Chapter 153

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Hast thou, O grandsire, ever seen or heard of anymortal restored to life after having succumbed to death?’

“Bhishma said, ‘Listen, O king, to this story of the discourse between avulture and a jackal as happened of old. Indeed, the occurrence tookplace in the forest of Naimisha. Once upon a time a Brahmana had, aftergreat difficulties, obtained a son of large expansive eyes. The childdied of infantile convulsions. Some (amongst his kinsmen), exceedinglyagitated by grief and indulging in loud lamentations, took up the boy oftender years, that sole wealth of his family. Taking the deceased childthey proceeded in the direction of the crematorium, Arrived there, theybegan to take the child from one another’s breast and cry more bitterlyin grief. Recollecting with heavy hearts the former speeches of theirdarling again and again, they were unable to return home casting the bodyon the bare ground. Summoned by their cries, a vulture came there andsaid these words: ‘Go ye away and do not tarry, ye that have to cast offbut one child. Kinsmen always go away leaving on this spot thousands ofmen and thousands of women brought here in course of time. Behold, thewhole universe is subject to weal and woe. Union and disunion may be seenin turns. They that have come to the crematorium bringing with them thedead bodies of kinsmen, and they that sit by those bodies (fromaffection), themselves disappear from the world in consequence of theirown acts when the allotted periods of their own lives run out. There isno need of your lingering in the crematorium, this horrible place, thatis full of vultures and jackals and that abounds with skeletons andinspires every creature with dread. Whether friend or foe, no one evercomes back to life having once succumbed to the power of Time. Such,indeed, is the fate of all creatures, In this world of mortals, every onethat is born is sure to die. Who shalt restore to life one that is deadand gone on the way ordained by the Destroyer? At this hour when men areabout to close their daily toil, the Sun is retiring to the Asta hills.Go ye to your homes, casting off this affection for the child.’ Hearingthese words of the vulture, the grief of the kinsmen seemed to abate, andplacing the child on the bare ground they prepared to go away. Assuringthemselves of the fact that the child had died and despairing of seeinghim again, they began to retrace their steps, indulging in loudlamentations. Assured beyond doubt, and despairing of restoring the deadto life, they cast off that offspring of their race, and prepared to turnback from that spot. At this time a jackal, black as a raven, issued outof his hole and addressed those departing kinsmen, saying, ‘Surely, yethat are kinsmen of that deceased child have no affection. There the sunstill shineth in the sky, ye fools! Indulge your feelings, without fear.Multifarious are the virtue of the hour. This one may come back to life!Spreading a few blades of Kusa grass on the ground and abandoning thatdear child on the crematorium, why do ye go away with hearts of steel andcasting off every affection for the darling? Surely, ye have no affectionfor that sweet-speeched child of tender years, whose words, as soon asthey left his lips, used to gladden you greatly. Behold the affectionthat even birds and beasts bear towards their offspring. Theirs is noreturn for bringing up their young ones. Like the sacrifices of theRishis (that are never undertaken from desire of fruit or rewards) theaffection of quadrupeds of birds and insects, bears no reward in heaven.Though delighting in their children, they are never seen to derive anybenefit from the latter either here or hereafter. ‘Yet they cherish theiryoung ones with affection. Their children, growing up, never cherish themin age. Yet are not they grieved when they do not behold their littleones? Where, indeed, is affection to be seen in human beings that theywould own the influence of grief?[448] Where would you go leaving herethis child who is the perpetuator of his race? Do you shed tears for himfor some time, and do you look at him a little longer with affection?Objects so dear are, indeed, difficult to abandon. It is friends and notothers that wait by the side of him that is weak, of him that isprosecuted in a court of law, of him that is borne towards thecrematorium. Life-breaths are dear unto all, and all feel the influenceof affection. Behold the affection that is cherished by even those thatbelong to the intermediate species![449] How, indeed, can you go away,casting off this boy of eyes large as the petals of the lotus, andhandsome as a newly-married youth washed clean and adorned with floralgarlands?’ Hearing these words of the jackal that had been indulging insuch expressions of touching grief, the men turned back for the sake ofthe corpse.’

“The vulture said, ‘Alas, ye men destitute of strength of mind, why do yeturn back at the bidding of a cruel and mean jackal of littleintelligence? Why do you mourn for that compound of five elementsdeserted by their presiding deities, no longer tenanted (by the soul),motionless, and stiff as a piece of wood? Why do you not grieve for yourown selves? Do you practise austere penances by which you will succeed incleansing yourselves from sin? Everything may be had by means ofpenances. What will lamentations do? ill-luck is born with the body.[450]It is in consequence of that ill-luck that this boy has departed,plunging you into infinite grief. Wealth, kine, gold, precious gems,children, all have their root in penances. Penances again are the resultsof yoga (union of the soul with Godhead). Amongst creatures, the measureof weal or woe is dependent on the acts of a previous life. Indeed, everycreature comes into the world taking with him his own measure of weal andwoe. The son is not bound by the acts of the sire, or the sire by thoseof the son. Bound by their own acts, good and bad, all have to travel bythis common road. Duly practise all the duties, and abstain from acts ofunrighteousness. Reverentially wait, according to the directions of thescriptures, upon the gods and the Brahmanas. Cast off sorrow andcheerlessness, and abstain from parental affection. Leave the child onthis exposed ground, and go ye away without delay. The actor alone enjoysthe fruit of acts, good or bad, that he does. What concern have kinsmenwith them? Casting off a (deceased) kinsman, however dear, kinsmen leavethis spot. With eyes bathed in tears, they go away, ceasing to displayaffection for the dead. Wise or ignorant, rich or poor, every onesuccumbs to Time, endued with acts, good and bad. What will you do bymourning? Why do you grieve for one that is dead? Time is the lord ofall, and in obedience to his very nature he casts an equal eye on allthings. In pride of youth or in helpless infancy bearing the weight ofyears or lying in the mother’s womb, every one is subject to be assailedby Death. Such indeed, is the course of the world.’

“The jackal said, ‘Alas, the affection cherished by your weeping selvesthat are overwhelmed with grief for your deceased child has been lessenedby that light-brained vulture. Even this must be the case, since inconsequence of his well-applied words fraught with tranquillity andcapable of producing conviction, there that one goes back to the town,casting off affection that is so difficult to abandon. Alas, I hadsupposed that great is the grief felt by men indulging in loudlamentations for the death of a child and for the corpse on acrematorium, like that of kine bereft of calves. Today, however, Iunderstand what the measure of grief is of human beings on earth.Witnessing their great affection I had shed tears myself. (It seemshowever, that their affection is not strong)! One should always exertoneself. Thence does one succeed through destiny. Exertion and destiny,joining together, produce fruit. One should always exert oneself withhopefulness. How can happiness be had from despondency? Objects of desiremay be won by resolution. Why then do you go back so heartlessly? Wheredo you go, abandoning in the wilderness this son of your own loins, thisperpetuator of the race of his sires? Stay here till the sun sets and theevening twilight comes. You may then take away this boy with yourselvesor stay with him.’

“The vulture said, ‘I am, ye men, a full thousand years of age today, butI have never seen a dead creature, male or female or of ambiguous sex,revive after death. Some die in the womb; some die soon after birth; somedie (in infancy) while crawling (on all fours); some die in youth; andsome in old age. The fortunes of all creatures, including even beasts andbirds, are unstable. The periods of life of all mobile and immobilecreatures are fixed beforehand. Bereaved of spouses and dear ones andfilled with sorrow for (the death of) children, men leave this spot everyday with agonised hearts for returning home. Leaving on this spot bothfriends and foes numbering by thousands, kinsmen afflicted with grief goback to their homes. Cast off this lifeless body with no longer anyanimal heat in it and which is as stiff as a piece of wood! Why then doyou not go away, leaving the body of this child which has become like apiece of wood and whose life has entered a new body? This affection(which ye are displaying) is unmeaning and this hugging of the child isfruitless. He does not see with his eyes or hear with his ears. Leavinghim here, go ye away without delay. Thus addressed by me in words whichare apparently cruel but which in reality are fraught with reason andhave a direct bearing with the high religion of emancipation, go ye backto your respective homes.’ Addressed thus by the vulture endued withwisdom and knowledge and capable of imparting intelligence and awakeningthe understanding, those men prepared themselves to turn their backs uponthe crematorium. Grief, indeed, increaseth to twice its measure at sightof its object and at the remembrance of the acts of that object (inlife). Having heard these words of the vulture, the men resolved to leavethe spot. Just at that time the jackal, coming thither with quick steps,cast his eyes on the child lying in the sleep of death.’

“The jackal said, ‘Why, indeed, do you leave, at the vulture’s bidding,this child of golden complexion, adorned with ornaments, and capable ofgiving the obsequial cake to his ancestors? If you abandon him, youraffection will not come to an end, nor these piteous lamentations. On theother hand, your grief will certainly be greater. It is heard that aSudra named Samvuka having been slain and righteousness having beenupheld by Rama of true prowess, a (dead) Brahmana child was restored tolife.[451] Similarly, the son of the royal sage Sweta died (prematurely).But the monarch, devoted to virtue, succeeded in reviving his dead child.After the same manner, in your case also, some sage or deity may bewilling to grant your desire and show compassion to you that are cryingso piteously.’ Thus addressed by the jackal, the men, afflicted withgrief and full of affection for the child, retraced their steps, andplacing the child’s head on their laps one after another, began toindulge in copious lamentations. Summoned by their cries, the vulture,coming to that spot, spoke unto them as follows.’

“The vulture said, ‘Why are you bathing this child with your tears? Whyare you pressing him in this fashion with the touch of your palms? At thecommand of the grim king of justice the child has been sent to that sleepwhich knows no waking. Those that are endued with the merit of penances,those that are possessed of wealth, those that have great intelligence,in fact, all succumb to death. Even this is the place intended for thedead. It is always to be seen that kinsmen casting off thousands ofkinsmen young and old, pass their nights and days in grief, rolling onthe bare ground. Cease this ardour in putting on the trappings of woe.That this child would come back to life is what passes belief. He willnot get back his life at the bidding of the jackal. If a person once diesand takes leave of his body, his body never regains animation. Hundredsof jackals, by laying down their own lives,[452] will not succeed inreviving this child in hundreds of years. If, however, Rudra, or Kumara,or Brahman, or Vishnu, grant him a boon, then only may this child comeback to life. Neither the shedding of tears, nor the drawing of longsighs, nor copious lamentations, will bring back this one to life.Myself, the jackal, you all, and all the kinsmen of this one, with allour merits and sins, are on the same road (that this one has taken). Forthis reason one possessed of wisdom should, from a distance, avoidbehaviour that displeases others, harsh speeches, the infliction ofinjury on others, the enjoyment of other people’s wives, and sin andfalsehood. Carefully seek righteousness, truth, the good of others,justice, compassion for all creatures, sincerity, and honesty. They,incur sin who, while living, do not cast their eyes upon their mothersand fathers and kinsmen and friends. What will you do, by crying, for himafter death, that sees not with his eyes and that stirs not in theleast?’ Thus addressed, the men, overwhelmed with sorrow and burning withgrief on account of their affection for the child, departed for theirhomes, leaving the body (on the crematorium).

“The jackal said, ‘Alas, terrible is the world of mortals! Here nocreature can escape. Every creature’s period of life, again, is short.Beloved friends are always departing. It abounds with vanities andfalsehoods, with accusations and evil reports. Beholding again thisincident that enhances pain and grief, I do not for a moment like thisworld of men. Alas, fie on you, ye men, that thus turn back, like foolishpersons, at the vulture’s bidding, though you are burning with grief onaccount of the death of this child. Ye cruel wights, how can you go away,casting off parental affection upon hearing the words of a sinful vultureof uncleansed soul? Happiness is followed by misery, and misery byhappiness. In this world which is enveloped by both happiness and misery,none of these two exists uninterruptedly. Ye men of little understanding,whither would ye go, casting off on the bare ground this child of so muchbeauty, this son that is an ornament of your race. Verily, I cannotdispel the idea from my mind that this child endued with comeliness andyouth and blazing with beauty is alive. It is not meet that he shoulddie.[453] It seems that ye are sure to obtain happiness. Ye that areafflicted with grief on account of the death of this child will surelyhave good luck today. Anticipating the probability of inconvenience andpain (if you remain here for the night) and fixing your hearts on yourown comfort, whither would you, like persons of little intelligence, go,leaving this darling?’

“Bhishma continued, ‘Even thus, O king, the kinsmen of the deceasedchild, unable to decide upon what they should do, were, foraccomplishment of his own purpose, induced by that sinful jackal whouttered agreeable falsehoods, that denizens of the crematorium whowandered every night in quest of food, to stay in that place.’

“The vulture said, ‘Dreadful is this spot, this wilderness, that resoundswith the screech of owls and teems with spirits and Yakshas andRakshasas. Terrible and awful, its aspect is like that of a mass of blueclouds. Casting off the dead body, finish the funeral rites. Indeed,throwing away the body, accomplish those rites before the sun sets andbefore the points of the horizon become enveloped in gloom. The hawks areuttering their harsh cries. Jackals are howling fiercely. Lions areroaring. The sun is setting. The trees on the crematorium are assuming adark hue in consequence of the blue smoke of the funeral pyres. Thecarnivorous denizens of this place, afflicted with hunger, are yelling inrage. All those creatures of horrible forms that live in this frightfulplace, all those carnivorous animals of grim features that haunt thisdesert, will soon assail you. This wilderness is certainly frightful.Danger will overtake you. Indeed, if you listen to these false andfruitless words of the jackal against your own good sense, verily, all ofyou are sure to be destroyed.’

“The jackal said, ‘Stay where you are! There is no fear even in thisdesert as long as the sun shines. Till the god of day sets, do ye remainhere hopefully, induced by parental affection. Without any fear,indulging in lamentations as ye please, continue to look at this childwith eyes of affection. Frightful though this wilderness be, no dangerwill overtake you. In reality this wilderness presents an aspect of quietand peace. It is here that the Pitris by thousands took leave of theworld. Wait as long as the sun shines. What are this vulture’s words toyou? If with stupefied understandings ye accept the cruel and harshspeeches of the vulture, then your child will never come back to life!’

“Bhishma continued, ‘The vulture then addressed those men, saying thatthe sun had set. The jackal said that it was not so. Both the vulture andthe jackal felt the pangs of hunger and thus addressed the kinsmen of thedead child. Both of them had girded up their loins for accomplishingtheir respective purposes. Exhausted with hunger and thirst, they thusdisputed, having recourse to the scriptures. Moved (alternately) by thesewords, sweet as nectar, of those two creatures, viz., the bird and thebeast, both of whom were endued with the wisdom of knowledge, the kinsmenat one time wished to go away and at another to stay there. At last,moved by grief and cheerlessness, they waited there, indulging in bitterlamentations. They did not know that the boast and the bird, skilled inaccomplishing their own purposes, had only stupefied them (by theiraddresses). While the bird and the beast, both possessed of wisdom.. werethus disputing and while the kinsmen of the deceased child sat listeningto them, the great god Sankara, urged by his divine spouse (Uma), camethere with eyes bathed in tears of compassion. Addressing the kinsmen ofthe deceased child, the god said, ‘I am Sankara the giver of boons.’ Withhearts heavy with grief, those men prostrated themselves before the greatdeity and said unto him in reply, ‘Bereft of this one who was our onlychild, all of us are at the point of death. It behoveth thee to grant uslife by granting life to this our son.’ Thus solicited, the illustriousdeity, taking up a quantity of water in his hands granted unto that deadchild life extending for a hundred years. Ever employed in the good ofall creatures, the illustrious wielder of Pinaka granted a boon unto boththe jackal and the vulture in consequence of which their hunger wasappeased. Filled with delight and having achieved great prosperity, themen bowed unto the god. Crowned with success, they then, O king, leftthat spot in great joy. Through persistent hopefulness and firmresolution and the grace of the great god, the fruits of one’s acts areobtained without delay. Behold, the combination of circumstances and theresolution of those kinsmen. While they were crying with agonised hearts,their tears were wiped and dried up. Behold, how within only a shorttime, through their steadiness of resolution, they obtained the grace ofSankara, and their afflictions dispelled, they were made happy. Indeed,through Sankara’s grace, O chief of the Bharatas, those sorrowing kinsmenwere filled with amazement and delight at the restoration of their childto life. Then, O king, casting off that grief of which their child hadbeen the cause, those Brahmanas, filled with delight, quickly went backto their town taking the restored child with them. Behaviour like thishas been laid down for all the four orders. By frequently listening tothis auspicious story fraught with virtue, profit, and salvation, a manobtains happiness both here and hereafter.'”