Chapter 279

“Yudhishthira said, ‘All men speak of ourselves as highly fortunate. Intruth, however, there is no person more wretched than ourselves. Thoughhonoured by all the world, O best of the Kurus, and though we have beenborn among men, O grandsire, having been begotten by the very gods, yetwhen so much sorrow has been our lot, it seems, O reverend chief, thatbirth alone in an embodied form is the cause of all sorrow. Alas, whenshall we adopt a life of Renunciation that is destructive ofsorrow?[1342] Sages of rigid vows freed from the seven and ten (i.e., thefive breaths, mind, understanding, and the ten organs of knowledge andaction), from the five faults of Yoga (viz., desire, wrath, covetousness,fear, and sleep) that constitute the chief causes (for binding man torepeated rounds of earthly life), and from the other eight, viz., thefive objects of the senses and the three attributes (of Sattwa, Rajas,and Tamas), have never to incur rebirth. When, O scorcher of foes, shallwe succeed in abandoning sovereignty for adopting a life of renunciation?’

“Bhishma said, ‘Everything, O great monarch, hath an end. Everything hathbounds assigned to it. Even rebirth, it is well-known, hath an end. Inthis world there is nothing that is, immutable. Thou thinkest, O king,that this (viz., the affluence with which thou art invested is a fault).That it is not so is not true, in regard to our present topic ofdisquisition. Ye, however, are conversant with virtue, and havereadiness. It is certain, therefore, that ye shall attain to the end ofyour sorrow, (viz., Emancipation) in time.[1343] Jiva equipped with body,O king, is not the author of his merits and demerits (or their fruits asrepresented by happiness and misery). On the other hand, he becomesenveloped by the Darkness (of Ignorance having attachment and aversionfor its essence) that is born of his merits and demerits.[1344] As thewind impregnated with dust of antimony once again seizes theefflorescence of realgar and (though itself destitute of colour) assumesthe hues of the substances which it has seized and tinges the differentpoints of the compass (which represent its own hueless progenitor, viz.,space), after the same manner, Jiva, though himself colourless, assumes ahue in consequence of being enveloped by Darkness and variegated by thefruits of action, and travels from body to body (making his own stainlessand immutable progenitor appear as stained and changeful).[1345] WhenJiva succeeds in dispelling by means of Knowledge, the Darkness thatinvests him in consequence of Ignorance, then Immutable Brahma becomesdisplayed (in all His glory). The Sages say that reversion to ImmutableBrahma is incapable of being achieved by Acts. Thyself, others in theworld, and the deities too, should reverence them that have achievedEmancipation. All the great Rishis never desist from culture ofBrahma.[1346] In this connection is cited that discourse which was sung(by the preceptor of the Daityas) in days of old. Listen, O monarch, withundivided attention to the course of conduct that was followed by theDaitya Vritra after he became divested of all his prosperity. Dependingonly upon his intelligence, he did not indulge in sorrow, in the midst ofhis enemies, although he was deprived of sovereignty, O Bharata! UntoVritra, when in days of old he was reft of sovereignty, (his preceptor)Usanas said, ‘I hope, O Danava, that in consequence of thy defeat thoudost not cherish any grief?’

“Vritra said, ‘Without doubt, having understood, by the aid of truth andpenances, the advent and departure of all living creatures, I have ceasedto indulge in either grief or joy. Urged by Time creatures sinkhelplessly in hell. Some again, the sages say, go to heaven. All thesepass their time in contentment. Passing their allotted periods in heavenand hell, and with some portion of their merits and demerits unexhausted(by enjoyment and suffering), they repeatedly take birth, impelled byTime. Chained by the bonds of Desire, creatures pass through myriads ofintermediate life and fall helplessly into hell.[1347] I have seen thatcreatures come and go even thus. The lesson inculcated in the Scripturesis that one’s acquisitions correspond with one’s acts.[1348] Creaturestake birth as men or as intermediate animals or as gods and go to hell.Having acted in lives, that are past in such a way as to deserve them,all creatures, subject to the ordinances of the Destroyer, meet withhappiness and misery, the agreeable and the disagreeable. Having enjoyedthe measure of weal or woe that corresponds with their acts, creaturesalways come back by the old path,[1349] which is measured by the measureof acts.’ Then the illustrious Usanas addressed the Asura Vritra who wasthus talking of the highest refuge of the creation, saying, ‘Ointelligent Daitya, why, O child, dost thou utter such foolishrhapsodies?’

“Vritra said, ‘The severe penances which I underwent from greed ofvictory are well-known to thee as also to other sages. Appropriatingdiverse scents and diverse kinds of tastes that other creatures had forenjoying, I swelled up with my own energy, afflicting the three worlds.Decked with myriads of effulgent rays I used to rove through the skies(on my celestial car), incapable of being defeated by any creature andfearing none. I achieved great prosperity through my penances and lost itagain through my own acts. Relying on my fortitude, however, I do notgrieve for this change. Desirous (in days of yore) of fighting the greatIndra, the high-souled ruler of the heavens, I beheld in that battle theillustrious Hari, the puissant Narayana.[1350] He who is calledVaikuntha, Purusha, Ananta, Sukla, Vishnu, Sanatana, Munjakesa,Harismasru, and the Grandsire of all creatures.[1351] Without doubt,there is still a remnant (to be enjoyed by me) of the rewards attachingto that penance represented by a sight of the great Hari. It is inconsequence of that unexhausted remnant that I have become desirous ofasking thee, O illustrious one, about the fruits of action![1352] Uponwhich order (of men) hath been established high Brahma prosperity? Inwhat mariner, again, doth high prosperity fall off? From whom docreatures spring and live? Through whom again do they act? What is thathigh Fruit by attaining to which a creature succeeds in living eternallyas Brahma? By what Act or by what Knowledge can that fruit be achieved?It behoveth thee, O learned Brahmana, to expound these to me.’

“Recapitulated by me, O lion among kings, listen with undividedattention, O bull of men, with all thy brothers, to what the sage Usanasthen said after he had been thus addressed by that prince of Danavas.'”