestructible penances. It is for this reason, O Narada, that grief,even when it comes to me, does not succeed in afflicting me.'”