Chapter 175

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Time, which is destructive of every created thing,is passing on.[512] Tell me, O grandsire, what is that good thing whichshould be sought.’

“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection, O king, is cited the old narrative ofa discourse between sire and son, O Yudhishthira! A certain Brahmana. OPartha, who was devoted to the study of the Vedas, got a very intelligentson who (for this) was called Medhavin.[513] One day, the son, wellconversant with the truths of the religion of Emancipation, andacquainted also with the affairs of the world, addressed his sire devotedto the study of the Vedas.’

“The son said, ‘What should a wise man do, O father, seeing that theperiod of human life is passing away so very quickly? O father, tell methe course of duties that one should perform, without omitting to mentionthe fruits. Having listened to thee, I desire to observe those duties.’

“The sire said, ‘O son, observing the Brahmacharya mode of life, oneshould first study the Vedas. He should then wish for children forrescuing his ancestors. Setting up his fire next, he should seek toperform the (prescribed) sacrifices according to due rites. At last, heshould enter the forest for devoting himself to contemplation.’

“The son said, ‘When the world is thus surrounded on all sides and isthus assailed, and when such irresistible things of fatal consequencesfall upon it, how can you say these words so calmly?’

“The sire said, How is the world assailed? What is that by which it issurrounded? What, again, are those irresistible things of fatalconsequences that fall upon it? Why dost thou frighten me thus?’

“The son said, ‘Death is that by which the world is assailed. Decrepitudeencompasses it. Those irresistible things that come and go away are thenights (that are continually lessening the period of human life). When Iknow that Death tarries for none (but approaches steadily towards everycreature), how can I pass my time without covering myself with the garbof knowledge?[514] When each succeeding night, passing away lessens theallotted period of one’s existence, the man of wisdom should regard theday to be fruitless. (When death is approaching steadily) who is therethat would, like a fish in a shallow water, feel happy? Death comes to aman before his desires have been gratified. Death snatches away a personwhen he is engaged in plucking flowers and when his heart is otherwiseset, like a tigress bearing away a ram. Do thou, this very day,accomplish that which is for thy good. Let not this Death come to thee.Death drags its victims before their acts are accomplished. The acts oftomorrow should be done today, those of the afternoon in the forenoon.Death does not wait to see whether the acts of its victim have all beenaccomplished or not. Who knows that Death will not come to him eventoday? In prime of age one should betake oneself to the practice ofvirtue. Life is transitory. If virtue be practised, fame here andfelicity hereafter will be the consequences. Overwhelmed by ignorance,one is ready to exert oneself for sons and wives. Achieving virtuous orvicious acts, one brings them up and aggrandises them. Like a tigerbearing away a sleeping deer, Death snatches away the man addicted to thegratification of desire and engaged in the enjoyment of sons and animals.Before he has been able to pluck the flowers upon which he has set hisheart, before he has been gratified by the acquisition of the objects ofhis desire, Death bears him away like a tiger bearing away its prey.Death overpowers a man while the latter is stilt in the midst of thehappiness that accrues from the gratification of desire, and while, stillthinking, ‘This has been done; this is to be done; this has beenhalf-done.’ Death bears away the man, however designated according to hisprofession, attached to his field, his shop, or his home, before he hasobtained the fruit of his acts. Death bears away the weak, the strong,the brave, the timid, the idiotic, and the learned, before any of theseobtains the fruits of his acts. When death, decrepitude, disease, andsorrow arising from diverse causes, are all residing in thy body, how isit that thou livest as if thou art perfectly hale? As soon as a creatureis born, Decrepitude and Death pursue him for (effecting) hisdestruction. All existent things, mobile and immobile, are affected bythese two. The attachment which one feels for dwelling in villages andtowns (in the midst of fellowmen) is said to be the very mouth of Death.The forest, on the other hand, is regarded as the fold within which thesenses may be penned. This is declared by the Srutis.[515] The attachmenta person feels for dwelling in a village or town (in the midst of men) islike a cord that binds him effectually. They that are good break thatcord and attain to emancipation, while they that are wicked do notsucceed in breaking them. He who never injures living creatures bythought, word, or deed, is never injured by such agencies as aredestructive of life and property.[516] Nothing can resist the messengers(Disease and Decrepitude) of Death when they advance except Truth whichdevours Untruth. In Truth is immortality.[517] For these reasons oneshould practise the vow of Truth; one should devote oneself to a unionwith Truth; one should accept Truth for one’s Veda; and restraining one’ssenses, one should vanquish the Destroyer by Truth. Both Immortality andDeath are planted in the body. One comes to Death through ignorance andloss of judgment; while Immortality is achieved through Truth. I shall,therefore, abstain from injury and seek to achieve Truth, andtransgressing the sway of desire and wrath, regard pleasure and pain withan equal eye, and attaining tranquillity, avoid Death like an immortal.Upon the advent of that season when the sun will progress towards thenorth, I shall restraining my senses, set to the performance of theSanti-sacrifice, the Brahma-sacrifice, the Mind-sacrifice, and theWork-sacrifice.[518] How can one like me worship his Maker inanimal-sacrifices involving cruelty, or sacrifices of the body, such asPisachas only can perform and such as produce fruits that aretransitory?[519] That person whose words, thoughts, penances,renunciation, and yoga meditation, all rest on Brahma, succeeds inearning the highest good. There is no eye which is equal to (the eye of)Knowledge. There is no penance like (that involved in) Truth. There is nosorrow equal to (that involved in) attachment. There is no happiness(that which is obtainable from) renunciation. I have sprung from Brahmathrough Brahma. I shall devote myself to Brahma, though I am childless. Ishall return to Brahma. I do not require a son for rescuing me. ABrahmana can have no wealth like to the state of being alone, the statein consequence of which he is capable of regarding everything with anequal eye, the practice of truthfulness, good behaviour, patience,abstention from injury, simplicity, and avoidance of all rites andvisible sacrifices. What use hast thou, O Brahmana, of wealth or kinsmenand relatives, of wives, when thou shalt have to die? Seek thy Self whichis concealed in a cave. Where are thy grandsires and where thy sire?'[520]

“Bhishma continued, ‘Do thou also, O monarch, conduct thyself in that wayin which the sire (in this story), conducts himself, devoted to thereligion of Truth, after having listened to the speech of his son.’