Chapter 190
“Bhrigu said, ‘Truth is Brahma; Truth is Penance; it is Truth thatcreates all creatures. It is by Truth that the whole universe is upheld;and it is with the aid of Truth that one goes to heaven. Untruth is onlyanother form of Darkness. It is Darkness that leads downwards. Those whoare afflicted by Darkness and covered by it fail to behold the lightedregions of heaven. It has been said that Heaven is Light and that Hell isDarkness. The creatures that dwell in the universe may obtain both heavenand hell. In this world also, truth and untruth lead to opposite coursesof conduct and opposite indications, such as Righteousness andUnrighteousness, light and darkness, pleasure and pain. Amongst these,that which is Truth is Righteousness; that which is Righteousness isLight; and that which is Light is Happiness. Similarly, that which isUntruth is Unrighteousness; that which is Unrighteousness is Darkness;and that which is Darkness is Sorrow or Misery. In this respect it issaid that they that are possessed of wisdom, beholding that the world oflire is overwhelmed with sorrow, both bodily and mental, and withhappiness that is sure to end in misery, never suffer themselves to bestupefied. He that is Wise will strive to rescue himself from sorrow. Thehappiness of living creatures is unstable both here and hereafter.[568]The happiness of creatures that are overwhelmed by Darkness disappearslike the splendour of the Moon when afflicted by Rahu.[569] Happiness issaid to be of two kinds, viz., bodily and mental. Both in this and theother world, the visible and the invisible fruits (of action) arespecified (in the Vedas) for the sake of happiness.[570] There is nothingmore important than happiness and among the fruits or consequences of thetriple aggregate. Happiness is desirable. It is an attribute of the Soul.Both Virtue and Profit are sought for its sake. Virtue is its root. This,indeed, is its origin. All acts have for their end the attainment ofhappiness.’
“Bharadwaja said, ‘You have said that happiness is the highest object, Ido not comprehend this. This attribute of the soul that (you say) is sodesirable is not sought by the Rishis who are regarded to be engaged insomething promising a higher reward. It is heard that the Creator of thethree worlds, viz., the puissant Brahman, lives alone, observant of thevow of Brahmacharya. He never devotes himself to the happiness obtainablefrom the gratification of desire. Also, the divine Master of theuniverse, the lord of Uma, reduced Kama (the deity of desire) toextinction. For this reason, we say that happiness is not acceptable tohigh-souled people. Nor does it appear to be a high attribute of theSoul. I cannot put faith in what thy divine self has said, viz., thatthere is nothing higher than happiness. That there are two kinds ofconsequences in respect of our acts, viz., the springing of happinessfrom good acts and of sorrow from sinful, acts, is only a saying that iscurrent in the world.’
“Bhrigu said, ‘On this it is said as follows: from Untruth springsDarkness. They that are overwhelmed by Darkness pursue onlyUnrighteousness and not Righteousness, being overmastered by wrath,covetousness, malice, falsehood, and similar evils. They never obtainhappiness either here or hereafter, On the other hand, they are afflictedby various kinds of disease and pain and trouble. They are also torturedby Death, imprisonment, and diverse other griefs of that kind, and by thesorrows, attending on hunger and thirst and toil. They are also pained bythe numerous bodily griefs that arise from rain and wind and burning heatand exceeding cold. They are also overwhelmed by numerous mental griefscaused by loss of wealth and separation from friends, as also by griefscaused by decrepitude and death. They that are not touched by thesediverse kinds of physical and mental afflictions, know what happiness is.These evils are never found in heaven. There delicious breezes blow. Inheaven there is also perpetual fragrance. In heaven there is no hunger,no thirst, no decrepitude, no sin. In this world there is both happinessand misery. In hell there is only misery. Therefore, happiness is thehighest object of acquisition. The Earth is the progenitrix of allcreatures. Females partake of her nature. The male animal is likePrajapati himself. The vital seed, it should be known, is the creativeenergy. In this way did Brahman ordain in days of old that the creationshould go on. Each, affected by his own acts, obtains happiness ormisery.'”[571]
