END OF THE STORY OF DÁMA AND VYÁLA.
Argument. The Gods annoyed by Bhíma and others apply to Hari, who
thereupon destroys them with Sambara also.
Vasishtha continued:—Now, hear me relate to you, what Sambara did after
the flight of Dáma and his train; and how he remained in his rocky
stronghold in the infernal region (Pátála).
2. After the complete overthrow of the whole army of Sambara, and their
downfall from heaven like innumerable rain drops, falling from an
over-spreading cloud, and afterwards dispersing itself and disappearing
in autumn:—
3. Sambara remained motionless for many years in his strong citadel, at
the loss of his forces defeated by the gods; and then thought within
himself, about the best means of overcoming the celestials.
4. He said, “the demons Dáma and others, that I produced by my
black-art of exorcism, are all overthrown in battle, by their
foolishness and vanity of pride and egotism.
5. “I will now produce some other demons by the power of my charm, and
endue them both with the power of reason and acquaintance with
spiritual science, in order that they may know and judge for
themselves.
6. “These then being acquainted with the true nature of things, and
devoid of false views, will not be subject to pride or vanity, but be
able to vanquish the deities in combat”.
7. Thinking so in himself, the arch-fiend produced a host of good
demons by his skill in sorcery; and these creatures of his spell filled
the space of the sky, as bubbles foam and float on the surface of the
sea.
8. They were all knowing and acquainted with the knowables; they were
all dispassionate and sinless, and solely intent on their alloted
duties, with composed minds and good dispositions.
9. They were known under the different names of Bhíma, Bhása and
Dridha; and they looked upon all earthly things as straws, by the
holiness of their hearts.
10. These infernal spirits burst out of the ether and sprang up to the
upper world, and then spread over the face of the sky as a flight of
locusts. They cracked as guns, and roared and rolled about as the
clouds of the rainy season.
11. They fought with the gods for many cycles of years, and yet they
were not elated with pride, owing to their being under the guidance of
reason and judgement.
12. For until they were to have the desire of having anything, and
thinking it as “this is my own”, so long were they insensible of their
personal existence, such as “this is I, and that one is another”; and
consequently invincible by any. (Selfishness reduces <one> to slavery and
subjections).
13. They were fearless in fighting with the gods, from the knowledge of
their being equally mortal as themselves; and from their want of the
knowledge of any difference subsisting between one another. (_i.e._
They regarded themselves and their adversaries with an equal eye of
indifference, as all were equally doomed to death, and therefore never
feared to die).
14. They rushed out with a firm conviction that, the unsubstantial body
is nothing, and the intellect is lodged in the pure soul; and that
there is nothing which we call as I or another.
15. Then these demons who were devoid of the sense of themselves and
their fears were necessarily dauntless of the fear of their decease or
death; and were employed in their present duties, without the thoughts
of the past and future.
16. Their minds were attached to nothing, they slew their enemies
without thinking themselves as their slayers; they did their duties and
thought themselves as no doers of them; and they were utterly free from
all their desires.
17. They waged the war under the sense of doing their duty to their
master; while their own nature was entirely free from all passion and
affection, and of even tenor at all times.
18. The infernal force under the command of Bhíma, Bhása and Dridha,
bruised and burned and slew and devoured the celestial phalanx, as men
knead and fry and boil the rice and afterward eat up as their food.
19. The celestial army being harassed on all sides by Bhíma, Bhása, and
Dridha, fled precipitately from the height of heaven, as the Ganges
runs down from Himálayan height.
20. The discomfited legion of the deities, then resorted to the god
Hari, sleeping on the surface of the ocean of milk; as the bodies of
the clouds of heaven, are driven by the winds to the tops of mountains
(beyond the region of storm).
21. The god lying folded in the coils of the serpent, as a consort in
the arms of his mistress; gave the gods their hope of final success in
future. (Hari or Krishna on the serpent, is typical of Christ’s
bruising the head of the satanic serpent).
22. The gods kept themselves hid in that ocean, until it pleased the
lord Hari, to proceed out of it for the destruction of the demons.
23. Then there was a dreadful war between Vishnu and Sambara, which
broke and bore away the mountains as in an untimely great deluge of the
earth.
24. The mighty demon being at last overthrown by the might of Náráyana,
was sent to and settled in the city of Vishnu after his death. (Because
those that are either saved or slain by Vishnu, are equally entitled to
his paradise).
25. The demons of Bhíma, Bhása and Dridha, were also killed in their
unequal struggle with Vishnu, and were extinguished like lamps by the
wind.
26. They became extinct like flames of fire, and it was not known
whither their vital flame had fled. Because it is the desire of a
person that leads him to another state, but these having no wish in
them, had no other place to go.
27. Hence the wishless soul is liberated, but not the wistful mind;
therefore use your reason, O Ráma, to have a wishless mind and soul.
28. A full investigation into truth, will put down your desires at
once; and the extinction of desires, will restore your mind to rest
like an extinguished candle.
29. Consummate wisdom consists in the knowledge of there being nothing
real in this world, and that our knowledge of reality is utterly false,
and that nihility of thing, is the true reality.
30. The whole world is full with the spirit of God, whatever otherwise
one may think of it at any time; there can be no other thought of it
except that it is a nihility, and this forms our perfect knowledge of
it.
31. The two significant words of the will and mind are mere
insignificant fictions, as head and trunk of the ascending and
descending nodes of a planet; which upon their right understanding, are
lost in the Supreme Spirit. (_i.e._ It is only the divine will and
spirit that is all in all).
32. The mind being accompanied by its desires, is kept confined in this
world, but when that is released from these, it is said to have its
liberation.
33. The mind has gained its existence in the belief of men, owing to
the many ideas of pots and pictures (_ghata-patadí_); and other
things which are imprinted in it; but these thoughts being repressed,
the mind also vanishes of itself like the phantoms of goblins
(yakshas—yakkas).[5]
34. The demons Dáma, Vyála and Kata, were destroyed by reliance on
their minds (_i.e._ by thinking their bodies as their souls); but
Bhíma, Bhása and Dridha were saved by their belief in the Supreme soul,
as pervading all things. Therefore, O Ráma! reject the examples of the
former, imitate that of the latter.
35. “Be not guided by the example of Dáma, Vyála and Kata,” is the
lesson that was first delivered to me by Brahmá—the lotus-born and my
progenitor himself.
36. This lesson I repeat to you, O Ráma, as my intelligent pupil, that
you may never follow the example of the wicked demons Dáma and others;
but imitate the conduct of the good spirits, Bhíma and others in your
conduct.
37. It is incessant pain and pleasure that forms the fearful feature of
this world, and there is no other way of evading all its pangs and
pains, save by your apathetic behaviour, which must be your crowning
glory in this life.