Mahabharata Santi Parva Chapter 299:3

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Mahabharata Santi Parva (Mokshadharma Parva) Chapter 299:3

As merchants, going across the sea, make profits proportioned to their capital, even so creatures, in this world of mortals, attain to ends according to their respective acts. Like a snake devouring air, Death wanders in this world made up of days and nights in the form of Decrepitude and devours all creatures. A creature, when born, enjoys or endures the fruits of acts done by him in his previous lives. There is nothing agreeable or disagreeable which one enjoys or endures without its being the result of the acts one has done in one's previous lives. Whether lying or proceeding, whether sitting idly engaged in his occupations, in whatever state a man may be, his acts (of past lives) good or bad always approach him. One that has attained to the other shore of the ocean, wishes not to cross the main for returning to the shore whence he had sailed[1] As the fisherman, when he wishes, raises with the help of his chord his boat sunk in the waters (of a river or lake), after the same manner the mind, by the aid of Yoga-contemplation, raises Jiva sunk in the world's ocean and unemancipated from consciousness of body[2]
As all rivers running towards the ocean, unite themselves with it, even so the mind, when engaged in Yoga, becomes united with primal Prakriti[3] Men whose minds become bound by diverse chains of affection, and who are engulfed in ignorance, meet with destruction like houses of sand in water.[4] That embodied creature who regards his body as only a house and purity (both external and internal) as its sacred water, and who walks along the path of the understanding, succeeds in attaining to happiness both here and hereafter.[5] The Diverse are productive of misery; while the Few are productive of happiness. The Diverse are the fruits represented by the not-Soul. Renunciation (which is identical with Few) is productive of the soul's benefit.[6] One's friends who spring up from one's determination, and one's kinsmen whose attachment is due to (selfish) reasons, one's spouses and sons and servants, only devour one's wealth. Neither the mother, nor the father, can confer the slightest benefit upon one in the next world. Gifts constitute the diet upon which one can subsist. Indeed, one must have to enjoy the fruits of one's own acts.[7] The mother, the son, the sire, the brother, the wife, and friends, are like lines traced with gold by the side of gold itself.
[8] All acts, good and bad, done in past lives come to the doer. Knowing that everything one enjoys or endures at present is the result of the acts of past lives, the soul urges the understanding on different directions (so that it may act in such a way as to avoid all unpleasant fruits).
Relying on earnest endeavour, and equipped with proper aids, he who sets himself to accomplish his tasks never meets with failure. As the rays of light never abandon the Sun, even so prosperity never abandons one who is endued with undoubting faith. That act which a man of stainless soul does with faith and earnestness, with the aid of proper means, without pride, and with intelligence, becomes never lost. A creature obtains from the very time of his abode in the mother's womb all his own acts good and bad that were achieved by him in his past lives. Death, which is irresistible, aided by Time which brings about the destruction of life, leads all creatures to their end like wind scattering the dust of sawed timber.[9] Through acts good and bad performed by himself in his past lives, man obtains gold and animals and spouses, and children, and honour of birth, and possessions of value, and his entire affluence.'" "'Bhishma continued, "Thus addressed conformably to the truth by the sage, Janaka, that foremost of righteous persons, O king, heard everything the Rishi said and obtained great happiness from it.


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References

  1. ↑ .[The sense is that one who has cast off objects of enjoyment and become emancipated, does not obtain rebirth.]
  2. ↑ .[I follow the commentator in his exposition of this verse. The practice of fishermen (in India) is to sink their boats when they leave them for their homes, and to raise them again when they require them the next day. They do not leave their boats afloat for fear of the injury the waves may do to them by tossing them too much.]
  3. ↑ .[By Prakriti here is meant the harmony of Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. As long as these three qualities are in harmony with one another, i.e., as long as there is no preponderance in any of them over the other two, so long there cannot be creation or the operations of the buddhi or understanding.]
  4. ↑ [In this verse the word Prakriti is used in an entirely different sense. It means here Ignorance.]
  5. ↑ [Sariragriha-sanjnasya is 'of one who regards his body to be an accompaniment of the Soul instead of regarding it to be the Soul.' 'Who regards purity as its sacred water', i.e., who, without resorting to the sacred waters whither others go for cleansing themselves, thinks that purity, both internal and external, is capable of cleansing him.]
  6. ↑ [Vide note to verse 21 above.]
  7. ↑ [The object of the verse is to show that one should not, for the sake of friends and kinsmen and spouses and children, abstain from pursuing one's true end. The practice of charity again is the true diet which supports a man.]
  8. ↑ [Astapadapada is a weight of gold. The word, as used in this verse, means a quantity of gold. Whether the reading be mudreva or sutrena, the sense remains unchanged. What is said here is that the mother, etc., are like lines traced with gold by the side of real gold; i.e., the mother, etc., are of no value or use in the acquisition of prosperity. K.P. Singha misses the meaning. The Burdwan translator, however, makes a most ridiculous exhibition of himself. Without understanding the commentary at all, in fact, not having been able to read the words of the commentary aright, he has produced a ridiculous jargon that is utterly unintelligible. Daksha is a vocative, meaning 'possessed of cleverness.' The words he daksha yatha, etc., of the commentator are read by the Burdwan Pundit as: deha-kshaya, etc.]
  9. ↑ [Apariharavan is incapable of being resisted. Samagatih as wind. Asmasara-vihitam is 'made by means of iron or the saw.' Asmasara stands here for krakacha or karapatra.]