"'The messenger of the gods said, "O great sage, thou art of simple
understanding; since, having secured that celestial bliss which bringeth
great honour, thou art still deliberating like an unwise person. O
_Muni_, that region which is known as heaven, existeth there above us.
Those regions tower high, and are furnished with excellent paths, and
are, O sage, always ranged by celestial cars. Atheists, and untruthful
persons, those that have not practised ascetic austerities and those
that have not performed great sacrifices, cannot repair thither. Only
men of virtuous souls, and those of subdued spirits, and those that have
their faculties in subjection, and those that have controlled their
senses, and those that are free from malice, and persons intent on the
practice of charity, and heroes, and men bearing marks of battle, after
having, with subdued senses and faculties, performed the most
meritorious rites, attain those regions, O Brahmana, capable of being
obtained only by virtuous acts, and inhabited by pious men. There, O
Mudgala, are established separately myriads of beautiful, shining, and
resplendent worlds bestowing every object of desire, owned by those
celestial beings, the gods, the _Sadhyas_, and the _Vaiswas_, the great
sages, _Yamas_, and the _Dharmas_, and the _Gandharvas_ and the
_Apsaras_. And there is that monarch of mountains the golden Meru
extending over a space of thirty-three thousand _Yojanas_. And there, O
Mudgala, are the sacred gardens of the celestials, with Nandana at their
head, where sport the persons of meritorious acts. And neither hunger,
nor thirst, nor lassitude, nor fear, nor anything that is disgusting or
inauspicious is there. And all the odours of that place are delightful,
and all the breezes delicious to the touch. And all the sounds there are
captivating, O sage, to the ear and the heart. And neither grief, nor
decrepitude, nor labour, nor repentance also is there. That world, O
_Muni_, obtained as the fruit of one's own acts, is of this nature.
Persons repair thither by virtue of their meritorious deeds. And the
persons of those that dwell there look resplendent, and this, O Mudgala,
solely by virtue of their own acts, and not owing to the merits of
father or mothers. And there is neither sweat, nor stench, nor urine
there. And there, O _Muni_, dust doth not soils one's garments. And
their excellent garlands, redolent of divine fragrance, never fade. And,
O Brahmana, they yoke such cars as this (that I have brought). And, O
mighty sage, devoid of envy and grief and fatigue and ignorance and
malice, men who have attained heaven, dwell in those regions happily.
And, O bull among _Munis_, higher and higher over such regions there are
others endued with higher celestial virtues. Of these, the beautiful and
resplendent regions of Brahma are the foremost. Thither, O Brahmana,
repair _Rishis_ that have been sanctified by meritorious acts. And there
dwell certain beings named _Ribhus_. They are the gods of the gods
themselves. Their regions are supremely blessed, and are adored even by
the deities. These shine by their own light, and bestow every object of
desire. They suffer no pangs that women might cause, do not possess
worldly wealth, and are free from guile. The _Ribhus_ do not subsist on
oblations, nor yet on ambrosia. And they are endued with such celestial
forms that they cannot be perceived by the senses. And these eternal
gods of the celestials do not desire happiness for happiness' sake, nor
do they change at the revolution of a _Kalpa_. Where, indeed, is their
decrepitude or dissolution? For them there is neither ecstasy, nor joy,
nor happiness. They have neither happiness nor misery. Wherefore should
they have anger or aversion then, O _Muni_? O Mudgala, their supreme
state is coveted even by the gods. And that crowning emancipation, hard
to attain, can never be acquired by people subject to desire. The number
of those deities is thirty-three. To their regions repair wise men,
after having observed excellent vows, or bestowed gifts according to the
ordinance. Thou also hast easily acquired that success by thy charities.
Do thou, by effulgence displayed by virtue of thy ascetic austerities,
enjoy that condition obtained by thy meritorious acts. Such, O Brahmana,
is the bliss of heaven containing various worlds.
"'"Thus have I described unto thee the blessing of the celestial
regions. Do thou now hear from me some of the disadvantages thereof.
That in the celestial regions a person, while reaping the fruit of the
acts he hath already performed, cannot be engaged in any others, and
that he must enjoy the consequences of the former until they are
completely exhausted, and, further, that he is subject to fall after he
hath entirely exhausted his merit, form, in my opinion, the
disadvantages of heaven. The fall of a person whose mind hath been
steeped in happiness, must, O Mudgala, be pronounced as a fault. And the
discontent and regret that must follow one's stay at an inferior seat
after one hath enjoyed more auspicious and brighter regions, must be
hard to bear. And the consciousness of those about to fall is stupefied,
and also agitated by emotions. And as the garlands of those about to
fall fade away, fear invadeth their hearts. These mighty drawbacks, O
Mudgala, extend even to the regions of Brahma. In the celestial regions,
the virtues of men who have performed righteous acts, are countless.
And, O _Muni_, this is another of the attributes of the fallen that, by
reason of their merits, they take birth among men. And then they attain
to high fortune and happiness. If one, however, cannot acquire knowledge
here, one cometh by an inferior birth. The fruits of acts done in this
world are reaped in the next. This world, O Brahmana, hath been declared
to be one of acts; the others, as one of fruit. Thus have I, O Mudgala,
asked by thee, described all unto thee. Now, O pious one, with thy
favour, we shall easily set out with speed."'
"Vyasa continued, 'Having heard this speech, Mudgala began to reflect in
his mind. And having deliberated well, that best of _Munis_ spake thus
unto the celestial messenger, "O messenger of the gods, I bow unto thee.
Do thou, O sire, depart in peace. I have nothing to do with either
happiness, or heaven having such prominent defects. Persons who enjoy
heaven suffer, after all, huge misery and extreme regret in this world.
Therefore, I do not desire heaven. I shall seek for that unfailing
region repairing whither people have not to lament, or to be pained, or
agitated. Thou hast described unto me these great defects belonging to
the celestial regions. Do thou now describe unto me a region free from
faults." Thereupon the celestial messenger said, "Above the abode of
_Brahma_, there is the supreme seat of Vishnu, pure, and eternal, and
luminous known by the name of _Para Brahma_. Thither, O Brahmana, cannot
repair persons who are attached to the objects of the senses: nor can
those subject to arrogance, covetousness, ignorance, anger, and envy, go
to that place. It is only those that are free from affection, and those
free from pride, and those free from conflicting emotions, and those
that have restrained their senses, and those given to contemplation and
_Yoga_, that can repair thither." Having heard these words, the _Muni_
bade farewell to the celestial messenger, and that virtuous one leading
the _Unchha_ mode of life, assumed perfect contentment. And then praise
and dispraise became equal unto him; and a brickbat, stone, and gold
assumed the same aspect in his eyes. And availing himself of the means
of attaining _Brahma_, he became always engaged in meditation. And
having obtained power by means of knowledge, and acquired excellent
understanding, he attained that supreme state of emancipation which is
regarded as Eternal. Therefore, thou also, O Kunti's son, ought not to
grieve. Deprived thou hast truly been of a flourishing kingdom, but thou
wilt regain it by thy ascetic austerities. Misery after happiness, and
happiness after misery, revolve by turns round a man even like the point
of a wheel's circumference round the axle. After the thirteenth year
hath passed away, thou wilt, O thou of immeasurable might, get back the
kingdom possessed before thee by thy father and grand-father. Therefore,
let the fever of thy heart depart!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Having said this to Pandu's son, the worshipful
Vyasa went back to his hermitage for the purpose of performing
austerities."