"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 men 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, thou 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, shunneth 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."'"