Markandeya continued, “O Yudhishthira, the virtuous fowler, eminent in
pity, then skilfully addressed himself again to that foremost of
Brahmanas, saying, ‘It is the dictum of the aged that the ways of
righteousness are subtle, diverse and infinite. When life is at stake and
in the matter of marriage, it is proper to tell an untruth. Untruth
sometimes leads to the triumph of truth, and the latter dwindles into
untruth. Whichever conduces most to the good of all creatures is
considered to be truth. Virtue is thus perverted; mark thou its subtle
ways. O best of virtuous men, man’s actions are either good or bad, and
he undoubtedly reaps their fruits. The ignorant man having attained to an
abject state, grossly abuses the gods, not knowing that it is the
consequence of his own evil karma. The foolish, the designing and the
fickle, O good Brahmana, always attain the very reverse of happiness or
misery. Neither learning nor good morals, nor personal exertion can save
them. And if the fruits of our exertion were not dependent on anything
else, people would attain the object of their desire, by simply striving
to attain it.
It is seen that able, intelligent and diligent persons are baffled in
their efforts, and do not attain the fruits of their actions. On the
other hand, persons who are always active in injuring others and in
practising deception on the world, lead a happy life. There are some who
attain prosperity without any exertion. And there are others, who with
the utmost exertion, are unable to achieve their dues. Miserly persons
with the object of having sons born to them worship the gods, and
practise severe austerities, and those sons having remained in the womb
for ten months at length turn out to be very infamous issue of their
race; and others begotten under the same auspices, decently pass their
lives in luxury with heaps of riches and grain accumulated by their
ancestors. The diseases from which man suffer, are undoubtedly the result
of their own karma. They then behave like small deer at the hands of
hunters, and they are racked with mental troubles. And, O Brahmana, as
hunters intercept the flight of their game, the progress of those
diseases is checked by able and skilful physicians with their collections
of drugs. And, the best of the cherishers of religion, thou hast observed
that those who have it in their power to enjoy (the good things of this
earth), are prevented from doing so from the fact of their suffering from
chronic bowel-complaints, and that many others that are strong and
powerful, suffer from misery, and are enabled with great difficulty to
obtain a livelihood; and that every man is thus helpless, overcome by
misery and illusion, and again and again tossed and overpowered by the
powerful current of his own actions (karma). If there were absolute
freedom of action, no creature would die, none would be subject to decay,
or await his evil doom, and everybody would attain the object of his
desire. All persons desire to out distance their neighbours (in the race
of life), and they strive to do so to the utmost of their power; but the
result turns out otherwise. Many are the persons born under the influence
of the same star and the same auspices of good luck; but a great
diversity is observable in the maturity of their actions. No person, O
good Brahmana, can be the dispenser of his own lot. The actions done in a
previous existence are seen to fructify in our present life. It is the
immemorial tradition that the soul is eternal and everlasting, but the
corporeal frame of all creatures is subject to destruction here (below).
When therefore life is extinguished, the body only is destroyed, but the
spirit, wedded to its actions, travels elsewhere.’
“The Brahmana replied, ‘O best of those versed in the doctrine of karma,
and in the delivery of discourses, I long to know accurately how the soul
becomes eternal.’ The fowler replied, ‘The spirit dies not, there being
simply a change of tenement. They are mistaken, who foolishly say that
all creatures die. The soul betakes itself to another frame, and its
change of habitation is called its death. In the world of men, no man
reaps the consequences of another man’s karma. Whatever one does, he is
sure to reap the consequences thereof; for the consequences of the karma
that is once done, can never be obviated. The virtuous become endowed
with great virtues, and sinful men become the perpetrators of wicked
deeds. Men’s actions follow them; and influenced by these, they are born
again.’ The Brahmana enquired, ‘Why does the spirit take its birth, and
why does its nativity become sinful or virtuous, and how, O good man,
does it come to belong to a sinful or virtuous race?’ The fowler replied,
This mystery seems to belong to the subject of procreation, but I shall
briefly describe to you, O good Brahmana, how the spirit is born again
with its accumulated load of karma, the righteous in a virtuous, and the
wicked in a sinful nativity. By the performance of virtuous actions it
attains to the state of the gods, and by a combination of good and evil,
it acquires the human state; by indulgence in sensuality and similar
demoralising practices it is born in the lower species of animals, and by
sinful acts, it goes to the infernal regions. Afflicted with the miseries
of birth and dotage, man is fated to rot here below from the evil
consequences of his own actions. Passing through thousands of births as
also the infernal regions, our spirits wander about, secured by the
fetters of their own karma. Animate beings become miserable in the next
world on account of these actions done by themselves and from the
reaction of those miseries, they assume lower births and then they
accumulate a new series of actions, and they consequently suffer misery
over again, like sickly men partaking of unwholesome food; and although
they are thus afflicted, they consider themselves to be happy and at ease
and consequently their fetters are not loosened and new karma arises; and
suffering from diverse miseries they turn about in this world like a
wheel. If casting off their fetters they purify themselves by their
actions and practise austerities and religious meditations, then, O best
of Brahmanas, they attain the Elysian regions by these numerous acts and
by casting off their fetters and by the purification of karma, men attain
those blissful regions where misery is unknown to those who go there. The
sinful man who is addicted to vices, never comes to the end of his course
of iniquities. Therefore must we strive to do what is virtuous and
forbear from doing what is unrighteous. Whoever with a heart full of
gratefulness and free from malice strives to do what is good, attains
wealth, virtue, happiness and heaven (hereafter). Those who are purified
of sins, wise, forbearing, constant in righteousness, and self-restrained
enjoy continuous felicity in this as well as in the next world. Man must
follow the standard of virtue of the good and in his acts imitate the
example of the righteous. There are virtuous men, versed in holy writ and
learned in all departments of knowledge. Man’s proper duty consists in
following his own proper avocation, and this being the case these latter
do not become confused and mixed up. The wise man delights in virtue and
lives by righteousness. And, O good Brahmana, such a man with the wealth
of righteousness which he hereby acquires, waters the root of the plant
in which he finds most virtue. The virtuous man acts thus and his mind is
calmed. He is pleased with his friends in this world and he also attains
happiness hereafter. Virtuous people, O good man, acquire dominion over
all and the pleasure of beauty, flavour, sound and touch according to
their desire. These are known to be the rewards of virtue. But the man of
enlightened vision, O great Brahmana, is not satisfied with reaping the
fruits of righteousness. Not content with that, he with the light of
spiritual wisdom that is in him, becomes indifferent to pain and pleasure
and the vice of the world influenceth him not. Of his own free will he
becometh indifferent to worldly pursuits but he forsaketh not virtue.
Observing that everything worldly is evanescent, he trieth to renounce
everything and counting on more chance he deviseth means for the
attainment of salvation. Thus doth he renounce the pursuits of the world,
shuneth the ways of sin, becometh virtuous and at last attaineth
salvation. Spiritual wisdom is the prime requisite of men for salvation,
resignation and forbearance are its roots. By this means he attaineth all
the objects of this desire. But subduing the senses and by means of
truthfulness and forbearance, he attaineth, O good Brahmana, the supreme
asylum of Brahma.’ The Brahmana again enquired, ‘O thou most eminent in
virtue and constant in the performance of the religious obligations, you
talk of senses; what are they; how may they be subdued; and what is the
good of subduing them; and how doth a creature reap the fruits thereof? O
pious man, I beg to acquaint myself with the truth of this matter.”