"'Yudhishthira said, "How should a righteous king, who is opposed by his
own officers, whose treasury and army are no longer under his control,
and who has no wealth, conduct himself for acquiring happiness?"
"'Bhishma said, "In this connection, the story of Kshemadarsin is often
recited. I shall narrate that story to thee. Listen to it, O
Yudhishthira! It has been heard by us that in days of old, when prince
Kshemadarsin became weak in strength and fell into great distress, he
repaired to the sage Kalakavrikshiya, and saluting him humbly, said unto
him these words.[317]
"'"The king said, 'What should a person like me who deserves wealth but who
has, after repeated efforts, failed to recover his kingdom, do, O
Brahmana, excepting suicide, thieving and robbery, acceptance of refuge
with others, and other acts of meanness of a similar kind? O best of men,
tell me this. One like thee that is conversant with morality and full of
gratefulness is the refuge of a person afflicted by disease either mental
or physical. Man should cast off his desires. By acting in that way, by
abandoning joy and sorrow, and earning the wealth of knowledge, he
succeeds in obtaining felicity.[318] I grieve for them that adhere to
worldly happiness as dependent on wealth. All that, however, vanishes
like a dream. They that can abandon vast wealth achieve a very difficult
feat. As regards ourselves we are unable to abandon that wealth which is
even no longer existent.[319] I am divested of prosperity and have fallen
into a miserable and joyless plight. Instruct me, O Brahmana, what
happiness I may yet strive for.' Thus addressed by the intelligent prince
of Kosala, the sage Kalakavrikshiya of great splendour made the following
answer.
"'"The sage said, 'Thou hast, it seems, already understood it. Possessed of
knowledge as thou art, thou shouldst act as thou thinkest. Thy belief is
right, viz., "All this that I see is unstable, myself as also everything
that I have." Know, O prince, that those things which thou regardest as
existing are in reality non-existent. The man of wisdom knows this, and
accordingly is never pained whatever the distress that may overwhelm him.
Whatever has taken place and whatever will take place are all unreal.
When thou wilt know this which should be known by all, thou shalt be
freed from unrighteousness. Whatever things had been earned and acquired
by those that came before, and whatever was earned and acquired by those
that succeeded them, have all perished. Reflecting on this, who is there
that will yield to grief? Things that were, are no more. Things that are,
will again be (no more). Grief has no power to restore them. One should
not, therefore, indulge in grief. Where, O king, is thy sire to-day, and
where thy grandsire? Thou seest them not today, nor do they see thee now.
Reflecting on thy own instability, why dost thou grieve for them? Reflect
with the aid of thy intelligence, and thou wilt understand that verily
thou shalt cease to be. Myself, thyself, O king, thy friends, and thy
foes, shall, without doubt, cease to be. Indeed, everything will cease to
be. Those men that are now of twenty or thirty years of age will, without
doubt, all die within the next hundred years. If a man cannot have the
heart to give up his vast possessions, he should then endeavour to think
his possessions are not his own and by that means seek to do good to
himself.[320] Acquisitions that are future should be regarded by one as
not one's own. Acquisitions that have disappeared, should also be
regarded by one as not one's own. Destiny should be regarded as all
powerful. They that think in this strain are said to be possessed of
wisdom. Such a habit of looking at things is an attribute of the good.
Many persons who are equal or superior to thee in intelligence and
exertion, though deprived of wealth, are not only alive but are never
ruling kingdoms. They are not, like thee. They do not indulge in grief
like thee. Therefore, cease thou to grieve in this way. Art thou not
superior to those men, or at least equal to them in intelligence and
exertion?' The king said, 'I regard the kingdom which I had with all its
appendages to have been won by me without any exertion. All-powerful
Time, however, O regenerate one, has swept it away. The consequence,
however, that I see, of my kingdom having been swept away by Time as by a
stream, is that I am obliged to support upon whatever I obtain (by
charity).'
"'"The sage said, 'Moved by the knowledge of what is true (in life) one
should never grieve for either the past or the future. Be thou of such a
frame of mind, O prince of Kosala, in respect of every affair that may
engage thy attention. Desiring to obtain only that which is obtainable
and not that which is unobtainable, do thou enjoy thy present possessions
and never grieve for that which is absent. Be thou delighted, O prince
of Kosala, with whatever thou succeedest in winning with ease. Even if
divested of prosperity, do not grieve for it but seek to preserve a pure
disposition. Only an unfortunate man who is of a foolish understanding,
when deprived of former prosperity, censures the supreme Ordainer,
without being contented with his present possessions. Such a person
regards others, however undeserving, as men blessed with prosperity. For
this reason, they that are possessed of malice and vanity and filled with
a sense of their own importance, suffer more misery still. Thou however,
O king, art not stained by such vices. Endure the prosperity of others
although thou art thyself divested of prosperity. They that are possessed
of dexterity succeed in enjoying that prosperity which is vested in
others.[321] Prosperity leaves the person that hates others. Men
possessed of righteous behaviour and wisdom and conversant with the
duties of Yoga renounce prosperity and sons and grandsons of their own
accord. Others, regarding earthly wealth to be exceedingly unstable and
unattainable, dependent as it is upon ceaseless action and effort, are
also seen to renounce it.[322] Thou seemest to be possessed of wisdom.
Why dost thou then grieve so piteously, desiring things that should not
be desired, that are unstable, and that are dependent on others? Thou
desirest to enquire after that particular frame of mind (which would
enable thee to enjoy felicity notwithstanding the loss of thy
possessions). The advice I give thee is to renounce all those objects of
desire. Objects that should be avoided appear in the guise of those that
should be striven for, while those that should be striven for appear in
the guise of objects that should be avoided. Some lose their wealth in
the pursuit of wealth. Others regard wealth as the root of infinite
happiness, and therefore pursue it eagerly. Some again, delighted with
wealth, think that there is nothing superior to it. In his eager desire
for the acquisition of wealth, such a person loses all other objects of
life. If, O prince of Kosala, a person loses that wealth which had been
earned with difficulty and which had been proportionate to his desires,
he then, overcome by the inactivity of despair, gives up all desire of
wealth. Some persons of righteous souls and high birth betake themselves
to the acquisition of virtue. These renounce every kind of worldly
happiness from desire of winning felicity in the other world. Some
persons lay down life itself, moved by the desire of acquiring wealth.
These do not think that life has any use if dissociated from wealth.
Behold their pitiable condition. Behold their foolishness. When life is
so short and uncertain, these men, moved by ignorance, set their eyes on
wealth. Who is there that would set his heart upon hoarding when
destruction is its end, upon life when death is its end, and upon union
when separation is its end? Sometimes man renounces wealth, and sometimes
wealth renounces man. What man possessed of knowledge is there that would
feel grieved at the loss of wealth? There are many other persons in the
world that lose wealth and friends. Behold, O king, with thy
intelligence, and thou wilt understand that the calamities which overtake
men are all due to the conduct of men themselves. Do thou, therefore, (as
a remedy), restrain thy senses and mind and speech. For, if those become
weak and productive of evil there is no man who can keep himself free
from temptation of external objects by which he is always surrounded. As
no one can form an adequate idea of the past nor can foresee the future,
there being many intervals of time and place, a person like thee who is
possessed of such wisdom and such prowess, never indulges in grief for
union and separation, for good or evil. A person of such mildness of
disposition, well-restrained soul, and settled conclusions, and observant
of Brahmacharya vows, never indulges in grief and never becomes restless
from desire of acquiring or fear of losing anything of small value. It is
not fit that such a man should adopt a deceitful life of mendicancy, a
life that is sinful and wicked and cruel and worthy of only a wretch
among men. Do thou repair to the great forest and lead a life of
happiness there, all alone and subsisting upon fruit and roots,
restraining speech and soul, and filled with compassion for all
creatures. He that cheerfully leads such a life in the forest, with
large-tusked elephants for companions, with no human being by his side,
and contented with the produce of the wilderness, is said to act after
the manner of the wise. A large lake when it becomes turbid, resumes its
tranquillity of itself. Similarly, a man of wisdom, when disturbed in
such matters, becomes tranquil of himself. I see that a person that has
fallen into such a plight as thine may live happily even thus. When thy
prosperity is almost impossible to recover, and when thou art without
ministers and counsellors, such a course is open to thee. Dost thou hope
to reap any benefit by depending upon destiny?'"'"