Chapter 295

“Parasara said, ‘In the Brahmana, wealth acquired by acceptance of gifts,in the Kshatriya that won by victory in battle, in the Vaisya thatobtained by following the duties laid down for his order, and in theSudra that earned by serving the three other orders, however small itsmeasure, is worthy of praise, and spent for the acquisition of virtue isproductive of great benefits. The Sudra is said to be the constantservitor of the three other classes. If the Brahmana, pressed for aliving, betakes himself to the duties of either the Kshatriya or theVaisya, he does not fall off from righteousness. When, however, theBrahmana betakes himself to the duties of the lowest order, then does hecertainly fall off. When the Sudra is unable to obtain his living byservice of the three other orders, then trade, rearing of cattle, and thepractice of the mechanical arts are lawful for him to follow. Appearanceon the boards of a theatre and disguising oneself in various forms,exhibition of puppets, the sale of spirits and meat, and trading in ironand leather, should never be taken up for purposes of a living by one whohad never before been engaged in those professions every one of which isregarded as censurable in the world. It hath been heard by us that if oneengaged in them can abandon them, one then acquires great merit. When onethat has become successful in life behaves sinfully in consequence ofone’s mind being filled with arrogance, one’s acts under suchcircumstances can never pass for authority. It is heard in the Puranasthat formerly mankind were self-restrained; that they held righteousnessin great esteem; that the practices they followed for livelihood were allconsistent with propriety and the injunctions laid down in thescriptures: and that the only punishment that was required for chastisingthem when they went wrong was the crying of fie on them.[1525] At thetime of which we speak, O king, Righteousness, and nothing else, was muchapplauded among men. Having achieved great progress in righteousness, menin those days worshipped only all good qualities that they saw. TheAsuras, however, O child, could not bear that righteousness whichprevailed in the world. Multiplying (in both number and energy), theAsuras (in the form of Lust and Wrath) entered the bodies of men. Thenwas pride generated in men that is so destructive of righteousness. Frompride arose arrogance, and from arrogance arose wrath. When men thusbecame overwhelmed with wrath, conduct implying modesty and shamedisappeared from them, and then they were overcome by heedlessness.Afflicted by heedlessness, they could no longer see as before, and as theconsequence thereof they began to oppress one another and thereby acquirewealth without any compunction. When men became such, the punishment ofonly crying fie on offenders failed to be of any effect. Men, showing noreverence for either the gods or Brahmanas, began to indulge their sensesto their fill.[1526] At that time the deities repaired to that foremostof gods, viz., Siva, possessed of patience, of multiform aspect, andendued with the foremost of attributes, and sought his protection. Thedeities imparted unto him their conjoined energy, and thereupon the greatgod, with a single shaft, felled on the earth those three Asuras, viz.,Desire, Wrath, and Cupidity, who were staying in the firmament, alongwith their very habitations.[1527] The fierce chief of those Asuraspossessed of fierce, prowess, who had struck the Devas with terror, wasalso slain by Mahadeva armed with the lance.[1528] When this chief of theAsuras was slain, men once more obtained their proper natures, and oncemore began to study the Vedas and the other scriptures as was in formertimes. Then the seven ancient Rishis came forward and installed Vasava asthe chief of the gods and the ruler of heaven. And they took uponthemselves the task of holding the rod of chastisement over mankind.After the seven Rishis came king Viprithu (to rule mankind), and manyother kings, all belonging to the Kshatriya order for separately rulingseparate groups of human beings. (When Mahadeva dispelled all evilpassions from the minds of creatures) there were, in those ancient times,certain elderly men from whose minds all wicked feelings did not flyaway. Hence, in consequence of that wicked state of their minds and ofthose incidents that were connected with it, there appeared many kings ofterrible prowess who began to indulge in only such acts as were fit forAsuras. Those human beings that are exceedingly foolish adhere to thosewicked acts, establish them as authorities, and follow them in practiceto this day.[1529] For this reason, O king, I say unto thee, havingreflected properly with the aid of the scriptures, that one shouldabstain from all acts that are fraught with injury or malice and seek toacquire a knowledge of the Soul.[1530]The man possessed of wisdom wouldnot seek wealth for the performance of religious rites by ways that areunrighteous and that involve an abandonment of morality. Wealth earned bysuch means can never prove beneficial. Do thou then become a Kshatriya ofthis kind. Do thou restrain thy senses, be agreeable to thy friends, andcherish, according to the duties of thy order, thy subjects, servants,and children. Through the union of both prosperity and adversity (inman’s life), there arise friendships and animosities. Thousands andthousands of existences are continually revolving (in respect of everyJiva), and in every mode of Jiva’s existence these must occur.[1531] Forthis reason, be thou attached to good qualities of every kind, but neverto faults. Such is the character of good qualities that if the mostfoolish person, bereft of every virtue, hears himself praised for anygood quality, he becomes filled with joy. Virtue and sin exist, O king,only among men. These do not exist among creatures other than man. Oneshould therefore, whether in need of food and other necessaries of lifeor transcending such need, be of virtuous disposition, acquire knowledge,always look upon all creatures as one’s own self, and abstain totallyfrom inflicting any kind of injury. When one’s mind becomes divested ofdesire, and when all Darkness is dispelled from it, it is then that onesucceeds in obtaining what is auspicious.'”