“‘“Narada said, ‘The helpless lady, suppressing her arrow within her own
self, addressed, with joined hands, the Lord of the creation, bending
with humility like a creeper. And she said, “O foremost of speakers,
created by thee how shall I, being a female, do such a cruel and evil act
knowing it to be cruel and evil? I fear unrighteousness greatly. O divine
Lord, be inclined to grace. Sons and friends and brothers and sires and
husbands are always dear; (if I kill them), they who will suffer these
losses will seek to injure me. It is this that I fear. The tears that
will fall from the eyes of woe-stricken and weeping persons, inspire me
with fear, O Lord! I seek thy protection. O divine Being, O foremost of
gods, I will not go to Yama’s abode. O boon-giving one, I implore thee of
thy grace, bowing my head and joining my palms. O grandsire of the
worlds, I solicit (the accomplishment of even) this wish at thy
hands![84] I desire, with thy permission, to undergo ascetic penances, O
Lord of created things! Grant me this boon, O divine Being, O great
master! Permitted by thee, I will go to the excellent asylum of Dhenuka!
Engaged in adoring Thyself, I will undergo the severest austerities
there. I will not be able, O Lord of the gods, to take away the dear
life-breaths of living creatures weeping in sorrow. Protect me from
unrighteousness.”
“‘“‘Brahma said, “O Death, thou hast been intended for achieving the
destruction of creatures. Go, destroy all creatures, thou needst have no
scruples. Even this must be. It cannot be otherwise. Do but my behest.
Nobody in the world will find any fault in thee.”’
“‘“Narada continued, ‘Thus addressed, that lady became very much
affrighted.[85] Looking at Brahma’s face, she stood with joined hands.
From desire of doing good to creatures, she did not set her heart upon
their destruction. The divine Brahma also, that Lord of the lord of all
creatures, remained silent. And soon the Grandsire became gratified in
his own self. And casting his eyes upon all the creation he smiled. And,
thereupon, creatures continued to live as before i.e., unaffected by
premature death. And upon that invincible and illustrious Lord having
shaken off his wrath, that damsel left the presence of that wise Deity.
Leaving Brahma, without having agreed to destroy creatures, the damsel
called Death speedily proceeded to the retreat called Dhenuka. Arrived
there, she practised excellent and highly austere vows. And she stood
there on one leg for sixteen billions of years, and five times ten
billions also, through pity for living creatures and from desire of doing
them good, and all the time restraining her senses from their favourite
objects. And once again, O king she stood there on one leg for one and
twenty times ten billions of years. And then she wandered for ten times
ten thousand billions of years with the creatures (of the earth). Next,
repairing to the sacred Nanda that was full of cool and pure water, she
passed in those waters eight thousand years. Observing rigid vows at
Nanda, she cleansed herself of all her sins. Then she proceeded, first of
all, to the sacred Kausiki, observant of vow. Living upon air and water
only, she practised austerities there. Repairing then to Panchaganga and
next to Vetasa, that cleansed damsel, by diverse kinds of especial
austerities, emaciated her own body. Going next to the Ganga and thence
to the great Meru, she remained motionless like a stone, suspending her
life-breath. Thence going to the top of Himavat, where the gods had
performed their sacrifice (in days of yore), that amiable and auspicious
girl remained for a billion of years standing on the toe only of her
feet. Wending then to Pushkara, and Gokarna, and Naimisha, and Malaya,
she emaciated her body, practising austerities agreeable to her heart.
Without acknowledging any other god, with steady devotion to the
Grandsire, she lived and gratified the Grandsire in every way. Then the
unchangeable Creator of the worlds, gratified, said unto her, with a
softened and delighted heart, “O Death, why dost thou undergo ascetic
austerities so severe?” Thus addressed, Death said unto the divine
Grandsire, “Creatures, O Lord, are living in health. They do not injure
one another even by words. I shall not be able to slay them. O Lord, I
desire even this boon at thy hands. I fear sin, and it is for this that I
am engaged in ascetic austerities. O blessed one, undertake to remove for
ever my fears. I am a woman, in distress, and without fault. I beg thee,
be thou protector.” Unto her the divine Brahman acquainted with the past,
the present and the future, said, “Thou shalt commit no sin, O Death, by
slaying these creatures. My words can never be futile, O amiable one!
Therefore, O auspicious damsel, slay these creatures of four kinds.
Eternal virtue shall always be thine. That Regent of the world, viz.,
Yama, and the diverse disease shall become thy helpmates. I myself and
all the gods will grant thee boons, so that, freed from sin and perfectly
cleansed, thou mayst even acquire glory.” Thus addressed, O monarch, that
lady, joining her hands, once more said these words, seeking her grace by
bowing down unto him with her head. “If, O Lord, this is not to be without
me, then thy command I place upon my head. Listen, however, to what I
say. Let covetousness, wrath, malice, jealousy, quarrel, folly and
shamelessness, and other stern passions tear the bodies of all embodied
creatures.”
“‘“‘Brahman said, “It will be, O Death, as thou sayest. Meanwhile, slay
creatures duly. Sin shall not be thine, nor shall I seek to injure thee,
O auspicious one. Those tear-drops of thine that are in my hands, even
they will become diseases, springing from living creatures themselves.
They will kill men; and if men are killed, sin shall not be thine.
Therefore, do not fear. Indeed, sin shall not be thine. Devoted to
righteousness, and observant of thy duty, thou shalt slay (all
creatures). Therefore, take thou always the lives of these living
creatures. Casting off both desire and wrath, take thou the life of all
living creatures. Even thus will eternal virtue be thine. Sin will slay
those that are of wicked behaviour. By doing my bidding cleanse thyself.
It will be thine to sink them in their sins that are wicked. Therefore,
cast off both desire and wrath, and kill these creatures endued with
life.”’
“‘“Narada continued, ‘That damsel, seeing that she was (persistently)
called by the name of Death, feared (to act otherwise). And in terror
also of Brahma’s curse, she said, “Yes!” Unable to do otherwise, she
began, casting off desire and wrath, to take the lives of living
creatures when the time came (for their dissolution). It is only living
creatures that die. Diseases spring from living creatures themselves.
Disease is the abnormal condition of creatures. They are pained by it.
Therefore, indulge not in fruitless grief for creatures after they are
dead. The senses, upon the death of creatures, go with the latter (to the
other world), and achieving their (respective) functions, once more come
back (with creatures when the latter are reborn). Thus all creatures, O
lion among beings, the very gods included, going thither, have to act,
like mortals.[86] The wind, that is awful, of terrible roars and great
strength, omnipresent and endued with infinite energy, it is the wind
that will rive the bodies of living creatures. It will, in this matter
put forth no active energy, nor will it suspend its functions; (but do
this naturally). Even all the gods have the appellation of mortals
attached to them. Therefore, O lion among kings, do not grieve for thy
son! Repairing to heaven, the son of thy body is passing his days in
perpetual happiness, having obtained those delightful regions that are
for heroes. Casting off all sorrows, he hath attained to the
companionship of the righteous. Death hath been ordained by the Creator
himself for all creatures! When their hour comes, creatures are destroyed
duly. The death of creatures arises from the creatures themselves.
Creatures kill themselves. Death doth not kill any one, armed with her
bludgeon! Therefore, they that are wise, truly knowing death to be
inevitable, because ordained by Brahma himself, never grieve for
creatures that are dead. Knowing this death to be ordained by the Supreme
God, cast off, without delay, thy grief for thy dead son!’”
“‘Vyasa continued, “Hearing these words of grave import spoken by Narada,
king Akampana, addressing his friend, said, ‘O illustrious one, O
foremost of Rishi, my grief is gone, and I am contented. Hearing this
history from thee, I am grateful to thee and I worship thee.’ That
foremost of superior Rishi, that celestial ascetic of immeasurable soul,
thus addressed by the king, proceeded to the woods of Nandava. The
frequent recital of this history for the hearing of others, as also the
frequent hearing of this history, is regarded as cleansing, leading to
fame and heaven and worthy of approbation. It enhanceth besides, the
period of life. Having listened to this instructive story, cast off thy
grief, O Yudhishthira, reflecting besides on the duties of a Kshatriya
and the high state (of blessedness) attainable by heroes. Abhimanyu, that
mighty car-warrior, endued with mighty energy, having slain (numerous)
foes before the gaze of all bowmen, hath attained to heaven. The great
bowman, that mighty car-warrior, struggling on the field, hath fallen in
the battle struck with sword and mace and dart and bow. Sprung from
Soma, he hath disappeared in the lunar essence, cleansed of all his
impurities. Therefore, O son of Pandu, mustering all thy fortitude,
thyself with thy brothers, without allowing your senses to be stupefied
speedily set out, inflamed with rage, for battle.”’”[87]