Chapter 31

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Thy speech, O Yajnaseni, is delightful, smooth andfull of excellent phrases. We have listened to it (carefully). Thouspeakest, however, the language of atheism. O princess, I never act,solicitous of the fruits of my actions. I give away, because it is myduty to give; I sacrifice because it is my duty to sacrifice! O Krishna,I accomplish to the best of my power whatever a person living indomesticity should do, regardless of the fact whether those acts havefruits or not. O thou of fair hips, I act virtuously, not from the desireof reaping the fruits of virtue, but of not transgressing the ordinancesof the Veda, and beholding also the conduct of the good and wise! Myheart, O Krishna, is naturally attracted towards virtue. The man whowisheth to reap the fruits of virtue is a trader in virtue. His nature ismean and he should never be counted amongst the virtuous. Nor doth heever obtain the fruits of his virtues! Nor doth he of sinful heart, whohaving accomplished a virtuous act doubteth in his mind, obtain thefruits of his act, in consequence of that scepticism of his! I speak untothee, under the authority of the Vedas, which constitute the highestproof in such matters, that never shouldst thou doubt virtue! The manthat doubteth virtue is destined to take his birth in the brute species.The man of weak understanding who doubteth religion, virtue or the wordsof the Rishis, is precluded from regions of immortality and bliss, likeSudras from the Vedas! O intelligent one, if a child born of a good racestudieth the Vedas and beareth himself virtuously, royal sages ofvirtuous behaviour regard him as an aged sage (not withstanding hisyears)! The sinful wretch, however, who doubteth religion andtransgresseth the scriptures, is regarded as lower even than Sudras androbbers! Thou hast seen with thy own eyes the great ascetic Markandeya ofimmeasurable soul come to us! It is by virtue alone that he hath acquiredimmortality in the flesh. Vyasa, and Vasistha and Maitreya, and Naradaand Lomasa, and Suka, and other Rishis have all, by virtue alone, becomeof pure soul! Thou beholdest them with thy own eyes as furnished withprowess of celestial asceticism, competent to curse or bless (witheffect), and superior to the very gods! O sinless one, these all, equalto the celestials themselves, behold with their eyes what Is written inthe Vedas, and describe virtue as the foremost duty! It behoveth theenot, therefore, O amiable Queen, to either doubt or censure God or act,with a foolish heart. The fool that doubteth religion and disregardethvirtue, proud of the proof derived from his own reasoning, regardeth notother proofs and holdeth the Rishis, who are capable of knowing thefuture as present as mad men. The fool regardeth only the external worldcapable of gratifying his senses, and is blind to everything else. Hethat doubteth religion hath no expiation for his offence. That miserablewretch is full of anxiety and acquireth not regions of bliss hereafter. Arejector of proofs, a slanderer of the interpretation of the Vedicscriptures, a transgressor urged by lust and covetousness, that foolgoeth to hell. O amiable one, he on the other hand, who ever cherishethreligion with faith, obtaineth eternal bliss in the other world. The foolwho cherisheth not religion, transgressing the proofs offered by theRishis, never obtaineth prosperity in any life, for such transgression ofthe scriptures. It is certain, O handsome one, that with respect to himwho regardeth not the words of the Rishis or the conduct of the virtuousas proof, neither this nor the other world existeth. Doubt not, OKrishna, the ancient religion that is practised by the good and framed byRishis of universal knowledge and capable of seeing all things! Odaughter of Drupada, religion is the only raft for those desirous ofgoing to heaven, like a ship to merchants desirous of crossing the ocean.O thou faultless one, if the virtues that are practised by the virtuoushad no fruits, this universe then would be enveloped in infamousdarkness. No one then would pursue salvation, no one would seek toacquire knowledge not even wealth, but men would live like beasts. Ifasceticism, the austerities of celibate life, sacrifices, study of theVedas, charity, honesty,–these all were fruitless, men would not havepractised virtue generation after generation. If acts were all fruitless,a dire confusion would ensue. For what then do Rishis and gods andGandharvas and Rakshasas who are all independent of human conditions,cherish virtue with such affection? Knowing it for certain that God isthe giver of fruits in respect of virtue, they practise virtue in thisworld. This, O Krishna, is the eternal (source of) prosperity. When thefruits of both knowledge and asceticism are seen, virtue and vice cannotbe fruitless. Call to thy mind, O Krishna, the circumstances of thy ownbirth as thou that heard of them, and recall also the manner in whichDhrishtadyumna of great prowess was born! These, O thou of sweet smiles,are the best proofs (of the fruits of virtue)! They that have their mindsunder control, reap the fruits of their acts and are content with little.Ignorant fools are not content with even that much they get (here),because they have no happiness born of virtue to acquire to in the worldhereafter. The fruitlessness of virtuous acts ordained in the Vedas, asalso of all transgressions, the origin and destruction of acts are, Obeautiful one, mysterious even to the gods. These are not known to anybody and everybody. Ordinary men are ignorant in respect of these. Thegods keep up the mystery, for the illusion covering the conduct of thegods is unintelligible. Those regenerate ones that have destroyed allaspirations, that have built all their hopes on vows and asceticism, thathave burnt all their sins and have acquired minds where quest and peaceand holiness dwell, understand all these. Therefore, though you mayst notsee the fruits of virtue, thou shouldst not yet doubt religion or gods.Thou must perform sacrifices with a will, and practise charity withoutinsolence. Acts in this world have their fruits, and virtue also iseternal. Brahma himself told this unto his (spiritual) sons, as testifiedto by Kashyapa. Let thy doubt, therefore, O Krishna, be dispelled likemist. Reflecting upon all this, let thy scepticism give way to faith.Slander not God, who is the lord of all creatures. Learn how to know him.Bow down unto him. Let not thy mind be such. And, O Krishna, neverdisregard that Supreme Being through whose grace mortal man, by piety,acquireth immortality!'”