"Draupadi said, 'I do not ever disregard or slander religion, O son of
Pritha! Why should I disregard God, the lord of all creatures? Afflicted
with woe, know me, O Bharata, to be only raving. I will once more indulge
in lamentations; listen to me with attention. O persecutor of all
enemies, every conscious creature should certainly act in this world. It
is only the immobile, and not other creatures, that may live without
acting. The calf, immediately after its birth, sucketh the mothers's
teat. Persons feel pain in consequence of incantations performed with
their statues. It seemeth, therefore, O Yudhishthira, that creatures
derive the character of their lives from their acts of former lives.
Amongst mobile creatures man differeth in this respect that he aspireth,
O bull of the Bharata race, to affect his course of life in this and the
other world by means of his acts. Impelled by the inspiration of a
former life, all creatures visibly (reap) in this world the fruits of
their acts. Indeed, all creatures live according to the inspiration of a
former life, even the Creator and the Ordainer of the universe, like a
crane that liveth on the water (untaught by any one.) If a creature
acteth not, its course of life is impossible. In the case of a creature,
therefore, there must be action and not inaction. Thou also shouldest
act, and not incur censure by abandoning action. Cover thyself up, as
with an armour, with action. There may or may not be even one in a
thousand who truly knoweth the utility of acts or work. One must act for
protecting as also increasing his wealth; for if without seeking to
earn, one continueth to only spend, his wealth, even if it were a hoard
huge as Himavat, would soon be exhausted. All the creatures in the world
would have been exterminated, if there were no action. If also acts bore
no fruits, creatures would never have multiplied. It is even seen that
creatures sometimes perform acts that have no fruits, for without acts
the course of life itself would be impossible. Those persons in the
world who believe in destiny, and those again who believe in chance, are
both the worst among men. Those only that believe in the efficacy of
acts are laudable. He that lieth at ease, without activity, believing in
destiny alone, is soon destroyed like an unburnt earthen pot in water.
So also he that believeth in chance, i.e. sitteth inactive though
capable of activity liveth not long, for his life is one of weakness and
helplessness. If any person accidentally acquireth any wealth, it is
said he deriveth it from chance, for no one's effort hath brought about
the result. And, O son of Pritha, whatever of good fortune a person
obtaineth in consequence of religious rites, that is called
providential. The fruit, however that a person obtaineth by acting
himself, and which is the direct result of those acts of his, is
regarded as proof of personal ability. And, O best of men, know that the
wealth one obtaineth spontaneously and without cause is said to be a
spontaneous acquisition. Whatever is thus obtained by chance, by
providential dispensation, spontaneously, of as the result of one's acts
is, however, the consequence of the acts of a former life. And God, the
Ordainer of the universe, judging according to the acts of former lives,
distributeth among men their portions in this world. Whatever acts, good
or bad, a person performeth, know that they are the result of God's
arrangements agreeably to the acts of a former life. This body is only
the instruments in the hands of God, for doing the acts that are done.
Itself, inert, it doth as God urgeth it to do. O son of Kunti, it is the
Supreme Lord of all who maketh all creatures do what they do. The
creatures themselves are inert. O hero, man, having first settled some
purpose in his mind, accomplisheth it, himself working with the aid of
his intelligence. We, therefore, say that man is himself the cause (of
what he doeth). O bull among men, it is impossible to number the acts of
men, for mansions and towns are the result of man's acts. Intelligent
men know, by help of their intellect, that oil may be had from sesame,
curds from milk, and that food may be cooked by means of igniting fuel.
They know also the means for accomplishing all these. And knowing them,
they afterwards set themselves, with proper appliances, to accomplish
them. And creatures support their lives by the results achieved in these
directions by their own acts. If a work is executed by a skilled
workman, it is executed well. From differences (in characteristics),
another work may be said to be that of an unskilful hand. If a person
were not, in the matter of his acts, himself the cause thereof, then
sacrifices would not bear any fruits in his case nor would any body be a
disciple or a master. It is because a person is himself the cause of his
work that he is applauded when he achieved success. So the doer is
censured if he faileth. If a man were not himself the cause of his acts,
how would all this be justified? Some say that everything is the result
of providential dispensation; others again, that this is not so, but
that everything which is supposed to be the result of destiny or chance
is the result of the good or the bad acts of former lives. It is seen,
possessions are obtained from chance, as also from destiny. Something
being from destiny and something from chance, something is obtained by
exertion. In the acquisition of his objects, there is no fourth cause in
the case of man. Thus say those that are acquainted with truth and
skilled in knowledge. If, however, God himself were not the giver of
good and bad fruits, then amongst creatures there would not be any that
was miserable. If the effect of former acts be a myth, then all purposes
for which man would work should be successful. They, therefore, that
regard the three alone (mentioned above) as the doors of all success and
failure in the world, (without regarding the acts of former life), are
dull and inert like the body itself. For all this, however, a person
should act. This is the conclusion of Manu himself. The person that doth
not act, certainly succumbeth, O Yudhishthira. The man of action in this
world generally meeteth with success. The idle, however, never achieveth
success. If success becometh impossible, then should one seek to remove
the difficulties that bar his way to success. And, O king, if a person
worketh (hard), his debt (to the gods) is cancelled (whether he
achieveth success or not). The person that is idle and lieth at his
length, is overcome by adversity; while he that is active and skillful
is sure to reap success and enjoy prosperity. Intelligent persons
engaged in acts with confidence in themselves regard all who are
diffident as doubting and unsuccessful. The confident and faithful,
however, are regarded by them as successful. And this moment misery hath
overtaken us. If, however, thou betakest to action, that misery will
certainly be removed. If thou meetest failure, then that will furnish a
proof unto thee and Vrikodara and Vivatsu and the twins (that ye are
unable to snatch the kingdom from the foe). The acts of others, it is
seen, are crowned with success. It is probable that ours also will be
successful. How can one know beforehand what the consequence will be?
Having exerted thyself thou wilt know what the fruit of thy exertion
will be. The tiller tilleth with the plough the soil and soweth the
seeds thereon. He then sitteth silent, for the clouds (after that) are
the cause that would help the seeds to grow into plants. If however, the
clouds favour him not, the tiller is absolved from all blame. He sayeth
unto himself, "What others do, I have done. If, notwithstanding this, I
meet with failure, no blame can attach to me." Thinking so, he
containeth himself and never indulgeth in self-reproach. O Bharata, no
one should despair saying, "Oh, I am acting, yet success is not mine!"
For there are two other causes, besides exertion, towards success.
Whether there be success or failure, there should be no despair, for
success in acts dependeth upon the union of many circumstances. If one
important element is wanting, success doth not become commensurate, or
doth not come at all. If however, no exertion is made, there can be no
success. Nor is there anything to applaud in the absence of all
exertion. The intelligent, aided by their intelligence, and according to
their full might bring place, time, means, auspicious rites, for the
acquisition of prosperity. With carefulness and vigilance should one set
himself to work, his chief guide being his prowess. In the union of
qualities necessary for success in work, prowess seemeth to be the
chief. When the man of intelligence seeth his enemy superior to him in
many qualities, he should seek the accomplishment of his purposes by
means of the arts of conciliation and proper appliances. He should also
wish evil unto his foe and his banishment. Without speaking of mortal
man, if his foe were even the ocean or the hills, he should be guided by
such motives. A person by his activity in searching for the holes of his
enemies, dischargeth his debt to himself as also to his friends. No man
should ever disparage himself for the man that disparageth himself never
earneth high prosperity. O Bharata, success in this world is attainable
on such conditions! In fact, success in the world is said to depend on
acting according to time and circumstances. My father formerly kept a
learned Brahmana with him. O bull of the Bharata race, he said all this
unto my father. Indeed, these instructions as to duty, uttered by
Vrihaspati himself, were first taught to my brothers. It was from them
that I heard these afterwards while in my father's house. And, O
Yudhishthira, while at intervals of business, I went out (of the inner
apartments) and sat on the lap of my father, that learned Brahmana used
to recite unto me these truths, sweetly consoling me therewith!'"