"Yudhishthira said, 'O best of celestial Rishis, I do not think that I
am without merits. Yet am I afflicted with so much sorrow that there
never was a king like me. I think, however, that my enemies are
destitute of good qualities and even destitute of morality. Yet why, O
Lomasa, do they prosper in this world?'
"Lomasa said, 'Grieve not ever, O king, O son of Pritha, that sinful men
should often prosper in consequence of the sins they commit. A man may
be seen to prosper by his sins, obtain good therefrom and vanquish his
foes. Destruction, however, overtakes him to the roots. O king, I have
seen many Daityas and Danavas prosper by sin but I have also seen
destruction overtake them. O exalted one, I have seen all this in the
righteous age of yore. The gods practised virtue, while the Asuras
abandoned it. The gods visited the _tirthas_, while the Asuras did not
visit them. And at first the sinful Asuras were possessed with pride.
And pride begat vanity and vanity begat wrath. And from wrath arose
every kind of evil propensities, and from these latter sprang
shamelessness. And in consequence of shamelessness, good behaviour
disappeared from among them. And because they had become shameless and
destitute of virtuous propensities and good conduct and virtuous vows,
forgiveness and prosperity and morality forsook them in no time. And
prosperity then, O king, sought the gods, while adversity sought the
Asuras. And when the Daityas and the Danavas, deprived of sense by
pride, were possessed by adversity, Kali also sought to possess them.
And, O son of Kunti, overwhelmed with pride, and destitute of rites and
sacrifices, and devoid of reason and feeling, and their hearts full of
vanity, destruction overtook them soon. And covered with infamy, the
Daityas were soon exterminated. The gods, however, who were virtuous in
their practices, going to the seas, the rivers, the lakes and the holy
spots, cleansed themselves of all sins, O son of Pandu, by means of
ascetic penances and sacrifices and gifts and blessings, and obtained
prosperity and the consequence. And because the gods always performed
sacrifices and holy deeds abandoning every practice that was evil, and
visited the _tirthas_, as the consequence thereof they acquired great
good fortune. Guided by this, O king, do thou also, with thy brothers,
bathe in _tirthas_, for then thou wilt obtain prosperity once more. Even
this is the eternal road. And, O monarch, as king Nriga and Shivi and
Ausinara and Bhagiratha and Vasumanas and Gaya and Puru and Pururavas,
by practising ascetic penances and visiting _tirthas_ and touching
sacred waters and beholding illustrious ascetics, obtained fame and
sanctity and merit and wealth, so wilt thou also obtain prosperity that
is great. And as Ikshwaku with his sons, friends and followers, as
Muchukunda and Mandhatri and king Marutta, as the gods through power of
asceticism and the celestial Rishis also, had all obtained fame, so wilt
thou also obtain great celebrity. The sons of Dhritarashtra, on the
other hand, enslaved by sinfulness and ignorance, will, without doubt,
be soon exterminated like the Daityas.'"