SECTION CCLVIII
"Narada said, 'The large-eyed lady, controlling her grief by an effort of
her own, addressed the Grandsire, with joined hands and bending in an
attribute of humility like a creeper. And she said, 'How, O foremost of
speakers, shall a lady like me that has sprung from thee proceed to
accomplish such a terrible feat,--a feat, that is, which is sure to
inspire all living creatures with dread? I fear to do aught that is
iniquitous. Do thou appoint such work for me as is righteous. Thou seest
that I am frightened. Oh, cast a compassionate glance upon me. I shall
not be able to cut off living creatures,--infants, youths, and aged
ones,--who have done me no injury. O lord of all creatures, I bow to
thee, be gratified with me. I shall not be able to cut off dear sons and
loved friends and brothers and mothers and fathers. If these die (through
my act), their surviving relatives will surely curse me. I am filled with
fear at the prospect of this.[1111] The tears of the sorrow-stricken
survivors will burn me for eternity. I am very much afraid of them (whose
relatives I shall have to cut off). I seek thy protection. All sinful
creatures (slain by me) will have to sink into the infernal regions. I
seek to gratify thee, O boon-giving god! Extend to me thy grace, O
puissant lord! I seek the gratification of this wish, O Grandsire, of all
the worlds. O foremost of all the gods, I seek, through thy grace, even
this object, viz., permission to undergo severe austerities.'
"The Grandsire said, 'O Death, thou hast been intended by me for the
destruction of all creatures. Go, and set thyself to the task of slaying
all. Do not reflect (upon the propriety or otherwise of this act). This
must certainly be. It cannot be otherwise. O sinless one, O lady of
faultless limbs, do thou accomplish the behest I have uttered.' Thus
addressed, O thou of Mighty arms, the lady called Death, O conqueror of
hostile cities, spoke not a word, but humbly stood there with her eyes
upturned towards the puissant Lord of all creatures. Brahman addressed
her repeatedly, but the lady seemed to be herself deprived of life.
Beholding her thus, the god of gods, that lord of lords, became silent.
Indeed, the Self-born, by an effort of his will, became gratified.
Smiling, the lord of all the worlds then cast his eyes on the universe.
It has been heard by us that when that unconquered and illustrious lord
subdued his wrath, the lady (called Death) went away from his side.
Leaving Brahman's side without having promised to accomplish the
destruction of living creatures, Death quickly proceeded, O king, to the
sacred spot known by the name of Dhenuka. There the goddess practised the
severest austerities for five and ten billions of years, all the while
standing upon one foot.[1112] After she practised such exceedingly severe
austerities in that place, Brahman of great energy once more said unto
her, 'Do thou accomplish my behest, O Death!' Disregarding this command,
the lady once more practised penances standing upon one foot for twenty
billions of years, O giver of honours! And once more, O son, she led a
life in the woods with the deer for another long period consisting of ten
thousand billions of years.[1113] And once, O foremost of men, she passed
twice ten thousand years, living upon air only as her sustenance. Once
again, O monarch, she observed the excellent vow of silence for eight
thousand years, passing the whole time in water. Then that maiden, O best
of kings, went to the river Kausiki. There she began to pass her days in
the observance of another vow, living the while upon only water and air.
After this, O monarch, the blessed maiden proceeded to the Ganges and
thence to the mountains of Meru. Moved by the desire of doing good to all
living creatures, she stood perfectly motionless there like a piece of
wood. Proceeding thence to the summit of Himavat where the deities had
performed their great sacrifice, she stood there for another hundred
billions of years, supporting her weight upon only the toes of her feet
with the object of gratifying the Grandsire with such an act of
austerity. Wending thither, the Creator and Destroyer of the universe
again addressed her saying, 'Upon what art thou engaged, O daughter?
Accomplish those words of mine.' Addressing the divine Grandsire, the
maiden once more said, 'I am unable to cut off living creatures, O god! I
seek to gratify thee (so that I may be excused of this behest).'
Frightened at the prospect of demerit she prayed the Grandsire for being
excused of obedience to his command, the Grandsire silenced her, and once
more addressed her, saying, 'No demerit will accrue, O Death! Do thou, O
auspicious maiden, set thyself to the task of destroying living
creatures. That which I have uttered, O amiable girl, cannot certainly be
falsified. Eternal righteousness shall now take refuge in thee. Myself
and all the deities shall always be employed in seeking thy good. This
other wish that is in thy heart I grant thee. Living creatures shall be
afflicted by disease, and (dying) shall cast the blame on thee. Thou
shalt become a male in all male beings, a female in all female beings,
and a eunuch in all those that are of the third sex.[1114] Thus addressed
by Brahman, O king, the maiden at last said, with joined hands unto that
high-souled and undeteriorating lord of all the deities, these words, 'I
am unable to obey thy command.' The great God, without relenting, again,
said unto her, 'O Death, do thou kill men. I shall so ordain that thou
shalt not incur any demerit by doing this, O auspicious lady! Those tear
drops that I see fallen from thy eyes, and that thou still boldest in thy
joined hands, shall take the form of terrible diseases and even they
shall destroy men when their hours come. When the end comes of living
creatures, thou shalt despatch Desire and Wrath together against them.
Immeasurable merit shall be thine. Thou shalt not incur iniquity, being
thyself perfectly equal in thy behaviour.[1115] By doing this thou wilt
only observe righteousness instead of sinking thyself into iniquity. Do
thou, therefore, set thy heart upon the task at hand, and addressing
Desire and Wrath begin to slay all living creatures.' Thus addressed,
that lady, called by the name of Death, became afraid of Brahman's curse
and answered him, saying, 'Yes!' From that time she began to despatch
Desire and Wrath as the last hours of living creatures and through their
agency to put a stop to their life-breaths. Those tears that Death had
shed are the diseases by which the bodies of men become afflicted. At the
destruction, therefore, of living creatures, one should not,
understanding, with the aid of the intelligence (to what cause such
destruction is due), give way to grief. As the senses of all creatures
disappear when the latter become plunged into dreamless sleep and return
once more when they awake, after the same manner all human beings, upon
the dissolution of their bodies, have to go into the other world and
return thence to this, O lion among kings! The element called wind, that
is endued with terrible energy and mighty prowess and deafening roars,
operates as the life in all living creatures. That wind, when the bodies
of living creatures are destroyed, escaping from the old becomes engaged
in diverse functions in diverse new bodies. For this reason, the wind is
called the lord of the senses and is distinguished above the other
elements constituting the gross body. The gods, without exception, (when
their merits cease), have to take birth as mortal creatures on earth.
Similarly, all mortal creatures also (when they acquire sufficient
merit), succeed in attaining to the status of gods. Therefore, O lion
among kings, do not grieve for thy son. Thy son has attained to heaven
and is enjoying great happiness there! It was thus, O monarch, that Death
was created by the Self-born and it is in this way that she cuts off duly
all living creatures when their hours come. The tears she had shed become
diseases, which, when their last hours come, snatch away all beings
endued with life.'"
