Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 6 Chapter 1:44-56

Book 6: Chapter 1

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 6: Chapter 1: Verses 44-56 The introductory part of the story of Ajamila For good as well as evil deeds are capable of being done by men given to action, 0 sinless ones, inasmuch as they are (ever) associated with the three Gunas (modes of Prakrti), and no one invested with a body can help doing action (with one's mind, speech or body). He alone by whom a virtuous or sinful act was performed in this world reaps in the other world the fruit of it in the same manner and to the same extent it was actually done. Just as in this world, 0 jewels among gods, there are found three varieties of living beings (viz., those living a life of ease, those dragging a miserable existence and those who are partly happy and partly miserable, or again those who are tranquil by nature, those who are ferocious and those who are dull, or, according to a third classification, those who are pious by temperament, those who are vicious by nature and those who are of a mixed temperament, and as this heterogeneity cannot be explained except by assuming that the said three types of beings severally performed meritorious, sinful and mixed deeds in the past), so from the diversity (in the proportion) of the three Gunas (manifested in the form of virtuous, sinful and mixed types of actions on the part of men in this world) it is inferred that they will reap the three corresponding types of fruit (in the form of happiness, misery and a mixture of both) in another life. (Again,) just as a current period of time indicates the characteristics of the past as well as the future rounds of the same period, so the current life (of a man) is illustrative of the merits and sins of the past as well as of the future incarnations. (Our master,) the omniscient Yama, who is (another) Brahma (as it were), clearly perceives (while) at his (own) capital (Samyamani) by his very mind the former state of existence (including the record of virtuous and sinful deeds) of a departed soul and reflects with his mind on his future (destiny) too. (Even) as a man in sleep (the dream state) treats as his self the body revealed in the dream alone and not the one existing before the dream state nor that which will follow the dream state, so the ignorant diva (too) identifies itself with its existing psycho-physical organism (the one revealed by its past actions) alone and has no knowledge of the one preceding it nor of the succeeding one, having lost (all) memory of its past incarnation. The diva, itself constituting the seventeenth principle (over and above the sixteen constituents of the subtle body, with which it stands identified, viz., the ten Indriyas, the mind and the five objects of senses, viz., the subtle elements), discharges its own functions (of grasping things, locomotion and so on) with the five organs of actions, perceives the five objects of senses with the five senses of perception and experiences with the sixteenth (viz., the mind) the threefold objects of the senses of perception, the organs of action and the mind, all alone. This well-known subtle body, consisting of (the aforesaid) sixteen parts, and a product of the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, endowed with the three potencies of illumination, activity and obscuration respectively) and exceedingly tenacious, subjects the Jiva again and again to transmigration, which is a source of joy and sorrow, fear and affliction. The ignorant Jiva (which stands identified with a body and), that has not subdued the five senses of perception and the mind, is prompted (by that subtle body) to fall back upon action, though unwilling (to do so), and veiling itself with a network of Karma, even as a silk-worm wraps itself in a cocoon, stands bewildered (finding no way out of it). Indeed none remains actionless at any time even for an instant; for everyone is forcibly impelled-by attachment etc.,(born of the three Gunas-Sattva, Rajas and Tamas-and) resulting from the impressions of past actions-to do action against his will. Having found an occasion in the form of merit or sin resulting from one's past actions, a psycho-physical organism (consisting of a gross and a subtle body) actually moulds itself either after the womb (the mother's body) or after the seed (the body of the father) according to the irresistible tendencies of the Jiva (occupying it). This degeneration of the soul (in the shape of loss of its blissful, character and its being reduced to a wretched state as a result of identifying itself with a psycho-physical organism) has been due to its association with Prakrti (Matter). (And) the degeneration ceases before long through devotion to God (and by no other means).This fellow (Ajamila) was indeed endowed with learning (the knowledge of the Vedas and other scriptures), a (veritable) abode of amiability, good conduct and virtues (like forgiveness), had taken a vow of worship, prayer and so on and controlled his senses, was gentle (and) truthful, well-versed in sacred formulas and pure (in habits).