(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Ashtaka said, 'Capable of assuming any form at will, thou you hast have lived for a million years in the gardens of Nandana. For what cause, O foremost of those that flourished in the Krita age, hast have thou you been compelled to leave that region and come hither here?' answered, 'As kinsmen, friends, and relatives forsake, in this world, those whose wealth disappears so, in the other world, the celestials with as their chief, forsake him who hath has lost his righteousness.' Ashtaka said, 'I am extremely anxious to know how in the other world men can lose virtue. Tell me also, O king, what regions are attainable by what courses of action. Thou you art acquainted, I know, with the acts and sayings of great beings."
" answered, 'O pious one, they that speak of their own merits are doomed to suffer the hell called Bhauma. Though really emaciated and lean, they appear to grow on Earth (in the shape of their sons and grandsons) only to become food for vultures, dogs, and jackals. Therefore, O king, this highly censurable and wicked vice should be repressed. I have now, O king, told thee you all. Tell me what more I shall say.'
"Ashtaka said, 'When life is destroyed with age, vultures, peacocks, insects, and worms eat up the human body. Where doth does man then reside? How doth does he also come back to life? I have never heard of any hell called Bhauma on Earth!'
" answered, 'After the dissolution of the body, man, according to his acts, re-entereth enters the womb of his mother and stayeth stays there in an indistinct form, and soon after assuming a distinct and visible shape reappeareth reappears in the world and walketh walks on its surface. This is that Earth-hell (Bhauma) where he falleth falls, for he beholdeth beholds not the termination of his existence and acteth acts not towards his emancipation. Some dwell for sixty thousand years, some, for eighty-thousand years in heaven, and then they fall. And as they fall, they are attacked by certain Rakshasas in the form of sons, grandsons, and other relatives, that withdraw their hearts from acting for their own emancipation.'
"Ashtaka asked, 'For what sin are beings, when they fall from heaven, attacked by these fierce and sharp-toothed Rakshasas? Why are they not reduced to annihilation? How do they again enter the womb, furnished with senses?'
" answered, 'After falling from heaven, the being becometh becomes a subtile substance living in water. This water becometh becomes the semen whence from where is the seed of vitality. Thence from there entering the mother's womb in the womanly season, it developeth develops into the embryo and next into visible life like the fruit from the flower. Entering trees, plants, and other vegetable substances, water, air, earth, and space, that same watery seed of life assumeth assumes the quadrupedal or bipedal form. This is the case with all creatures that you see.'
"Ashtaka said, 'O tell me, I ask thee you because I have my doubts. Doth does a being that hath has received a human form enter the womb in its own shape or in some other? How doth does it also acquire its distinct and visible shape, eyes and ears and consciousness as well? Questioned by me, O, explain it all! Thou you art, O father, one acquainted with the acts and sayings of great beings.' answered, 'According to the merits of one's acts, the being that in a subtile form co-inheres in the seed that is dropped into the womb is attracted by the atmospheric force for purposes of re-birth. It then developeth develops there in course of time; first it becomes the embryo, and is next provided with the visible physical organism. Coming out of the womb in due course of time, it becometh becomes conscious of its existence as man, and with his ears becometh becomes sensible of sound; with his eyes, of colour and form; with his nose, of scent; with his tongue, of taste; by his whole body, of touch; and by his mind, of ideas. It is thus, O Ashtaka, that the gross and visible body developeth develops from the subtile essence.'
"Ashtaka asked, 'After death, the body is burnt, or otherwise destroyed. Reduced to nothing upon such dissolution, by what principle is one revived?' said, 'O lion among kings, the person that dies assumes a subtil form; and retaining consciousness of all his acts as in a dream, he enters some other form with a speed quicker than that of air itself. The virtuous attain to a superior, and the vicious to an inferior form of existence. The vicious become worms and insects. I have nothing more to say, O thou you of great and pure soul! I have told thee you how beings are born, after development of embryonic forms, as four-footed, six-footed creatures and others with more feet. What more wilt will thou you ask me?'
"Ashtaka said, 'How, O father, do men attain to those superior regions whence from where there is no return to earthly life? Is it by asceticism or by knowledge? How also can one gradually attain to felicitous regions? Asked by me, O answer it in full.'
" answered, 'The wise say that for men there are seven gates through which admission may be gained into Heaven. There are asceticism, benevolence, tranquillity of mind, self-command, modesty, simplicity, and kindness to all creatures. The wise also say that a person loseth loses all these in consequence of vanity. That man who having acquired knowledge regardeth regards himself as learned, and with his learning destroyed the reputation of others, never attaineth attains to regions of indestructible felicity. That knowledge also doth does not make its possessor competent to attain to Brahma. Study, taciturnity, worship before fire, and sacrifices, these four remove all fear. When, however, these are mixed with vanity, instead of removing it, they cause fear. The wise should never exult at (receiving) honours nor should they grieve at insults. For it is the wise alone that honour the wise; the wicked never act like the virtuous. I have given away so much--I have performed so many sacrifices,--I have studied so much,--I have observed these vows,--such vanity is the root of fear. Therefore, thou you must not indulge in such feelings. Those learned men who accept as their support the unchangeable, inconceivable Brahma alone that ever showereth showers blessings on persons virtuous like thee you, enjoy perfect peace here and hereafter.'"
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Ashtaka said, 'Those cognisant of the Vedas differ in opinion as to how the followers of each of the four modes of life, viz., Grihasthas, Bhikshus, Brahmacharins, and Vanaprashthas, should conduct themselves in order to acquire religious merit."
" answered, 'These are what a Brahmacharin must do. While dwelling in the abode of his preceptor, he must receive lessons only when his preceptor summons him to do so; he must attend to the service of his preceptor without waiting for the latter's command; he must rise from his bed before his preceptor riseth rises, and go to bed after his preceptor hath has gone to bed. He must be humble, must have his passions under complete control, must be patient, vigilant, and devoted to studies. It is then only that he can achieve success. It hath has been said in the oldest Upanishad that a grihastha, acquiring wealth by honest means, should perform sacrifices; he should always give something in charity, should perform the rites of hospitality unto to all arriving at his abode, and should never use anything without giving a portion thereof of it to others. A Muni, without search for woods, depending on his own vigour, should abstain from all vicious acts, should give away something in charity, should never inflict pain on any creature. It is then only that he can achieve success. He, indeed, is a true Bhikshu who doth does not support himself by any manual arts, who possesseth possesses numerous accomplishments, who hath has his passions under complete control, who is unconnected with worldly concerns, who sleepeth sleeps not under the shelter of a householder's roof, who is without wife, and who going a little way every day, travelleth travels over a large extent of the country. A learned man should adopt the Vanaprastha mode of life after performance of the necessary rites, when he hath has been able to control his appetites for enjoyment and desire of acquiring valuable possessions. When one dieth dies in the woods while leading the Vanaprastha mode of life, he maketh makes his ancestors and the successors, numbering ten generations including himself, mix with the Divine essence.'
"Ashtaka asked, 'How many kinds of Munis are there (observers of the vow of the silence)?'
" answered, 'He is, indeed, a Muni who, though dwelling in the woods, hath has an inhabited place near, or who, though dwelling in an inhabited place, hath has the woods near.'
"Ashtaka enquired what is meant by Muni.' replied, 'A Muni withdrawing himself from all worldly objects liveth lives in the woods. And though he might never seek to surround himself with those objects that are procurable in an inhabited place, he might yet obtain them all by virtue of his ascetic power. He may truly be said to dwell in the woods having an inhabited place near to himself. Again a wise man withdrawn from all earthly objects, might live in a hamlet leading the life of a hermit. He may never exhibit the pride of family, birth or learning. Clad in the scantiest robes, he may yet regard himself as attired in the richest vestments. He may rest content with food just enough for the support of life. Such a person, though dwelling in an inhabited place, liveth lives yet in the woods.
"The person again, who, with passions under complete control, adopteth adopts the vow of silence, refraining from action and entertaining no desire, achieveth achieves success. Why shouldst should thou you not, indeed, reverence the man who liveth lives on clean food, who refraineth refrains from ever injuring others, whose heart is ever pure, who stands in the splendour of ascetic attributes, who is free from the leaden weight of desire, who abstaineth abstains from injury even when sanctioned by religion? Emaciated by austerities and reduced in flesh, marrow and blood, such a one conquereth conquers not only this but the highest world. And when the Muni sits in yoga meditation, becoming indifferent to happiness and misery, honour and insult, he then leaveth leaves the world and enjoyeth enjoys communion with Brahma. When the Muni taketh takes food like wine and other animals, i. e., without providing for it beforehand and without any relish (like a sleeping infant feeding on the mother's lap), then like the all-pervading spirit he becometh becomes identified with the whole universe and attaineth attains to salvation.'"