SECTION CXXIII
"Narada said, 'Sent back to heaven by those righteous kings,
distinguished by the liberality of their sacrificial presents, Yayati
possessed of daughter's sons, dismissed them and reached the celestial
regions. Attaining to the eternal region obtained through the merit of
his daughter's sons, and adorned by his own deeds, Yayati, bathed in
shower of fragrant flowers and hugged by perfumed and delicious breezes,
blazed forth with great beauty. And cheerfully, received back into heaven
with sounds of cymbals, he was entertained with songs and dances by
various tribes of Gandharvas and Asuras. And diverse celestial and royal
Rishis and Charanas began to pay their adorations to him. And deities
worshipped him with an excellent Arghya and delighted him with other
honours. And after he had thus regained heaven and tranquillity of heart,
and had once more become freed from anxiety, the Grandsire, gratifying
him by his words said, 'Thou had earned the full measure I of virtue by
thy earthly deeds, and this region (that you had won) is eternal, as
thy deeds are in heaven. Thou hadst, however, O royal sage, destroyed thy
acquisition by your vanity alone, and thereby covered the hearts of all
the denizens of heaven with darkness in consequence of which none of them
could recognise thee. And since you couldst not be recognised, you wert
hurled hence! Saved once more by the love and affection of your daughter's
sons, you hast once more arrived here, and regained this unchangeable,
eternal, sacred, excellent, stable, and indestructible region won before
by your own deeds.' Thus addressed, Yayati said, 'O holy one, I have a
doubt, which, it behoveth thee, to dispel. O Grandsire of all the worlds,
it behoveth me not to ask any one else. Great was my merit, augmented by
a (virtuous) rule over my subjects for many thousands of years and won by
innumerable sacrifices and gifts. How could merit (so great) be exhausted
so soon in consequence of which I was hurled hence? Thou knowest, O holy
one, that the regions created for me were all eternal. Why were all those
regions of mine destroyed, O you of great effulgence? The Grandsire
answered, saying, 'Thy merit, augmented by a (virtuous) rule over thy
subjects for many thousands of years and won by innumerable sacrifices
and gifts, was exhausted by only one fault, in consequence of which thou
wert hurled (from this region). That fault, O king of kings, was thy
vanity for which you had become an object of contempt with all the
residents of heaven. O royal sage, this region can never be rendered
eternal by vanity, or pride of strength, or malice, or deceitfulness, or
deception. Never disregard those that are inferior, or superior, or in
the middle station. There is not a greater sinner than he who is consumed
by the fire of vanity. Those men that will converse upon this fall and
re-ascension of thine, will, without doubt, be protected even if
overtaken by calamity.'
"Narada continued, 'O monarch, even such was the distress into which
Yayati fell in consequence of vanity, and such was the distress into
which Galava fell owing to his obstinacy. They that desire their own good
should listen to friends that wish them well. Obstinacy should never be
entertained, for obstinacy is always the root of ruin. For this reason, O
son of Gandhari, forsake vanity and wrath, O hero, make peace with the
sons of Pandu. Avoid anger, O king, that which is given away, that which
is done, the austerities that are practised, the libations that are
poured on fire, nor one of these is ever destroyed or suffereth any
diminution. None else, again, enjoyeth the fruits of these save he that
is their agent. He that succeedeth in understanding this truly superior
and excellent history, that is approved by persons of great learning as
well as by those that are freed from anger and lust, and that is enforced
by various references to scriptures and reason, obtaineth a knowledge of
virtue and profit and desire, and enjoyeth the sovereignty of the whole
world!'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 5 : UPA-PARVA 123 ---------------------
