RÁMA'S WONDER AT THE ERROR OF MEN.
Argument.--Application of the mendicant's case to all men, who are
equally mistaken in their choice.
Vasishtha Continued:--As the mendicant saw this transient scene of
error in his mind; so it is the case with all living beings, to look on
their past lives and actions apart from themselves, and in the persons
of other men.
2. The past lives, actions and demise of all reflective souls, are as
fast imprinted in them, as any thought is preserved in the retentive
mind and vacuous intellect.
3. Distant and separate things are mingled together, in the present
sphere of one's soul; and all persons appear as distinct figures in the
dream.
4. And the human soul, though it is a form of the divine, yet being
enclosed in its frail and mortal body, is doomed to misery until its
final liberation from birth and body. Thus I have related to you the
fate of all living souls, in the state and tale of the mendicant
_Bhikshu_.
5. Now know, O Ráma! that the souls of all of us like that of the
mendicant, are vibrated and moved by the impulse of the supreme spirit;
and are yet fallible in their nature, and falling from error to error
every moment (as we find in our dreams).
6. As a stone falling from a rock, falls lower and lower to the nether
ground; so the living soul once fallen from its height of supreme
spirit, descends lower and lower to the lowest pit.
7. Now it sees one dream, and then passes from it to another; and
thus rolling for ever in its dreaming sleep, it never finds any
substantiality whatsoever.
8. The soul thus obscured under the illusion of errors, happens some
times to come to the light of truth, either by the guidance of some
good instructor, or by the light of its own intuition; and then it
is released from the wrong notion of its personality in the body, and
comes to the true knowledge of itself.
9. Ráma said:--O! the impervious gloom of error that ever spreads on
the human soul, causes it to rely in the mist of its errors, as a
sleeping man enjoys the scenery of his dreams.
10. It is shrouded by the thick darkness of the night of erroneous
knowledge, and falls into the pit of illusion which over spreads the
world (máyá or error is the fruit of the forbidden tree whose mortal
taste brought death into the world, while knowledge is the fruit of the
tree of immortality, which liberates the soul from the bonds of birth
and death).
11. O the egregious error of taking a thing for our own, which in
reality belongs to no body but the lord and master of all.
12. It behoves you, sir, to explain to me, whence this error takes
its rise, and how the mendicant with his share of good and right
understanding, could fall into the error (of wishing himself to become
another, that was as frail and mortal as himself). Tell me also that
knowest all, whether he is still living or not.
13. Vasishtha replied:--I will explore into the regions of the three
worlds in my _samádhi_ meditation this night, and tell you tomorrow
morning, whether the mendicant is living or not, and where he may be at
present.
14. Válmíki said:--As the sage was saying in this manner, the royal
garrison tolled the trumpet of the departing day with beat of drum;
which filled the sky with the loud roar of diluvian clouds.
15. The princes and the citizens assembled in the court, threw handfuls
of flowers at his feet, as the trees drop down their flowers in the
ground, wafted by the odoriferous breeze.
16. They honoured the great sages also, and rose from their respective
seats; and the assembly broke afterwards, with mutual salutations to
one another.
17. Then all the residents of the earth and air, went to their
respective residences with the setting sun; and discharged their duties
of the departing day, in obedience to the ordinance of the sástras.
18. They all performed their services as prescribed in their liturgies,
in which they placed their strong faith and veneration. (This shows the
division of caste and creed even in the heroic age of Ráma; which being
more marked in later ages, prevented the people from participating in a
common cause).
19. All the mortals and celestials, that formed the audience of
"Vasishtha", began now to reflect on the lecture of the sage, and the
night passed as short as a moment with some, and as long as an age
with others. (Gloss. They that took the subject for study, found time
too short for their deep meditation of it, while those that were light
minded and eager to hear more, felt time to roll on heavily on them.
A very good lesson for lightening time by the practice of patient
enquiry, and avoiding the troublesomeness of impatience).
20. As the morning rose with the returning duties of men, and employed
all beings of heaven and earth to discharge their matin in services;
the court reopened for the reception of the audience, who assembled
there with mutual greetings and salutations to their superiors.