SECTION CXC
"Bhrigu said, 'Truth is Brahma; Truth is Penance; it is Truth that
creates all creatures. It is by Truth that the whole universe is upheld;
and it is with the aid of Truth that one goes to heaven. Untruth is only
another form of Darkness. It is Darkness that leads downwards. Those who
are afflicted by Darkness and covered by it fail to behold the lighted
regions of heaven. It has been said that Heaven is Light and that Hell is
Darkness. The creatures that dwell in the universe may obtain both heaven
and hell. In this world also, truth and untruth lead to opposite courses
of conduct and opposite indications, such as Righteousness and
Unrighteousness, light and darkness, pleasure and pain. Amongst these,
that which is Truth is Righteousness; that which is Righteousness is
Light; and that which is Light is Happiness. Similarly, that which is
Untruth is Unrighteousness; that which is Unrighteousness is Darkness;
and that which is Darkness is Sorrow or Misery. In this respect it is
said that they that are possessed of wisdom, beholding that the world of
lire is overwhelmed with sorrow, both bodily and mental, and with
happiness that is sure to end in misery, never suffer themselves to be
stupefied. He that is Wise will strive to rescue himself from sorrow. The
happiness of living creatures is unstable both here and hereafter.[568]
The happiness of creatures that are overwhelmed by Darkness disappears
like the splendour of the Moon when afflicted by Rahu.[569] Happiness is
said to be of two kinds, viz., bodily and mental. Both in this and the
other world, the visible and the invisible fruits (of action) are
specified (in the Vedas) for the sake of happiness.[570] There is nothing
more important than happiness and among the fruits or consequences of the
triple aggregate. Happiness is desirable. It is an attribute of the Soul.
Both Virtue and Profit are sought for its sake. Virtue is its root. This,
indeed, is its origin. All acts have for their end the attainment of
happiness.'
"Bharadwaja said, 'You have said that happiness is the highest object, I
do not comprehend this. This attribute of the soul that (you say) is so
desirable is not sought by the Rishis who are regarded to be engaged in
something promising a higher reward. It is heard that the Creator of the
three worlds, viz., the puissant Brahman, lives alone, observant of the
vow of Brahmacharya. He never devotes himself to the happiness obtainable
from the gratification of desire. Also, the divine Master of the
universe, the lord of Uma, reduced Kama (the deity of desire) to
extinction. For this reason, we say that happiness is not acceptable to
high-souled people. Nor does it appear to be a high attribute of the
Soul. I cannot put faith in what thy divine self has said, viz., that
there is nothing higher than happiness. That there are two kinds of
consequences in respect of our acts, viz., the springing of happiness
from good acts and of sorrow from sinful, acts, is only a saying that is
current in the world.'
"Bhrigu said, 'On this it is said as follows: from Untruth springs
Darkness. They that are overwhelmed by Darkness pursue only
Unrighteousness and not Righteousness, being overmastered by wrath,
covetousness, malice, falsehood, and similar evils. They never obtain
happiness either here or hereafter, On the other hand, they are afflicted
by various kinds of disease and pain and trouble. They are also tortured
by Death, imprisonment, and diverse other griefs of that kind, and by the
sorrows, attending on hunger and thirst and toil. They are also pained by
the numerous bodily griefs that arise from rain and wind and burning heat
and exceeding cold. They are also overwhelmed by numerous mental griefs
caused by loss of wealth and separation from friends, as also by griefs
caused by decrepitude and death. They that are not touched by these
diverse kinds of physical and mental afflictions, know what happiness is.
These evils are never found in heaven. There delicious breezes blow. In
heaven there is also perpetual fragrance. In heaven there is no hunger,
no thirst, no decrepitude, no sin. In this world there is both happiness
and misery. In hell there is only misery. Therefore, happiness is the
highest object of acquisition. The Earth is the progenitrix of all
creatures. Females partake of her nature. The male animal is like
Prajapati himself. The vital seed, it should be known, is the creative
energy. In this way did Brahman ordain in days of old that the creation
should go on. Each, affected by his own acts, obtains happiness or
misery.'"[571]
