The Mahabharata, Volume 4: Books 13 to 18 quotes

"'"Gautami replied, 'Do thou, O Arjunaka of little understanding, release this serpent. It doth not deserve death at thy hands.

Who is so foolish as to disregard the inevitable lot that awaits him and burdening himself with such folly sink into sin?

Those that have made themselves light by the practice of virtuous deeds, manage to cross the sea of the world even as a ship crosses the ocean.

"'"Gautami replied, 'Do thou, O Arjunaka of little understanding, release this serpent. It doth not deserve death at thy hands. Who is so foolish as to disregard the inevitable lot that awaits him and burdening himself with such folly sink into sin?

Those that have made themselves light by the practice of virtuous deeds, manage to cross the sea of the world even as a ship crosses the ocean.

But those that have made themselves heavy with sin sink into the bottom, even as an arrow thrown into the water.

"'"Gautami replied, 'People like us are never afflicted by (such misfortune). Good men have their souls always intent on virtue. The death of the boy was predestined: therefore, I am unable to approve of the destruction of this serpent.

Brahmanas do not harbour resentment, because resentment leads to pain.

Do thou, O good man, forgive and release this serpent out of compassion.'

"'"Gautami replied, '

What good is there in tormenting and killing an enemy, and what good is won by not releasing an enemy in our power?

Therefore, O thou of benign countenance, why should we not forgive this serpent and try to earn merit by releasing it?'

"'"Mrityu said, 'Guided by Kala, I, O serpent, sent thee on this errand, and neither art thou nor am I the cause of this child's death.

Even as the clouds are tossed hither and thither by the wind, I am like the clouds, O serpent, influenced by Kala.

All attitudes appertaining to Sattwa or Rajas, or Tamas, are provoked by Kala, and operate in all creatures. All creatures, mobile and immobile, in heaven, or earth, are influenced by Kala. The whole universe, O serpent, is imbued with this same influence of Kala.

We urge one another even as acts urge one another. As men make from a lump of clay whatever they wish to make, even so do men attain to various results determined by Karma.

As light and shadow are related to each other, so are men related to Karma through their own actions.

Therefore, neither art thou, nor am I, nor Mrityu, nor the serpent, nor this old Brahmana lady, is the cause of this child's death. He himself is the cause here.'

A man of (good) acts acquires merits with good fortune, while an idler falls away from his estate, and reaps evil like the infusion of alkaline matter injected into a wound. By devoted application, one acquires beauty, fortune, and riches of various kinds.

Everything can be secured by Exertion: but nothing can be gained through Destiny alone, by a man that is wanting in personal Exertion.

Even so does one attain to heaven, and all the objects of enjoyment, as also the fulfilment of one's heart's desires by well-directed individual Exertion.

Without seed, fruits do not grow. From seeds spring other seeds. Hence are fruits known to be generated from seeds. Good or bad as the seed is that the husbandman soweth in his field, good or bad are the fruits that he reaps.

As, unsown with seed, the soil, though tilled, becomes fruitless, so, without individual Exertion, Destiny is of no avail.

One's own acts are like the soil, and Destiny (or the sum of one's acts in previous births) is compared to the seed. From the union of the soil and the seed doth the harvest grow.

How does Karma originate, if Destiny form the prime spring of human action? (The answer is) that by this means, an accretion of many virtues is made even in the celestial regions.

One's own self is one's friend and one's enemy too, as also the witness of one's good and evil deeds.

Good and evil manifest themselves through Karma. Good and evil acts do not give adequate results. Righteousness is the refuge of the gods, and by righteousness is everything attained. Destiny thwarts not the man that has attained to virtue and righteousness.

All the good which is attained with difficulty in this world is possessed by the wicked, is soon lost to them. Destiny does not help the man that is steeped in spiritual ignorance and avarice.

Even as a fire of small proportions, when fanned by the wind, becomes of mighty power, so does Destiny, when joined with individual Exertion, increase greatly (in potentiality).

As with the diminution of oil in the lamp its light is extinguished so does the influence of Destiny is lost if one's acts stop.

… renounce that intense yearning of the heart for happiness and material enjoyments,—a yearning that is difficult of conquest by the foolish and that doth not abate with the abatement of bodily vigour and that clings like a fatal disease unto him,—is able to secure happiness.

As the young calf is able to recognise its dam from among a thousand cows, so does the previous acts of a man pursue him (in all his different transformations).

As the flowers and fruits of a tree, unurged by visible influences, never miss their proper season, so does Karma done in a previous existence bring about its fruits in proper time. With age, man's hair grows grey, his teeth become loose;

As the flowers and fruits of a tree, unurged by visible influences, never miss their proper season, so does Karma done in a previous existence bring about its fruits in proper time.

With age, man's hair grows grey, his teeth become loose; his eyes and ears too become dim in action; but the only thing that does not abate is his desire for enjoyments.

Prajapati is pleased with those acts that please one's father, and the Earth is pleased with those acts that please one's mother, and Brahma is adored with those acts that please one's preceptor. Virtue is honoured by him who honours these three.

My heart, O monarch, always yearns after them who, for the gratification of Brahmanas, O Yudhishthira, give unto them, with devotion, food that is well-cooked and clean and wholesome.

It is easy to fight in battle, but not so to make a gift without pride or vanity.

In this world, O Yudhishthira, there are brave men and heroes by hundreds. While counting them, he that is a hero in gifts should be regarded as superior.

In consequence of this transgression of thine thou hast taken birth as a priest, and I have taken birth as a king, O foremost of Brahmanas.

Behold the vicissitudes that Time brings about.

Thou hast reaped this fruit in consequence of thy having instructed me (in my former birth). It is for this reason, O Brahmana, that I smile at sight of thee, O foremost of regenerate persons.

Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaisyas, the three orders, are regarded as twice-born. By imparting instruction unto these, a Brahmana does not incur any fault. They, therefore, that are good, should never discourse on any subject, for imparting any instruction, before persons of the inferior order.

The course of morality is exceedingly subtile and incapable of being comprehended by persons of uncleansed souls.

It is for this reason that ascetics adopt the vow of silence, and being respected by all, pass through Diksha (initiation) without indulging in speech.[26] For fear of saying what is incorrect or what may offend, ascetics often forego speech itself.

The course of morality is exceedingly subtile and incapable of being comprehended by persons of uncleansed souls. It is for this reason that ascetics adopt the vow of silence, and being respected by all, pass through Diksha (initiation) without indulging in speech.[26]

For fear of saying what is incorrect or what may offend, ascetics often forego speech itself.

Even men that are righteous and possessed of every accomplishment, and endued with truth and simplicity of behaviour, have been known to incur great fault in consequence of words spoken improperly. Instruction should never be imparted on anything unto any person.

He may not again be seen there. He may be seen as a boy or as an old man. He sports with the daughters and the spouses of the Rishis. His hair is long and stands erect.

He is perfectly naked, for he has the horizon for his garments.

He is endued with terrible eyes. He is fair, he is darkish, he is dark, he is pale, he is of the colour of smoke, and he is red. He is possessed of eyes that are large and terrible.

Upon the back of that animal I beheld seated the illustrious Mahadeva with his spouse Uma. Verily, Mahadeva shone like the lord of stars while he is at his full. The fire born of his energy resembled in effulgence the lightening that flashes amid clouds.

Verily, it seemed as if a thousand suns rose there, filling every side with a dazzling splendour.

The energy of the Supreme Lord looked like the Samvartaka fire which destroys all creatures at the end of the Yuga. Overspread with that energy, the horizon became such that I could see nothing on any side.

O thou that art ever inclined to extend thy grace to those that are devoted to thee, he that succeeds in knowing thee is enable to enjoy immortality. Thou art that which is ever a mystery with the gods, the Asuras, and the ascetics.

Brahman is concealed in the cave of the heart.

The very ascetics are unable to behold or know Him.[80] Thou art that puissant deity who is the doer of everything and whose face is turned towards every direction.

The Grandsire Brahma, he of a hundred sacrifices, (viz., Indra) Vishnu, the Viswadevas, the great Rishis, are incapable of comprehending thee and thy real nature. How then can persons like ourselves hope to comprehend thee?

From thee flows everything. Upon thee rests everything.

Thou art called Kala, thou art called Purusha, thou art called Brahma.

For all that, I shall through the grace of that illustrious and supreme Deity of perfect wisdom, extended to me for my devotion to him, recite his attributes as embodied in an abstract of few words and letters.

The Supreme Lord is incapable of being adored by any one if he does not grant his permission to the adorer.

As regards myself, it is only when I become fortunate enough to receive his permission that I succeed in adoring him.

Thou art of pure Soul. Thou art stainless (being above faults of every kind). Thou art worthy of adoration. Thou art the world that appears and disappears ceaselessly. Thou art he whose grace is of the largest measure. Thou art he that has good dreams.

Thou art a mirror in which the universe is reflected.

Thou art he that has subjugated all internal and external foes. Thou art the maker of the Vedas.

Thou art he who inspires gladness. Thou art all the celestials united together. Thou art the cessation of all things. Thou art all the duties that appertain to all the modes of life. Thou art he who has an eye on his forehead.

Thou art he who sports with the universe as his marble ball.

Thou art of the form of deer. Thou art endued with the energy that is of the form of knowledge and penance. Thou art the lord of all immobile things (in the form of Himavat and Meru).

This union for practising all duties together leads to heaven. But heaven, O grandsire, is attained to by persons that are dead.

Of a married couple it is seen that only one dies at a time. Where does the other then remain?

Do tell me this. Men attain to diverse kinds of fruits by practising diverse kinds of duties. The occupations again, to which men betake themselves are of diverse kinds.

The name by which the damsel was known was Suprabha. In beauty she was unrivalled on Earth. In virtues, dignity, conduct, and manners, she was superior to all the girls.

By a glance alone that girl of beautiful eyes had robbed him of his heart even as a delightful grove in spring, adorned with flowers, robs the spectator of his heart.

The Rishi addressed Ashtavakra and said,—'Yes, I shall bestow my daughter on thee. Listen, however, to me. Make a journey to the sacred North. Thou wilt see many things there!'[189]

… dance had commenced, the Rishi Ashtavakra of severe penances unconsciously passed a full celestial year there in the abode of king Vaisravana.[195] Then king Vaisravana said unto the Rishi,—'O learned Brahmana, behold, a little more than a year has passed away since thy arrival here.

This music and dance, especially known by the name of Gandharva, is a stealer of the heart (and of time).

Do thou act as thou wishes or let this go on if that be thy pleasure. Thou art my guest and, therefore, worthy of adoration. This is my house. Givest thou thy commands. We are all bound to thee.'

"'"Kasyapa said, '

The Vedas with their six branches, the Sankhya philosophy, the Puranas, and high birth, these fail to rescue a regenerate person if he falls away from good conduct.

'[206]

"'"Markandeya said, '

If a thousand Horse-sacrifices and Truth were weighed in the balance, I do not know whether the former would weigh even half as heavy as the latter.

'"

"'Bhishma said, "Abstention from injury to others, truthfulness, the absence of wrath (forgiveness), compassion, self-restraint, and sincerity or candour, O monarch, are the indications of Righteousness.

There are persons who wander over the earth, praising righteousness but without practising what they preach and engaged all the while in sin, O king.

He who gives unto such persons gold or gems or steeds, has to sink in hell and to subsist there for ten years, eating the while the faeces of such persons as live upon the flesh of dead kine and buffalos, of men called Pukkasas, …

She is the bestower of everything auspicious, and is competent to confer the six well-known attributes beginning with lordship or puissance. Verily O king, Ganga is the one object of great sanctity in the three worlds and confers merit upon all.

Truly, O monarch, Ganga is Righteousness in liquefied form.

She is energy also running in a liquid form over the Earth. She is endued with the splendour or puissance that belongs to the butter that is poured with Mantras on the sacrificial fire.

… the Sun, when he rises at the dawn of day, blazes forth in splendour, having dispelled the gloom of night, after the same manner the person that has bathed in the waters of Ganga is seen to shine in splendour, cleansed of all his sins.

Those countries and those points of the compass that are destitute of the sacred waters of Ganga are like nights without the moon or like trees without flowers.

Verily, a world without Ganga is like the different orders and modes of life when they are destitute of righteousness or like sacrifices without Soma.

Observing with the aid of intelligence, I have mentioned to thee only a small part of the merits of Ganga. My power, however, is inadequate to speak of all the merits of the sacred river, or, indeed, to measure her puissance and sanctity.

One may, by putting forth one's best powers, count the stones that occur in the mountains of Meru or measure the waters that occur in the ocean, but one cannot count all the merits which belong to the waters of Ganga.

Hence, having listened to these particular merits of Ganga which I have uttered with great devotion, one should, in thought, word and deed, reverence them with faith and devotion.

A person afflicted by calamities and about to sink under their weight, finds all his calamities dispelled by the joy which springs up in his heart at sight of that sacred stream.

By the melody of the swans and Kokas and other aquatic fowls that play on her breast, Ganga challenges the very Gandharvas and by her high banks the very mountains on the Earth.

Beholding her surface teeming with swans and diverse other aquatic fowls, and having banks adorned with pasture lands with kine grazing on them. Heaven herself loses her pride.

"'"Matanga said, 'Afflicted as I am with grief, why, O Sakra, dost thou afflict me further (with such speeches as these)?

Thou art striking one that is already dead, by this behaviour.

I do not pity thee for having acquired the status of a Brahmana thou now failest to retain it (for thou hast no compassion to show for one like me).

Indeed, it may extend over every part of thy dominions and over also thy own senses. Thy power, however, does not extend over the welkin. Displaying thy prowess over such foes as act against thy wishes, thou mayst establish thy rule over them.

Thy rule, however, does not extend over the birds that range the sky.

Indeed, if thou hast been desirous of earning merit (by protecting this pigeon), it is thy duty to look at me also (and do what is proper for enabling me to appease my hunger and save my life)!'"

That man has not as yet been born in this world or will not take birth here, who has been or will be able to pass his life in happiness after quarrelling with the Brahmanas.

One cannot seize the wind with one's hands. One cannot touch the moon with one's hand.

One cannot support the Earth on one's arms. After the same manner, O king, one is not able to vanquish the Brahmanas in this world."'"

Like a snake swallowing mice, the earth swallows up these two, viz., a king that is unwilling to fight and a Brahmana that is unwilling to leave home for acquiring knowledge.[267]

Pride destroys the prosperity of persons of little intelligence.

A maiden, if she conceives, becomes stained. A Brahmana incurs reproach by keeping at home. Even this is what my father heard from Soma of wonderful aspect. My father, in consequence of this, began to worship and reverence the Brahmanas.

We should also give unto one what one seeks.[268] We should, however, make gifts without afflicting those that depend upon us. Even this is what we have heard.

By afflicting one's dependants, one afflicts one's own self.

The stranger,—one, that is, who has come for the first time,—should be regarded as a proper object of gifts. He who is familiar and well-known and has been living with the giver, should be regarded in the same light.

O king, having a regard only for the considerations of virtue, men should enjoy their society, not with enthusiasm and attachment but with reluctance and absence of attachment. By acting otherwise, a man is sure to meet with destruction, O delighter of the Kurus.

Reason is respected at all times and under all circumstances.

Only one man, viz., Vipula, had succeeded in protecting woman. There is none else, O king, in the three worlds who is capable of protecting women."'"

They also are acquainted with thy transgressions. Having committed a sin in secrecy, no sinful man should cherish the assuring thought that his transgression is known only to himself and not to any one else.

When a man perpetrates a sinful deed in secret, the Seasons as also Day and Night behold it always.

Those regions that are reserved for the sinful shall be thine (for what thou hast done). What thou hadst done thou didst not tell me. That thy sin was not known to any one, was thy belief, and this conviction had filled thee with joy.

No one should bestow his daughter upon such persons. In fact, they are not men to whom one may marry his daughter.

A wife should never be purchased. Nor should a father sell his daughter.

Only those persons of sinful soul who are possessed, besides, by cupidity, and who sell and purchase female slaves for making serving women, regard the status of wife as capable of arising from the gift and acceptance of a dowry.

"'Bhishma said, "

The son is even as one's own self, and the daughter is like unto the son.

How, therefore, can another take the wealth when one lives in one's own self in the form of one's daughter? Whatever wealth is termed the Yautuka property of the mother, forms the portion of the maiden daughter.

Those persons who have sexual intercourse with a maiden, after reducing her to subjection by force, are regarded as perpetrators of sin. They have to sink in darkest hell.[292]

Even a human being with whom one has no relationship of blood should not form the subject of sale. What need then be said of one's own issue?

With the wealth that is acquired by doing sinful deeds, no action leading to merit can be performed."'"

There are others among them that are full of malice, covetous of honours, fierce in disposition, unlovable, and impervious to reason. Women, however, deserve to be honoured. Do ye men show them honour.

The righteousness of men depends upon women.

All pleasures and enjoyments also completely depend upon them. Do ye serve them and worship them. Do ye bend your wills before them.

If the wife does not like her husband or fails to gladden him, from such dislike and absence of joy, the husband can never have issue for increasing his race. Women, O king, should always be worshipped and treated with affection.

There where women are treated with respect, the very deities are said to be filled with joy.

There where women are not worshipped, all acts become fruitless. If the women of a family, in consequence of the treatment they receive, grieve and shed tears, that family soon becomes extinct.

If a person happens to belong to a superior order but still if he happens to be divested of good behaviour, he should receive no respect or worship.

One may worship even a Sudra if he happens to be conversant with duties and be of good conduct.

A person proclaims himself by his own good and acts and by his good or bad disposition and birth. If one's race of birth happens to be degraded for any reason, one soon raises it and makes it resplendent and famous by one's acts.

Such a man's name does not perish even when he becomes a citizen of the world of deities. The man who plants trees rescues the ancestors and descendants of both his paternal and maternal lines. Do thou, therefore, plant trees, O Yudhishthira!

The trees that a man plants become the planter's children.

There is no doubt about this. Departing from this world, such a man ascends to Heaven. Verily many eternal regions of bliss become his. Trees gratify the deities by their flowers; the Pitris by their fruits;

Do thou, therefore, plant trees, O Yudhishthira! The trees that a man plants become the planter's children. There is no doubt about this. Departing from this world, such a man ascends to Heaven. Verily many eternal regions of bliss become his.

Trees gratify the deities by their flowers; the Pitris by their fruits; and all guests and strangers by the shadow they give.

Kinnaras and Uragas and Rakshasas and deities and Gandharvas and human beings, as also Rishis, all have recourse to trees as their refuge. Trees that bear flowers and fruits gratify all men.

The man who causes a tank to be dug becomes entitled to the respect and worship of the three worlds.

A tank full of water is as agreeable and beneficial as the house of a friend.

It is gratifying to Surya himself. It also contributes to growth to the deities. It is the foremost of all things that lead to fame (with respect to the person who causes it to be excavated).

That man, O Yudhishthira, is a cruel wretch, who, through vanity, does not, to the extent of his means, attend to the wishes of one who is poor and helpless, and who solicits assistance.[318]

He is verily the foremost of men who shows favour unto even an helpless enemy fallen into distress when such enemy presents himself and prays for help.

No man is equal to him (in merit) who satisfies the hunger of a person that is emaciated, possessed of learning, destitute of the means of support, and weakened by misery.

The giver is said to grant life unto him who solicits. By an act of gift, O Yudhishthira, the giver is said to rescue his own self also. Compassion is a very high virtue. Let people make gift from compassion unto those that solicit.

Those, however, that do not beg, but are plunged into poverty and distress should be respectfully invited to receive assistance.

If such Brahmanas, who must be regarded as the foremost of their order, live in thy kingdom, thou shouldst regard them as fire covered with ashes. Blazing with penances, they are capable of consuming the whole earth.

The king should never take any wealth from his people, if they, in a season of drought, succeed in growing any corn with the aid of water obtained from wells. Nor should he take any wealth from weeping women.[326]

The wealth taken from the poor and the helpless is sure to destroy the kingdom and the prosperity of the king.

The king should always make unto the righteous gifts of all enjoyable articles in abundance.

A person by making a gift of earth acquires in his next life nectar yielding earth. There is no gift that is equal to a gift of earth.

There is no senior worthy of greater respect than the mother. There is no duty higher than truth.

There is no wealth more precious than that which is given away.'"

The householder should never disregard the man that comes to his abode, nor should he insult him by sending him away.

A gift of food made unto even a Chandala or a dog is never lost.

That man who makes a gift of clean food unto a person on the way who is toil-worn and unknown to the giver, is sure to acquire great merit.

Food constitutes the life-breath of men. Everything is established upon food. He who makes gifts of food obtains many animals (as his wealth), many children, considerable wealth (in other shape), and a command in abundance of all articles of comfort and luxurious enjoyment.

The giver of food is said to be the giver of life.

Indeed, he is said to be the giver of everything. Hence, O king, such a man acquires both strength and beauty of form in this world.

The Brahmana, O Yudhishthira, is a great being. He is also a fertile field. Whatever seed is sown on that field produces an abundant crop of merit.

A gift of food is visibly and immediately productive of the happiness of both the giver and the receiver.

All other gifts produce fruits that are unseen. Food is the origin of all creatures. From food, comes happiness and delight. O Bharata, know that religion and wealth both flow from food. The cure of disease or health also flows from food.

The Pinda that is offered to one's ancestors on earth that has been duly purchased becomes inexhaustible.[343]

Forests, and mountains, and rivers, and Tirthas are regarded as having no owners.

No earth need be purchased here for performing Sraddhas. Even this has been said, O king, on the subject of the merits of making gifts of earth. After this, O sinless one, I shall discourse to thee on the subject of the gift of kine.

Men fail to attain by gifts of gold and robes and of other thing, to that felicity to which givers of food succeed in attaining, O thou of great puissance! Food is, indeed, the first article. Food is regarded as the highest prosperity.

It is from food that life springs, as also energy and prowess and strength.

He who always makes gifts of food, with attention, unto the righteous, never falls into any distress. Even this has been said by Parasara. Having worshipped the deities duly, food should be first dedicated to them.

Thou knowest for what reason those words were said, what those words were, and how they were said in course of the sacred Mantras, O thou of great intelligence.

A man, by making a gift of food, really makes a gift of life itself.

There is no gift in this world that is superior to the gift of life. Thou art not unacquainted with this saying of Lomasa, O thou of mighty arms!

Holding all the Vedas in memory, or ablutions performed in all the sacred waters, may or may not be equal to telling the Truth every day in one's life.

A thousand horse sacrifices and Truth were once weighed in the balance. It was seen that Truth weighed heavier than a thousand horse-sacrifices.

It is by Truth that the sun is imparting heat, it is by Truth that fire blazes up, it is by Truth that the winds blow; verily, everything rests upon Truth. It is Truth that gratifies the deities, the Pitris and the Brahmanas.

A thousand horse sacrifices and Truth were once weighed in the balance. It was seen that Truth weighed heavier than a thousand horse-sacrifices.

It is by Truth that the sun is imparting heat, it is by Truth that fire blazes up, it is by Truth that the winds blow; verily, everything rests upon Truth.

It is Truth that gratifies the deities, the Pitris and the Brahmanas. Truth has been said to be the highest duty. Therefore, no one should ever transgress Truth. The Munis are all devoted to Truth. Their prowess depends upon Truth. They also swear by Truth.

"'"Sri said, 'Is it proper with you, ye kine that you do not welcome me? I am difficult of being attained. Why then do you not accept me?

It seems, ye creatures of excellent vows, that the popular proverb is true, viz., that it is certain that when one come to another of one's own accord and without being sought, one meets with disregard.

The Gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Pisachas, the Uragas, the Rakshasas and human beings succeed in obtaining me only after undergoing the severest austerities. You who have such energy, do ye take me.

Having with a concentrated mind performed all preliminary rites as laid down in the scriptures, I set myself to duly offer the obsequial cake.

I then saw, O king, that a handsome arm, adorned with Angadas and other ornaments, rose up, piercing the ground, through the blades of Kusa grass which I had spread.

Beholding that arm rise from the ground, I became filled with wonder. Indeed, O chief of Bharata's race, I thought that my father had come himself for accepting the cake I was about to offer.

earth is sacrifice, kine, water, and Soma (for it leads to the merits of sacrifice, and to the region of kine, of the lord of waters and of Soma). Even these are the declarations of the Smritis.

Churning the entire universe, a mass of energy was found. That energy is gold.

Hence, O regenerate Rishi, compared to all these objects (which I have named above) gold is certainly superior.

The blood of Agni is regarded as the source of the Rudras. From his blood sprang also the gold-complexioned deities called the Maitradevatas. From his smoke sprang the Vasus. From his flames sprang the Rudras as also the (twelve) Adityas of great effulgence.

The Planets and Constellations and other stars that have been set in their respective orbits in the firmament, are regarded as the (burning) charcoals of Agni.

The first Creator of the universe declared Agni to be Supreme Brahma and Eternal, and the giver of all wishes. This is verily a mystery.

"'"The Rishis said, '

O king, an acceptance of gifts from a monarch is very sweet at first but it is poison in the end.

Knowing this well, why do you, O king, tempt us then with these offers? The body of the Brahmana is the field of the deities. By penance, it is purified. Then again, by gratifying the Brahmana, one gratifies the deities.

"'"Kasyapa said, '

All the paddy and barley on earth, all the gold and animals and women that occur in the world, are incapable of gratifying the desire of a single person.

Hence, one possessed of wisdom should dispelling cupidity, adopt tranquillity!'

"'"Gautama said, 'All the objects that exist in the world are incapable of gratifying even a single person.

Man is even like the ocean, for he can never be filled (even as the ocean can never be filled by all the waters that are discharged into it by the rivers).

'

"'"Viswamitra said, '

When one desire cherished by a person becomes gratified, there springs up immediately another whose gratification is sought and which pierces him like a shaft.

'

"'"Arundhati said, 'Some people are of opinion that things of the world may be stored with a view to spend them upon the acquisition of righteousness (by gifts and sacrifices).

I think, however, that the acquisition of righteousness is better than that of worldly wealth.

'

"'"Pasusakha said, '

The wealth there is in righteousness is very superior.

There is nothing superior to it. That wealth is known to the Brahmans. I wait upon them as their servant, only for learning to value that wealth.'

One day, as they were wandering they beheld a beautiful lake overgrown with lotuses. Its banks were covered with trees that stood thickly near one another. The waters of the lake were pure and transparent.

Indeed, the lotuses that adorned the lake were all of the hue of the morning sun.

The leaves that floated on the water were of the colour of lapis lazuli. Diverse kinds of aquatic fowls were sporting on its bosom. There was but one path leading to it. The banks were not miry and the access to the water was easy.

Its banks were covered with trees that stood thickly near one another. The waters of the lake were pure and transparent. Indeed, the lotuses that adorned the lake were all of the hue of the morning sun.

The leaves that floated on the water were of the colour of lapis lazuli.

Diverse kinds of aquatic fowls were sporting on its bosom. There was but one path leading to it. The banks were not miry and the access to the water was easy.

I suspect some one amongst you must have done the act. Let him who has taken them away give them back to me. It behoves you not thus to misappropriate my stalks!

It is heard that Time assails the energy of Righteousness.

That Time has come upon us. Hence, Righteousness is afflicted.

Before men cease to regard the distinctions between the lower, the middle, and the higher classes, I shall go to heaven for good. Before Ignorance assails the world and envelops all things in darkness, I shall go to heaven for good.[428]

Before the time comes when the strong begin to lord it over the weak and treat them as slaves, I shall go to heaven for good.

Indeed, I dare not remain on earth for witnessing these things.' The Rishis, much concerned at what he said, addressed that great ascetic and said, 'We have not stolen thy stalks! Thou shouldst not harbour these suspicions against us.

Thou knowest this well!

All the good and agreeable things in the universe, and all the efforts made by living creatures, flow from food.

I duly recite what is well-known to thee! Indeed, thou fully knowest all that I have said! Do thou, therefore, O regenerate Rishi, appease thy anger! What wilt thou gain by annihilating the sun?'"'"

I shall now speak of the merits that attach to the gift of lights, and who may give them at what time and in what manner, and what should be the kind of lights that should be offered.

Light is said to be energy and fame and has an upward motion.

Hence the gift of light, which is energy, enhances the energy of men[441]. There is a hell of the name of Andhatamas. The period also of the sun's southward course is regarded as dark.

Such a man becomes endued with strength and energy. Hence, one should never take any food without first offering a portion thereof to the deities after worshipping them with reverence.

One's house always blazes forth with beauty in consequence of the household deities that live in it.

Hence, he that desires his own advancement and prosperity should worship the household deities by offering them the first portion of every food."' Even thus did the learned Kavi of Bhrigu's race discourse to Vali, the chief of the Asuras.

Beholding the elephant dragged away, the great ascetic Gautama of rigid vows addressed king Dhritarashtra and said, 'O ungrateful Dhritarashtra, do not rob me of this elephant. It is looked upon by me as a son and I have reared it with much pain.

It is said that between the righteous, friendship springs up if only they exchange seven words.[452]

Thou shouldst see, O king, that the sin of injuring a friend does not touch thee!

"'"Gautama said, 'The region of Yama is such that men are there controlled. No untruth can be told there. Only truth prevails in that place.

There the weak persecute the strong.

Repairing thither I shall force thee to yield up this elephant to me!'

All creatures become afraid of such a man and are oppressed by him. If, therefore, one wishes one's own advancement and prosperity, one should, in this world, betake to conduct that is proper and good.

Good conduct succeeds in dispelling the inauspiciousness and misery of even one that is sinful.[457]

Righteousness has conduct for its indication. They that are good and righteous are so in consequence of the conduct they follow. The indications, again, of good conduct are afforded by the acts of those that are good or righteous.

Carefully igniting the fire, one should accomplish all those acts which have been ordained and declared in the Vedas or by the Brahmanas.[482] One should never seek to injure women. Spouses should always be protected.

Malice always shortens life.

Hence, one should always abstain from cherishing malice. Sleep at day-time shortens life. To sleep after the sun has risen shortens life.

One should never eat the flesh of animals not slain in sacrifice. One should never eat the flesh of the back of an animal. One should avoid censuring and calumniating others, as also all kinds of deceitful behaviour.[461]

One should never pierce others with wordy shafts.

Indeed, one should never utter any cruel speech. One should never accept a gift from a person that is low and vulgar. One should never utter such words as trouble other people or as are inauspicious or are as sinful.

Indeed, one should never utter any cruel speech. One should never accept a gift from a person that is low and vulgar. One should never utter such words as trouble other people or as are inauspicious or are as sinful.

Wordy shafts fall from the mouth.

Pierced therewith, the victim grieves day and night. The man of wisdom should never shoot them for piercing the vitals of other people. A forest, pierced with shafts or cut down with the axe, grows again.

One should never accept a gift from a person that is low and vulgar. One should never utter such words as trouble other people or as are inauspicious or are as sinful. Wordy shafts fall from the mouth.

Pierced therewith, the victim grieves day and night.

The man of wisdom should never shoot them for piercing the vitals of other people. A forest, pierced with shafts or cut down with the axe, grows again.

Wordy shafts fall from the mouth. Pierced therewith, the victim grieves day and night. The man of wisdom should never shoot them for piercing the vitals of other people.

A forest, pierced with shafts or cut down with the axe, grows again.

The man, however, that is pierced with words unwisely spoken, becomes the victim of wounds that fester and lead to death.[462] Barbed arrows and Nalikas and broadheaded shafts are capable of being extracted from the body.

Wordy shafts fall from the mouth. Pierced therewith, the victim grieves day and night. The man of wisdom should never shoot them for piercing the vitals of other people. A forest, pierced with shafts or cut down with the axe, grows again.

The man, however, that is pierced with words unwisely spoken, becomes the victim of wounds that fester and lead to death.[462]

Barbed arrows and Nalikas and broadheaded shafts are capable of being extracted from the body. Wordy shafts, however, are incapable of being extracted, for they lie embedded in the very heart.

The man, however, that is pierced with words unwisely spoken, becomes the victim of wounds that fester and lead to death.[462] Barbed arrows and Nalikas and broadheaded shafts are capable of being extracted from the body.

Wordy shafts, however, are incapable of being extracted, for they lie embedded in the very heart.

One should not taunt a person that is defective of a limb or that has a limb in excess, or one that is destitute of learning, or one that is miserable, or one that is ugly or poor, or one that is destitute of strength.

… direct or ostensible means, persons that are enemies, O son of Kunti, that are afflicted with sorrow at the sight of such good understanding and who, therefore, always seek to bring about a disunion, set themselves to disunite the brothers and cause dissension among them.

It is the eldest brother that enhances the prosperity of the family or destroys it entirely.

If the eldest brother happens to be unendued with sense and wicked in behaviour, he brings about the destruction of the whole family.

Persons conversant with the efficacy of righteousness say that righteousness is the highest good. The Upadhyaya is superior to even ten Acharyas. The sire is equal to ten Upadhyayas. The mother is equal to ten sires or even the whole earth.

There is no senior equal to the mother.

Verily, she transcends all in respect of the reverence due to her.[487] It is for this reason that people regard the mother to deserve so much reverence. After the father has ceased to breathe, O Bharata, the eldest brother should be regarded as the father.

If the preceptor happens to be possessed of purity and highness of conduct, the disciple also succeeds in attaining to conduct of the same kind, O Bharata.

The eldest brother should at times be blind to the acts of his younger brothers, and though possessed of wisdom should at times act as if he does not understand their acts.

If the younger brothers be guilty of any transgression, the eldest brother should correct them by indirect ways and means.

… of (external) purity and impurity pursue the ends they have proposed to themselves, they who have renounced everything, they who are possessed of omniscience and endued with universal sight, and they who are of pure conduct, are regarded as Tirthas possessing the power of cleansing.

That man whose limbs only are wet with water is not regarded as one that is washed.

He, on the other hand, is regarded as washed who has washed himself by self-denial. Even such a person is said to be pure both inwardly and outwardly.

That man whose limbs only are wet with water is not regarded as one that is washed.

He, on the other hand, is regarded as washed who has washed himself by self-denial.

Even such a person is said to be pure both inwardly and outwardly.

Knowledge is said to constitute the especial purity of the body. So also freedom from desire, and cheerfulness of mind.

Purity of conduct constitutes the purity of the mind.

The purity that one attains by ablutions in sacred waters is regarded as inferior. Verily, that purity which arises from knowledge, is regarded as the best.

"'Vrihaspati said, "

One is born alone, O king, and one dies alone; one crosses alone the difficulties one meets with, and one alone encounters whatever misery falls to one's lot.

One has really no companion in these acts.

Of all kinds of gifts, that of food is regarded as the best. One desirous of attaining to merit should, with a sincere heart, make gifts of food.

Food is the life-breath of men.

From it all creatures are born. All the worlds of living creatures are established upon food. Hence food is applauded. The deities, Rishis, Pitris, and men, all praise food. King Rantideva, in days of old, proceeded to Heaven by making gifts of food.

By treading in the path of the righteous one becomes freed from all sins. A person by making gifts of such food as is productive of great energy, becomes himself possessed of great energy.

The path made by charitable persons is always trod by those that are endued with wisdom.

They that make gifts of food are regarded as givers of life. The merit they acquire by such gifts is eternal.

The merit they acquire by such gifts is eternal. Hence, a person should, under all circumstances, seek to earn food by lawful means, and having earned to make always gifts of it unto deserving men.

Food is the great refuge of the world of living creatures.

By making gifts of food, one has never to go to hell. Hence, one should always make gifts of food, having earned it by lawful means. The householder should always seek to eat after having made a gift of food unto a Brahmana.

… track of that person who constitutes himself the soul of all creatures and looks upon them all as his own self, for such a person leaves no track behind.[520] One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self.

This, in brief, is the rule of Righteousness.

One by acting in a different way by yielding to desire, becomes guilty of unrighteousness.

One by acting in a different way by yielding to desire, becomes guilty of unrighteousness. In refusals and gifts, in happiness and misery, in the agreeable, and the disagreeable, one should judge of their effects by a reference to one's own self.[521]

When one injures another, the injured turns round and injures the injurer.

Similarly, when one cherishes another, that other cherishes the cherisher. One should frame one's rule of conduct according to this. I have told thee what Righteousness is even by this subtile way."'

In refusals and gifts, in happiness and misery, in the agreeable, and the disagreeable, one should judge of their effects by a reference to one's own self.[521] When one injures another, the injured turns round and injures the injurer.

Similarly, when one cherishes another, that other cherishes the cherisher.

One should frame one's rule of conduct according to this. I have told thee what Righteousness is even by this subtile way."'

The very deities, who are desirous of a fixed abode, become stupefied in ascertaining the track of that person who constitutes himself the soul of all creatures and looks upon them all as his own self, for such a person leaves no track behind.[520]

One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self.

This, in brief, is the rule of Righteousness. One by acting in a different way by yielding to desire, becomes guilty of unrighteousness.

It is for this reason that men of wisdom who are endued with penances refrain from eating meat. Listen to me, O king, as I tell thee what the faults are that attach to the eating of meat.

The meat of other animals is like the flesh of one's son.

That foolish person, stupefied by folly, who eats meat is regarded as the vilest of human beings. The union of father and mother produces an offspring.

As all four-footed animals are incapable of standing on three legs, even so the religion of compassion cannot stand if any of those four divisions or parts be wanting.

As the footprints of all other animals are engulfed in those of the elephant, even so all other religions are said to be comprehended in that of compassion.

A person becomes guilty of injury through acts, words and thoughts[522]. Discarding it mentally at the outset, one should next discard in word and thought. He who, according to this rule, abstains from eating meat is said to be cleansed in a threefold way.

Abstention from injury is the highest religion. It is, again, the highest penance. It is also the highest truths from which all duty proceeds.

Flesh cannot be had from grass or wood or stone.

Unless a living creature is slain, it cannot be had. Hence is the fault in eating flesh. The deities who subsist upon Swaha, Swadha, and nectar, are devoted to truth and sincerity.

All creatures seek his protection. He is an object of confidence with all creatures. He never causes any anxiety in others, and himself has never to become anxious.

If there were nobody who ate flesh there would then be nobody to kill living creatures.

The man who kills living creatures kills them for the sake of the person who eats flesh. If flesh were regarded as inedible, there would then be no slaughter of living creatures.

Indeed, they do so, under all circumstances, whether he is on even or uneven ground. Neither snakes nor wild animals, neither Pisachas nor Rakshasas, ever slay him.

When circumstances of fear arise, he becomes freed from fear who frees others from situations of fear.

There has never been, nor will there ever be, a gift that is superior to the gift of life. It is certain that there is nothing dearer to oneself than one's life. Death, O Bharata, is a calamity or evil unto all creatures.

Indeed, they do so, under all circumstances, whether he is on even or uneven ground. Neither snakes nor wild animals, neither Pisachas nor Rakshasas, ever slay him. When circumstances of fear arise, he becomes freed from fear who frees others from situations of fear.

There has never been, nor will there ever be, a gift that is superior to the gift of life.

It is certain that there is nothing dearer to oneself than one's life. Death, O Bharata, is a calamity or evil unto all creatures. When the time comes for Death, a trembling of the whole frame is seen in all creatures.

Listen to me as I discourse to thee on it. That man who wished to increase his own flesh by the flesh of another living creature is such that there is none meaner and more cruel than he.

In this world there is nothing that is dearer to a creature than his life.

Hence (instead of taking that valuable possession), one should show compassion to the lives of others as one does to one's own life. Without doubt, O son, flesh has its origin in the vital seed.

"'"The worm said, '

A living creature, in whatever situation he may be placed, becomes attached to it.

In even this order of being I am happy, I think, O thou of great wisdom! It is for this that I wish to live. In even this condition, every object of enjoyment exists for me according to the needs of my body.

In my former life I was a human being. O puissant one, I was a Sudra possessed of great wealth. I was not devoted to the Brahmanas. I was cruel, vile in conduct, and a usurer. I was harsh in speech.

I regarded cunning as wisdom.

I hated all creatures. Taking advantage of pretexts in compacts made between myself and others, I was always given to taking away what belonged to others.

The declaration of the Vedas seems to be untrue. But why should the Vedas say an untruth? It has been said that there are three tracks which constitute the best vows of a man.

One should never injure; one should always tell the truth; and one should make gifts.

The Rishis of old announced this, following the declarations of the Vedas. These injunctions were heard in days of old,—they should certainly be followed by us even in our times. Even a small gift, made under the circumstances laid down, produces great fruits[533].

It is for this that thou art pale and lean. Some neighbour of thine, possessed of great wealth and endued with youth and handsome features, verily, covets thy dear spouse. It is for this that thou art pale and lean.

The words spoken by thee, even when excellent, in the midst of wealthy men, are not regarded by them as wise or well-timed.

It is for this that thou art pale and lean. Some dear kinsman of thine, destitute of intelligence though repeatedly instructed in the scriptures, has become angry. Thou hast not succeeded in pacifying him. It is for this that thou art pale and lean.

It is for this that thou art pale and lean. Though endued with wisdom, yet desirous of living, thou livest with wealth obtained by thee in gift from somebody of evil conduct. It is for this that thou art pale and lean.

Beholding unrighteousness increasing on every side and righteousness languishing, thou art filled with grief.

It is for this that thou art pale and lean. Urged by time thou seekest to please all thy friends even when they are disputing and ranged on sides opposite to one another. It is for this that thou art pale and lean.

"'"Jamadagni said, 'That man whose heart is not pure is sure to go to Hell even if he adores the deities in a Horse-sacrifice or in a hundred Vajapeya sacrifices, or if he undergoes the severest austerities with head downmost.

Purity of heart is regarded as equal to sacrifices and Truth.

A very poor Brahmana, by giving only a Prastha of powdered barley with a pure heart unto a Brahmana, attained to the region of Brahman himself. This is a sufficient proof (of the importance of purity of heart).'"'"

Those words relate to duty with its secret ritual, and are worthy of being heard by the great Rishis, as also by men endued with faith and desirous of achieving their own good.

Nothing is lost of either piety or sin that is committed by creatures.

On days of the full moon and the new moon, those acts are conveyed to the sun where they rest. When a mortal goes into the region of the dead, the deity of the sun bears witness to all his acts.

Anything wonderful whose knowledge dwelleth in me or is acquired by my own inspiration ceases to appear wonderful to me. Anything, however, that is recited by pious persons and that is heard from those that are good, deserves to be accepted with respect and faith.

Such discourses exist on earth for a long time and are as durable as characters engraved on rocks.

I desire, therefore, to hear, at this meeting something dropping from the lips of persons that are good and that cannot fail to be productive of good to men.' Hearing these words of Krishna all those ascetics became filled with surprise.

"'"'The blessed and holy one said, "

In days of yore, a blessed woman was created by Brahman, called Tilottama, by culling grains of beauty from every beautiful object in the universe.

One day, that lady of beautiful face, unrivalled in the universe for beauty of form, came to me, O goddess, for circumambulating me but really impelled by the desire of tempting me.

"'"'Maheswara said, "

I always wander over the whole earth in search of a sacred spot. I do not, however, see any spot that is more sacred than the crematorium.

Hence, of all abodes, the crematorium pleases my heart most, shaded that it generally is by branches of the banian and adorned with torn garlands of flowers.

By acting in this way, one becomes a practiser of the religion of the Munis.

One should not be arrogant, nor proud, nor cheerless and discontented; nor should one wonder at anything.

Indeed, one should behave equally towards friends and foes. Verily, one who is the foremost of all persons conversant with duties should also be friendly towards all creatures."'"'"

A bath in all the Vedas, and a behaviour of sincerity towards all creatures, are looked upon as equal in point of merit; or, perhaps, the latter is a little distinguished above the other in point of merit.

Sincerity, it has been said, is Righteousness; while insincerity or crookedness is the reverse.

That man who conducts himself with sincerity becomes endued with Righteousness. The man who is always devoted to sincerity of behaviour, succeeds in attaining to a residence among the deities. Hence, he who wishes to achieve the merit of righteousness should become endued with sincerity.

"'"'Uma said, "O holy one, O Lord of all beings, O thou that art worshipped by the deities and Asuras equally, tell me what are the duties and derelictions of men. Indeed, O puissant one, resolve my doubts.

It is by these three, viz., thought, word, and deed, that men become bound with bonds. It is by these same three that they become freed from those bonds.

By pursuing what conduct, O god,—indeed, by what kind of acts,—by what behaviour and attributes and words, do men succeed in ascending to heaven?"

They who abstain from evil speech or sinful conversation, who avoid such speeches as are disagreeable, and who utter only such words as are auspicious and agreeable, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

They who never utter, under anger, such words as tear the hearts of other people, and who, even when under the influence of wrath, speak words that are peaceful and agreeable, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

The religion, O goddess, appertaining to speech, should always be followed by men. It is auspicious and characterised by truth. They that are possessed of wisdom should always avoid untruth."

Thy puissance and energy are equal to mine, and thou hast undergone the austerest penances. The subject, when discoursed upon by thee, will become endued with great merit. Indeed, that discourse will then become authoritative in the world.

Women, in especial, are the highest refuge of women.

O thou of beautiful hips, among human beings that course of conduct which thou wilt lay down will be followed from generation to generation.[577] Half of my body is made up of half thy body.

"'"'Uma said, "The illustrious god has asked a question relating to the duties of women. I desire to answer Sankara after having consulted with you.

I do not see any branch of knowledge on Earth or Heaven that is capable of being mastered by any unaided individual.

Ye rivers that run towards the ocean, it is for this that I seek your opinions!" It was in this way that those foremost of Rivers, all of whom were auspicious and highly sacred, were questioned by Siva's spouse.

"'Bhishma said, "I think, there is no doubt in this. Listen to me, O thou of great wisdom! I shall answer thee. The question thou hast asked is certainly proper.

It is easy to cherish doubt. But the solution of that doubt is difficult.

Innumerable are the instances, in respect of both direct perception and audition (or the scriptures), in which doubts may arise.

Such protection, however, avails not in the long run, for destruction does overtake Righteousness at the end.

Then, again, Righteousness often proves a mask for covering Unrighteousness, like grass and straw covering the mouth of a deep pit and concealing it from the view.

Hear, again, O Yudhisthira! In consequence of this, the practices of the good are interfered with and destroyed by the wicked.

"'Yudhishthira said, "O grandsire, my understanding is once more stupefied by doubt.

I am on this side the ocean, employed in searching after the means of crossing it. I do not, however, behold the other shore of the ocean!

If these three, viz., the Vedas, direct perception (or acts that are seen), and behaviour (or, mental purity) together constitute what is to be regarded as authority, it can be alleged that there is difference between them.

By acting in this way one protects the duration of one's life. One should never cast one's eyes on a naked woman, nor a naked man. One should never indulge in sexual congress except in privacy. One should eat also without being seen by others.

Preceptors are the foremost of Tirthas; the heart is the foremost of all sacred objects; knowledge is the foremost of all objects of search; and contentment is the foremost of all happiness.

Morning and evening one should listen to the grave counsels of those that are aged. One attains to wisdom by constant waiting upon those that are venerable for years. While reading the Vedas or employed in eating, one should use one's right hand.

To address such a person as Twam and to slay him are equal, persons of learning are degraded by such a style of address. Unto those that are inferior, or equal, or unto disciples, such a word can be used.

The heart of the sinful man always proclaims the sins he has committed.

Those men who have deliberately committed sins meet with destruction by seeking to conceal them from the good.

The wise have said that the mind of every creature is the true test of Righteousness. Hence, all creatures in the world have an innate tendency to achieve Righteousness. One should achieve Righteousness alone or single-handed.

Verily, one should not proclaim oneself Righteous and walk with the standard of Righteousness borne aloft for purpose of exhibition.

They are said to be traders in Righteousness who practise it for enjoying the fruits it brings about. One should adore the deities without giving way to sentiments of pride. Similarly, one should serve one's preceptor without deceit.

Among men, that which is not (destined) to be attained, O chief of the Bharatas, is never attained. Men are seen to fail in achieving results even with the aid of their best exertions.

One may be seen to seek wealth by hundreds of means (and yet failing to acquire it); while another, without at all seeking it, becomes happy in its possession.

Men may be seen doing evil acts continually (for wealth) and yet failing to acquire it. Others are in the enjoyment of wealth without doing any evil act whatever.

Indeed, if one could obtain by the acquisition of learning, all desirable objects like a thirsty individual having his thirst slaked upon obtaining water, then none in this world would have shown idleness in acquiring learning.

If one's time has not come, one does not die even if one be pierced with hundreds of shafts. On the other hand, one lays down one's life, if one's hour has come, even if it be a blade of grass with which one is struck.

"

Hence, the reward though undesired that attaches to the first kind of Righteousness, viz., attainment of identity with Brahman, is eternal. The reward, however, that attaches to that Righteousness prompted by desire of fruit. Heaven is not eternal).[630]

All men are equal in respect of their physical organism. All of them, again, are possessed of souls that are equal in respect of their nature.

When dissolution comes, all else dissolve away. What remains is the inceptive will to achieve Righteousness.

O foremost of the righteous, I do not see why thou shouldst grieve. O lord of the Earth, having lost a hundred sons like unto riches obtained in a dream, it is Gandhari and I, who should mourn.

Not having listened to the pregnant words of the high-souled Vidura, who sought our welfare, I, of perverse senses, (now) repent.

The virtuous Vidura, endowed with divine insight, had told me,—'Thy race will meet with annihilation owing to the transgressions of Duryodhana. O king, if thou wish for the weal of thy line, act up to my advice.

When, O Kunti's son, the far-sighted Vidura said this, fool that I was I followed the wicked Duryodhana.

Having turned a deaf ear to the sweet speech of that sedate one, I have obtained this mighty sorrow as a consequence, and have been plunged in an ocean of woe.

Behold thy old father and mother, O king, plunged in misery. But, O master of men, I find no occasion for thy grief."'"

It is meet that a Kshatriya should attain heaven for certain by his (own) renown. Of heroes, those that came to be slain never shall have to turn away (from the celestial regions). Renounce thy grief, O mighty sovereign.

Verily, what hath happened was destined to happen so.

Thou canst in no wise see those that have been slain in this war."—Having said this unto Yudhishthira, prince of the pious, the high-spirited Govinda paused; and Yudhishthira answered him thus, "O Govinda, full well do I know thy fondness for me.

"'Vyasa said, "O Yudhishthira, thy wisdom, I conceive, is not adequate.

None doth any act by virtue of his own power.

It is God, who engageth him in acts good or bad, O bestower of honour. Where then is the room for repentance? Thou deemest thyself as having perpetrated impious acts.

And his son named Avikshit—conqueror of foes,—righteous like unto Yayati, brought all the Earth under his dominion. And both in merit and might the king resembled his sire. He had a son named Marutta, endowed with energy, and resembling Vasava himself.

This earth clad in oceans, felt herself drawn towards him.

He always[5] used to defy the lord of the celestials; and O son of Pandu, Vasava also defied Marutta. And Marutta,—master of Earth—was pure and possessed of perfections. And in spite of his striving, Sakra could not prevail over him.

"'"Vrihaspati said, '

Prosperity of a rival is always painful to one's feelings, and for this reason too, thou dost with thy attendant gods persecute the Asuras with their kith and kin, and kill the most prosperous among them; hence, O Lord of the gods, am I changed in appearance at the thought that my rival is prospering, therefore, O Indra, do thou, by all means, restrain Samvarta and king Marutta.

'

"'"Sakra said, 'O Jataveda, it is thou who dost burn all other things and there is none else who can reduce thee to ashes.

All the world is afraid to come in contact with thee.

O carrier of oblations, these words of thine are worthy of no credence.'

… proper, O son of Pritha, and conqueror of thy foes, that thou shouldst recall the incident of Kichaka's kicking Draupadi, during the period of thy exile passed in absolute concealment, nor the incidents of the fight which took place between thyself and Drona and Bhishma.

The time has now arrived, when thou must fight the battle which each must fight single-handed with his mind.

Therefore, O chief of Bharata's race, thou must now prepare to carry the struggle against thy mind, and by dint of abstraction and the merit of thine own Karma, thou must reach the other side of (overcome) the mysterious and unintelligible (mind).

In this war there will be no need for any missiles, nor for friends, nor attendants.

The battle which is to be fought alone and single-handed has now arrived for thee.

And if vanquished in this struggle, thou shalt find thyself in the most wretched plight, and O son of Kunti, knowing this, and acting accordingly, shalt thou attain success.

… the guise of asceticism in his mind, and thus he is prevented from knowing me, and the man of learning, who with the object of attaining salvation desires to destroy me, I frolic and laugh in the face of such a man intent on salvation.

I am the everlasting one without a compeer, whom no creature can kill or destroy.

For this reason thou too, O prince, divert thy desires (Kama) to Virtue, so that, by this means, thou mayst attain what is well for thee.

The consciousness that this or that thing is mine, or the state of being addicted to worldly objects is Mrityu and the absence of that feeling is Saswatam.

And these two, Brahman and Mrityu, O king, have their seats in the souls of all creatures, and remaining unseen, they, without doubt, wage war with each other.

And if, O Bharata, it be true that no creature is ever destroyed, then one doth not make oneself guilty of the death of a creature by piercing (destroying) its body.

O son of Devaki, thy form also, as the Lord of the universe, then became known to me!

What thy holy self said unto me at that time, O Kesava, through affection, has all been forgotten by me, O chief of men, in consequence of the fickleness of my mind.

Repeatedly, however, have I been curious on the subject of those truths. Thou again, O Madhava, wilt repair to Dwaraka soon."'

He knew the science of disappearing at will from before the eyes of all. He used to rove in the company of invisible Siddhas and celestial musicians. He used to sit and converse with them on some spot retired from the bustle of humanity.

He was as unattached to all things as the wind.

Kasyapa having heard of him truly, desired to see him. Possessed of intelligence, that foremost of all Brahmanas, approached the sage.

Decrepitude and diseases have repeatedly assailed me, and calamities, as frequent, in copious measure. In this world I have repeatedly undergone all those afflictions that flow from a perception of all pairs of opposites.

After all this, one day, overwhelmed with sorrow, blank despair came upon me.

I took refuge in the Formless. Afflicted as I was with great distress, I gave up the world with all its joys and sorrows.[8] Understanding then this path, I exercised myself in it in this world.

In this world I have repeatedly undergone all those afflictions that flow from a perception of all pairs of opposites. After all this, one day, overwhelmed with sorrow, blank despair came upon me.

I took refuge in the Formless.

Afflicted as I was with great distress, I gave up the world with all its joys and sorrows.[8] Understanding then this path, I exercised myself in it in this world. Afterwards, through tranquillity of soul, I attained to this success that thou seest.

"'"The ascetic crowned with success said, 'By diverse acts, O son, as also by the aid of merit, mortal creatures attain to diverse ends here and residence in Heaven.

Nowhere is the highest happiness; nowhere can residence be eternal.

There are repeated falls from the highest regions acquired with such sorrow. In consequence of my indulgence in sin, I had to attain to diverse miserable and inauspicious ends, filled as I was with lust and wrath, and deluded by cupidity.

"'"The ascetic crowned with success said, 'By diverse acts, O son, as also by the aid of merit, mortal creatures attain to diverse ends here and residence in Heaven. Nowhere is the highest happiness; nowhere can residence be eternal.

There are repeated falls from the highest regions acquired with such sorrow.

In consequence of my indulgence in sin, I had to attain to diverse miserable and inauspicious ends, filled as I was with lust and wrath, and deluded by cupidity. I have repeatedly undergone death and rebirth.

In consequence of my indulgence in sin, I had to attain to diverse miserable and inauspicious ends, filled as I was with lust and wrath, and deluded by cupidity. I have repeatedly undergone death and rebirth.

I have eaten diverse kinds of food, I have sucked at diverse breasts.

I have seen diverse kinds of mothers, and diverse fathers dissimilar to one another. Diverse kinds of happiness have been mine and diverse kinds of misery, O sinless one.

I have repeatedly undergone death and rebirth. I have eaten diverse kinds of food, I have sucked at diverse breasts.

I have seen diverse kinds of mothers, and diverse fathers dissimilar to one another.

Diverse kinds of happiness have been mine and diverse kinds of misery, O sinless one. On diverse occasions have I been separated from what was agreeable and united with what was disagreeable.

I have eaten diverse kinds of food, I have sucked at diverse breasts. I have seen diverse kinds of mothers, and diverse fathers dissimilar to one another. Diverse kinds of happiness have been mine and diverse kinds of misery, O sinless one.

On diverse occasions have I been separated from what was agreeable and united with what was disagreeable.

Having earned wealth with great toil I have had to put up with its loss. Insults and excessive misery I have received from king and relatives. Mental and physical pain, of great severity, have been mine.

That Jiva, entering all the limbs of the foetus part by part, accepting the attribute of mind, and residing within all the regions that belong to Prana, supports (life). In consequence of this, the foetus becoming endued with mind begins to move its limbs.[18]

As liquified iron, poured (into a mould), takes the form of the mould, know that the entrance of Jiva into the foetus is even such.

As fire, entering a mass of iron, heats it greatly, do thou know that the manifestation of Jiva in the foetus is such.

As fire, entering a mass of iron, heats it greatly, do thou know that the manifestation of Jiva in the foetus is such.

As a lamp, burning in a room, discovers (all things within it), after the same manner mind discovers the different limbs of the body.[19]

Whatever acts, good or bad, Jiva does in a former body, have certainly to be enjoyed or endured by him.

"'"The Brahmana said, 'The acts, good and bad, that a Jiva does are not subject to destruction. Upon attainment of body after body, those acts produce fruits corresponding with them.[16]

As a fruit-bearing tree, when the season comes of productivity, yields a large quantity of fruit, similarly merit, achieved with a pure heart, yields a large crop (of felicity).

After the same fashion, sin, done with a sinful heart, produces a large crop of misery. The Soul (or Jiva), placing the mind ahead, addresses himself to action.

… smell, of taste and touch, of sound, of belongings, of vision, and unknowable, becomes emancipated.[26] He who sees his soul devoid of the attributes of the five elements to be without form and cause, to be really destitute of attributes though enjoying them, becomes emancipated.[27]

Abandoning, with the aid of the understanding, all purposes relating to body and mind, one gradually attains to cessation of separate existence, like a fire unfed with fuel.[28]

One who is freed from all impressions, who transcends all pairs of opposites, who is destitute of all belongings, and who uses all his senses under the guidance of penances, becomes emancipated.[29] Having become freed from all impressions, one then attains to Brahma which is …

When all creatures are afflicted,—he can never be afflicted by any one. Devoid of desire and possessed of a tranquil mind, the person in Yoga is never shaken by pain and sorrow and fear, the terrible effects that flow from attachment and affection.

Weapons never pierce him; death does not exist for him.

Nowhere in the world can be seen any one that is happier than he. Having adequately concentrated his soul, he lives steadily on himself. Turning off decrepitude and pain and pleasure, he sleeps in comfort.

Devoid of desire and possessed of a tranquil mind, the person in Yoga is never shaken by pain and sorrow and fear, the terrible effects that flow from attachment and affection. Weapons never pierce him; death does not exist for him.

Nowhere in the world can be seen any one that is happier than he.

Having adequately concentrated his soul, he lives steadily on himself. Turning off decrepitude and pain and pleasure, he sleeps in comfort. Casting off this human body he attains to (other) forms according to his pleasure.

nor even by all the senses.[40]

It is only with the lamp of the mind that great Soul can be seen.

He has hands and feet on all sides; he has ears on all sides; he dwells, pervading all things in the world.[41] Jiva beholds the Soul as extracted from the body (like the stalk from a blade of Saccharum Munja, when knowledge comes).

nor even by all the senses.[40] It is only with the lamp of the mind that great Soul can be seen.

He has hands and feet on all sides; he has ears on all sides; he dwells, pervading all things in the world.[41]

Jiva beholds the Soul as extracted from the body (like the stalk from a blade of Saccharum Munja, when knowledge comes).

Do thou also take smell by the ear, and sensations of touch by the tongue. Do thou also take sounds by the skin, and likewise touch by the understanding.

They that are powerful do not own the dominion of any rules. Rules exist for those only that are weak.

Do thou seize enjoyments unenjoyed before; it behoves thee not to enjoy what has been tasted before (by others).

"'"The Brahmana continued, 'Unto them assembled together, the Lord of creatures, Brahma, said, "No one of you is superior to others. Ye are all endued with particular attributes.

All are foremost in their own spheres, and all possess special attributes.

" Thus said unto them, that were assembled together, the Lord of all creatures. There is one that is unmoving, and one that is moving. In consequence of special attributes, there are five life-winds. My own self is one. That one accumulates into many forms.

Only the inanimate body remains behind. This is what I think. Of those who wish to enjoy felicity by means of the inanimate body (of an animal) which is comparable with fuel, the fuel (of sacrifice) is after all the animal himself.

Abstention from cruelty is the foremost of all duties.

Even this is the teaching of the elders. We know this is the proposition, viz.,—No slaughter (of living creatures).—If I say anything further, (it will then appear that) diverse kinds of faulty actions are capable of being done by thee.

Thou hearest the sounds which have their origin in space (or ether). Thou thinkest thoughts with the mind. All these entities, thou art of opinion, have life. Thou dost not then abstain from taking life. Really, thou art engaged in slaughter.

There can be no movement without slaughter.

Or, what dost thou think, O regenerate one."

"'"'"Alarka said, 'My mind has become strong.

Having conquered the mind, one's conquest becomes permanent.

Though surrounded by foes, I shall (henceforth) shoot my arrows at other objects. Since in consequence of its unsteadiness, it sets all mortals to accomplish acts, I shall shoot very sharp-pointed shafts at the mind.'

I have killed all foes. But there is one, the greatest, vice which deserves to be destroyed but which has not been destroyed by me! Urged by that fault, this Jiva fails to attain to freedom from desire.

Afflicted by desire, one runs into ditches without knowing it.

Urged by that fault, one indulges in acts that are forbidden. Do thou cut off, cut off, that cupidity with sharp-edged swords. From cupidity arise desires. From desire flows anxiety. The man who yields to desire acquires many qualities that appertain to passion.

Afflicted by desire, one runs into ditches without knowing it. Urged by that fault, one indulges in acts that are forbidden. Do thou cut off, cut off, that cupidity with sharp-edged swords. From cupidity arise desires.

From desire flows anxiety.

The man who yields to desire acquires many qualities that appertain to passion. When these have been acquired, he gets many qualities that appertain to Darkness.

This is (true) sovereignty. There is no other sovereignty here.

The soul, properly understood, is the king.

" Even these were the verses sung by king Amvarisha of great celebrity, on the subject of sovereignty which he kept before him,—that king who had cut off the one foremost fault viz., cupidity.'"'"

When I failed to find it even there, a cloudedness of understanding came over me. After that cloudedness of understanding passed away, intelligence came back to me. Then I thought that I have no dominion, or that everything is my dominion.

Even this body is not mine, or the whole Earth is mine.

At the same time, O best of regenerate persons, I think that that is as much mine as it is of others. Do thou, therefore, dwell (here) as long as thy choice leads thee, and do thou enjoy as long as thou pleasest."'

Those who, whatever the symbols and modes of life to which they adhere, have acquired an understanding having tranquillity for its essence, attain to that one entity even as numerous rivers all meeting the Ocean.[95]

The path is traversable with the aid of the understanding and not of this body.

Actions have both beginning and end, and the body has actions for its bonds.[96] Hence, O blessed lady, thou needst have no apprehension in respect of the world hereafter.

The things thought of by the mind are ascertained with accuracy by the understanding. There is no doubt in this, viz., that the understanding, by perseverance, perceives all things. The characteristic of mind is meditation.

The characteristic of the good man is to live unperceived.

[128] Devotion has acts for its characteristic. Knowledge is the characteristic of renunciation. Therefore keeping knowledge before his view, the man of understanding should practise renunciation.

Of this there is no doubt. The Unmanifest is the source of all the worlds as, indeed, that is the end of every thing. Days end with the sun's setting and Nights with the sun's rising.

The end of pleasure is always sorrow, and the end of sorrow is always pleasure.

All accumulations have exhaustion for their end, and all ascent have falls for their end. All associations have dissociations for their end, and life has death for its end. All action ends in destruction, and all that is born is certain to meet with death.

All accumulations have exhaustion for their end, and all ascent have falls for their end. All associations have dissociations for their end, and life has death for its end. All action ends in destruction, and all that is born is certain to meet with death.

Every mobile and immobile thing in this world is transient.

Sacrifice, gift, penances, study, vows, observances,—all these have destruction for their end. Of Knowledge, there is no end.

… of mendicancy in a place whence smoke has ceased to curl up and where all the inhabitants have already eaten.[139] The person who is conversant with the conduct that leads to Emancipation should seek for alms after the vessels (used in cooking) have been washed.

He should never rejoice when he obtains anything, and never be depressed if he obtains nothing.

Seeking just what is needed for supporting life, he should, with concentrated mind, go about his round of mendicancy, waiting for the proper time. He should not wish for earnings in common with others, nor eat when honoured.

In summer he should pass only one night in an inhabited place; in the season of rains he may live in one place.

He should move about the world like a worm, his path pointed out by the Sun.

From compassion for creatures, he should walk on the Earth with his eyes directed towards it. He should never make any accumulations and should avoid residence with friends. The man conversant with Emancipation should every day do all his acts with pure water.

Rejecting all objects, content with a very little, one should wander about (homeless) pursuing an equal behaviour towards all creatures mobile and immobile. One should never annoy another being; not should one be annoyed with another.

He who is trusted by all creatures is regarded as the foremost of those persons that understand Emancipation.

One should not think of the past, nor feel anxious about the future. One should disregard the present, biding time, with concentrated mind.[141] One should never defile anything by eye, mind, or speech. Nor should one do anything that is wrong, openly or in secret.

One should never annoy another being; not should one be annoyed with another. He who is trusted by all creatures is regarded as the foremost of those persons that understand Emancipation.

One should not think of the past, nor feel anxious about the future.

One should disregard the present, biding time, with concentrated mind.[141] One should never defile anything by eye, mind, or speech. Nor should one do anything that is wrong, openly or in secret.

"'"'Brahma said, "

Some regard Brahman as a tree. Some regard Brahman as a great forest.

Some regard Brahman as unmanifest. Some regard it as transcendant and freed from every distress. They think that all this is produced from and absorbed into the unmanifest.

… may even meet with destruction before he reaches the end of his journey, even so should it be known that ill acts there may not be fruits.[149] The examination of what is agreeable and what is disagreeable in one's own self is productive of benefit.[150]

The progress in life of a man that is devoid of the perception of truth is like that of a man who rashly journeys on a long road unseen before.

The progress, however, of those that are endued with intelligence is like that of men who journey along the same road, riding on a car unto which are yoked (fleet) steeds and which moves with swiftness.

The mind always presides over the great elements. The understanding proclaims power, and is called the Kshetrajna.[156]

The mind yokes the senses as a charioteer yokes good steeds.

The senses, the mind, and the understanding are always joined to the Kshetrajna. The individual soul, mounting the chariot to which big steeds are yoked and which has the understanding for the reins, drives about on all sides.

He that knows him, knows the Veda.[158] Attaining to pure knowledge from (restraining) the mind, the ascetic should sit self-restrained.

One necessarily becomes that on which one's mind is set. This is an eternal mystery.

That which has the unmanifest for its beginning and gross qualities for its end, has been said to have Nescience for its indication. But do you understand that whose nature is destitute of qualities? Of two syllables is Mrityu (death);

But do you understand that whose nature is destitute of qualities? Of two syllables is Mrityu (death); of three syllable is the eternal Brahman.

Mineness is death, and the reverse of mineness is the eternal.

[159] Some men who are led by bad understanding applaud action. Those, however, that are numbered among the high-souled ancients never applaud action.

Disregarding Arjuna's message, they assailed him with their shafts. The diadem-decked Arjuna resisted those warriors who were under the sway of darkness and passion. Jishnu addressed them smilingly and said, "Desist, ye unrighteous ones.

Life is a benefit (that should not be thrown away).

" At the time of his setting out, he had been earnestly ordered by king Yudhishthira the just, not to slay those Kshatriyas whose kinsmen had been slain before on the field of Kurukshetra.

"'"The father, at this, said, '

If thou attainest to the age of even a thousand years, thou wilt still seem to me to be only a little child.

Having begotten a son, the sire achieves success through him. O puissant one, I know that the hunger of children is very strong. I am old. I shall somehow succeed in holding my life-breaths.

Thy gifts have, therefore, gratified the deities highly, O best of regenerate ones. Since thou hast made this gift, in a season of great difficulty, with a pure heart, thou hast, by this act of thine, conquered Heaven.

Hunger destroys one's wisdom and drives off one's righteous understanding.

One whose intelligence is overwhelmed by hunger casts off all fortitude. He, therefore, that conquers hunger conquers Heaven without doubt. One's righteousness is never destroyed as long as one cherishes the inclination of making gifts.

Since thou hast made this gift, in a season of great difficulty, with a pure heart, thou hast, by this act of thine, conquered Heaven. Hunger destroys one's wisdom and drives off one's righteous understanding.

One whose intelligence is overwhelmed by hunger casts off all fortitude.

He, therefore, that conquers hunger conquers Heaven without doubt. One's righteousness is never destroyed as long as one cherishes the inclination of making gifts.

One's righteousness is never destroyed as long as one cherishes the inclination of making gifts. Disregarding filial affection, disregarding the affection one feels for one's wife, and reckoning righteousness as the foremost, thou hast paid no heed to the cravings of nature.

The acquisition of wealth is an act of slight merit. Its gift to a deserving person is fraught with greater merit.

Of still greater merit is the (proper) time. Lastly, devotion (in the matter of gift) is fraught with the highest merit. The door of Heaven is very difficult to see. Through heedlessness men fail to obtain a sight of it.

Of still greater merit is the (proper) time. Lastly, devotion (in the matter of gift) is fraught with the highest merit. The door of Heaven is very difficult to see. Through heedlessness men fail to obtain a sight of it.

The bar of Heaven's door has cupidity for its seed. That bar is kept fastened by desire and affection.

Verily, Heaven's door is unapproachable. Those men who subdued wrath and conquered their passions, those Brahmanas who are endued with penances and who make gifts according to the measure of their ability, succeed in beholding it.

By giving away only one cow that did not belong to him, he fell into Hell. Usinara's son Sivi of excellent vows, by giving away the flesh of his own body, is rejoicing in Heaven, having attained to the regions of the righteous.

Mere wealth is not merit.

Good men acquire merit by exerting to the best of their power and with the aid of pious meals. One does not acquire such merit by means of even diverse sacrifices as with even a little wealth that has been earned lawfully.

Good men acquire merit by exerting to the best of their power and with the aid of pious meals. One does not acquire such merit by means of even diverse sacrifices as with even a little wealth that has been earned lawfully.

Through wrath, the fruits of gifts are destroyed. Through cupidity one fails to go to Heaven.

One conversant with the merits of gift, and leading a just course of conduct succeeds, through penances, in enjoying Heaven.

O Purandara, animals have not been ordained to be slaughtered in sacrifices. O puissant one, these preparations of thine are destructive of merit. This sacrifice is not consistent with righteousness.

The destruction of creatures can never be said to be an act of righteousness.

If thou wishest it, let thy priests perform thy sacrifice according to the Agama. By performing a sacrifice according to the (true import of the) scriptural ordinances, great will be the merit achieved by thee.

No impediment will arise. This my sacrifice is incapable of being baffled. It matters little whether the deity pours rains or no downpours happen.

Indeed, if Indra does not, of his own will, show any regard for me, I shall, in that case, transform myself into Indra and keep all creatures alive.

Every creature, on whatever food he has been nourished, will continue to be nourished on it as before. I can even repeatedly create a different order of things. Let gold and whatever else of wealth there is, come to this place today.

What need have I of kingdom or of articles of enjoyment, what need of sacrifices or of happiness, when thou, O king, hast undergone so much affliction?

I regard my kingdom as a disease, and myself also as afflicted.

Plunged though I am in sorrow, what, however, is the use of these words that I am addressing thee? Thou art our father, thou art our mother; thou art our foremost of superiors. Deprived of thy presence, how shall we live?

When, led by the desire of knowing what would be beneficial to thee in respect of thy measures, thou honourest them, they will, O son, always declare what is for thy good, O Bharata.

Thou shouldst always keep thy senses, as thou keepest thy horses.

They will then prove beneficial to thee, like wealth that is not wasted.

Mid-nights and mid-days should be devoted to thy amusements and sports. At all times, however thou shouldst think of the means for accomplishing thy purposes. At the proper time, adorning thy person, thou shouldst sit prepared to make gifts in profusion.

The turns for different acts, O son, ceaselessly revolve like wheels.

Thou shouldst always exert thyself to fill thy treasuries of various kinds by lawful means. Thou shouldst avoid all unlawful means towards that end.

O son of Kunti, thou shouldst never seek to war with that king who desires to conquer the whole Earth. Thou shouldst seek to gain advantages by producing, with the aid of thy ministers, dissensions among his aristocracy and subordinate chieftains.

A powerful king should never seek to exterminate weak kings, for these do good to the world by cherishing the good and punishing the wicked.

O foremost of kings, thou shouldst live, adopting the behaviour of the cane.[17] If a strong king advances against a weak one, the latter should make him desist, by adopting conciliation and other modes.

"'Arjuna said, "O Bhima, thou art my elder brother and, therefore, my senior and preceptor. I dare not say anything more than what I have already said. The royal sage Dhritarashtra deserves to be honoured by us in every respect.

They that are good, they that are distinguished above the common level, they that break not the distinctions which characterise the good, remember not the wrongs done to them but only the benefits they have received.

" Hearing these words of the high-souled Phalguna, the righteous-souled Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, addressed Vidura and said these words, "Instructed by me, O Kshattri, do thou say unto the Kuru king that I shall give him as much wealth from my treasury as …

When such is the case, he who beholds a creature as disposed to take diverse forms, is regarded as having an erroneous understanding. He who indulges in too much grief at separation is, I think, a foolish person.

He who sees evil in separation should abandon union.

By standing aloof, no unions are formed, and sorrow is cast off, for sorrow in the world is born of separation.[55] Only he who understands the distinction between body and self, and not another, becomes freed from the erroneous conviction.

"Vaishampayana said: 'When the thirty-sixth year (after the battle) was reached, the delighter of the Kurus, Yudhishthira, beheld many unusual portents. Winds, dry and strong, and showering gravels, blew from every side. Birds began to wheel, making circles from right to left.

The great rivers ran in opposite directions.

The horizon on every side seemed to be always covered with fog. Meteors, showering (blazing) coals, fell on the Earth from the sky. The Sun's disc, O king, seemed to be always covered with dust.