SECTION CCLXXXVII
"Yudhishthira said, 'Living creatures always stand in fear of sorrow and
death. Tell me, O grandsire, how the occurrence of these two may be
prevented.'
"Bhishma said, 'In this connection, O Bharata, is cited the old narrative
of the discourse between Narada and Samanga.'
"Narada said, '(While others salute their superiors by only a bend of the
head) thou salutest thy superiors by prostrating thyself on the ground
till thy chest comes into contact with the ground. Thou seemest to be
engaged in crossing (the river of life) with thy hands.[1452] Thou
seemest to be always free from sorrow and exceedingly cheerful. I do not
see that thou hast the least anxiety. Thou art always content and happy
and thou seemest to sport (in felicity) like a child.'
"Samanga said, 'O giver of honours, I know the truth about the Past, the
Present, and the Future. Hence I never become cheerless.[1453] I know
also what the beginning of acts is in this world, what the accession of
their fruits, and how varied are those fruits. Hence I never yield to
sorrow.[1454] Behold, the illiterate, the destitute, the prosperous, O
Narada, the blind, idiots and madmen, and ourselves also, all live.[1455]
These live by virtue of their acts of past lives. The very deities, who
exist freed from diseases, exist (in that state) by virtue of their past
acts. The strong and the weak, all, live by virtue of past acts. It is
fitting, therefore, that thou shouldst hold us in esteem. The owners of
thousands live. The owners of hundreds also live. They that are
overwhelmed with sorrow live. Behold, we too are living! When we, O
Narada, do not give way to grief, what can the practice of the duties (of
religion) or the observance of (religious) acts do to us? And since all
joys and sorrows also are not unending, they are, therefore, unable to
agitate us at all.[1456] That for which men are said to be wise, indeed,
the very root of wisdom, is the freedom of the senses from error. It is
the senses that yield to error and grief. One whose senses are subject to
error can never be said to have attained wisdom. That pride which is
indulged in by a man subject to error is only a form of the error to
which he is subject. As regards the man of error, he has neither this
world nor the next. It should be remembered that griefs do not last for
ever and that happiness cannot be had always.[1457] Worldly life with all
its vicissitudes and painful incidents, one like me would never adopt.
Such a one would not care for desirable objects of enjoyments, and would
not think at all of the happiness their possession may bring about, or,
indeed, of the griefs that present themselves.[1458] One capable of
resting on one's own self would never covet the possessions of others;
would not think of gains unacquired, would not feel delighted at the
acquisition of even immense wealth; and would not yield to sorrow at the
loss of wealth. Neither friends, nor wealth, nor high birth, nor
scriptural learning, nor mantras, nor energy, can succeed in rescuing one
from sorrow in the next world. It is only by conduct that one can attain
to felicity there. The Understanding of the man unconversant with Yoga
can never be directed towards Emancipation. One unconversant with Yoga
can never have happiness. Patience and the resolution to cast off sorrow,
these two indicate the advent of happiness. Anything agreeable leads to
pleasure. Pleasure induces pride. Pride, again, is productive of sorrow.
For these reasons, I avoid all these. Grief, Fear, Pride,--these that
stupefy the heart,--and also Pleasure and Pain, I behold as (an
unconcerned) witness since my body is endued with life and moves
about.[1459] Casting off both wealth and pleasure, and thirst and error,
I wander over the earth, freed from grief and every kind of anxiety of
heart. Like one that has drunk nectar I have no fear, here or hereafter,
of death, or iniquity, or cupidity, or anything of that kind. I have
acquired this knowledge, O Brahmana, as the result of my severe and
indestructible penances. It is for this reason, O Narada, that grief,
even when it comes to me, does not succeed in afflicting me.'"
