SECTION CCCXXIX
"Bhishma said, 'Hearing these words of their preceptor, Vyasa's disciples
endued with energy, became filled with joy and embraced one another.
Addressing one another, they said,--That which has been said by our
illustrious preceptor in view of our future good, will live in our
remembrance and we shall certainly act according to it.--Having said this
unto one another with joyful hearts, the disciples of Vyasa, who were
thorough masters of words, once more addressed their preceptor and
said,--If it pleases thee, O puissant one, we wish to descend from this
mountain to the Earth, O great ascetic, for the purpose of subdividing
the Vedas!--Hearing these words of his disciples, the puissant son of
Parasara replied unto them in these beneficial words that were fraught,
besides, with righteousness and profit,--You may repair to the Earth or
to the regions of the celestials, as ye like. You should always be
heedful, for the Vedas are such that they are always liable to be
misunderstood![1750]--Permitted by their preceptor of truthful speech,
the disciples left him after circumambulating him and bowing their heads
unto him. Descending upon the Earth they performed the Agnishtoma and
other sacrifices; and they began to officiate at the sacrifices of
Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaidyas. Happily passing their days in the
domestic mode of life, they were treated by the Brahmanas with great
respect. Possessed of great fame and prosperity, they were employed in
teaching and officiating in sacrifices. After his disciples had gone
away, Vyasa remained in his asylum, with only his son in his company.
Passing his days in anxious thoughtfulness, the great Rishi, possessed of
wisdom, kept silent, sitting in a retired corner of the asylum. At that
time Narada of great ascetic merit came to that spot for seeing Vyasa,
and addressing him, said these words of melodious sound.
"'Narada said, O regenerate Rishi of Vasishtha's race, why are Vedic
sounds silent now? Why art thou sitting silent and alone engaged in
meditation like one taken up with an engrossing thought? Alas, shorn of
Vedic echoes, this mountain hath lost its beauty, even as the Moon shorn
of splendour when assailed by Rahu or enveloped in dust.[1751] Though
inhabited by the celestial Rishis, yet shorn of Vedic sounds, the
mountain no longer looks beautiful now but resembles a hamlet of
Nishadas.[1752] The Rishis, the deities, and the Gandharvas, too, no
longer shine as before in consequence of being deprived of Vedic
sound!--Hearing these words of Narada, the Island-born Krishna answered,
saying,--O great Rishi, O thou art conversant with the declarations of
the Vedas, all that thou hast said is agreeable to me and it truly
behoves thee to say it unto me! Thou omniscient, thou hast seen
everything. Thy curiosity also embraces all things within its sphere. All
that has ever occurred in the three worlds is well known to thee. Do thou
then, O regenerate Rishi, set thy commands on me. O, tell me what I am to
do! Tell me, O regenerate Rishi, what should now be done by me. Separated
from my disciples, my mind has become very cheerless now.
'Narada said, The stain of the Vedas is the suspension of their
recitation. The stain of the Brahmanas is their non-observance of vows.
The Valhika race is the stain of the Earth. Curiosity is the stain of
women. Do thou with thy intelligent son recite the Vedas, and do thou
with the echoes of Vedic sounds dispel the fears arising from Rakshasas:
"Bhishma continued, 'Hearing these words of Narada, Vyasa, the foremost
of all persons conversant with duties and firmly devoted to Vedic
recitation, became filled with joy and answered Narada, saying,--So be
it--With his son Suka, he set himself to recite the Vedas in a loud
sonorous voice, observing all the rules of orthoepy and, as it were,
filling the three worlds with that sound. One day as sire and son, who
were well-conversant with all duties, were engaged in reciting the Vedas,
a violent wind arose that seemed to be impelled by the gales that blow on
the bosom of the ocean. Understanding from this circumstance that the
hour was suited to sacred recitation. Vyasa immediately bade his son to
suspend the recitation. Suka, thus forbidden by his sire, became filled
with curiosity. He asked his sire, saying,--O regenerate one, whence is
this wind? It behoveth thee to tell me everything about the conduct of
the Wind.--Hearing this question of Suka, Vyasa became filled with
amazement. He answered Suka, by telling him that an omen which indicated
that the recitation of the Vedas should be suspended.--Thou hast obtained
spiritual vision. Thy mind too has, of itself, become cleansed of every
impurity. Thus hast been freed from the attributes of Passion and
Darkness. Thou stayest now in the attributes of Goodness. Thou beholdest
now thy Soul with thy Soul even as one beholds one's own shadow in a
mirror. Staying thyself on thy own Soul, do thou reflect on the Vedas.
The path of the Supreme Soul is called Deva-yana (the path of the gods).
The path that is made up of the attribute of Tamas is called Pitri-yana
(the path of Pitris). These are the two paths in the world hereafter. By
one, people go to heaven. By the other, people go to hell. The winds blow
on the Earth's surface and in the welkin. There are seven courses in
which they blow. Listen to me as I recount them one after another. The
body is furnished with the senses are dominated over by the Sadhyas and
many great beings of mighty strength. These gave birth to an invincible
son named Samana. From Samana sprang a son called Udana. From Udana
sprang Vyana arose Apana, and lastly from Apana sprung the wind called
Prana. That invincible scorcher of all foes, viz., Prana, became
childless. I shall now recite to thee the different functions of those
winds. The wind is the cause of the different functions of all living
creatures, and because living creatures are enabled to live by it,
therefore is the wind called Prana (or life). That wind which is the
first in the above enumeration and which is known by the name of Pravaha
(Samana) urges, along the first course, masses of clouds born of smoke
and heat. Coursing through the welkin, and coming into contact with the
water contained in the clouds, that wind displays itself in effulgence
among the darts of lightning.[1753] The second wind called Avaha blows
with a loud noise. It is this wind that causes Soma and the other
luminaries to rise and appear. Within the body (which is a microcosm of
the universe) that wind is called Udana by the wise. That wind which
sucks up water from the four oceans, and having sucked it up imparts it
to the clouds in the welkin, and which, having imparted it to the clouds
present them to the deity of rain, is third in the enumeration and known
by the name of Udvaha. That wind which supports the clouds and divided
them into diverse portions, which melts them for pouring rain and once
more solidifies them, which is perceived as the sound of the roaring
clouds, which exists for the preservation of the world by itself assuming
the form of the clouds, which bears the cars of all celestial beings
along the sky, is known by the name of Samvaha. The fourth in the
enumeration, it is endued with great strength so that it is capable of
ending the very mountains. The fifth wind is fraught with great force and
speed. It is dry and uproots and breaks down all trees. Existing with it,
the clouds come to be called by the name of Valahaka. That wind causes
calamitous phenomena of many kinds, and produces roaring sounds in the
firmament. It is known by the name of Vivaha. The sixth wind bears all
celestial waters in the firmament and prevents them from falling down.
Sustaining the sacred waters of the celestial Ganga, that wind blows,
preventing them from having a downward course. Obstructed by that wind
from a distance, the Sun, which is really the source of a thousand rays,
and which enlightens the world, appears as a luminous body of but one
ray. Through the action of that wind, the Moon, after waning, wanes again
till he displays his full disc. That wind is known, O foremost of
ascetics, by the name Parivaha.[1754] That wind which takes away the life
of all living creatures when the proper hour comes, whose track is
followed by Death and Surya's son Yama, which becomes the source of that
immortality which is attained by Yogins of subtile sight who are always
engaged in Yoga meditation, by whose aid the thousands of grandsons of
Daksha, that lord of creatures, by his ten sons, succeeded in days of old
in attaining to the ends of the universe, whose touch enables one to
attain to Emancipation by freeing oneself from the obligation of
returning so the world,--that wind is called by the name of Paravaha. The
foremost of all winds, it is incapable of being resisted by anybody.
Wonderful are these winds all of whom are the sons of Diti. Capable of
going everywhere and upholding all things, they blow all around thee
without being attached to thee at any time. This, however, is exceedingly
wonderful viz., that this foremost of mountains should thus be suddenly
shaken by that wind which has begun to blow. This wind is the breath of
Vishnu's nostrils. When urged forth with speed, it begins to blow with
great force at which the whole universe becomes agitated. Hence, when the
wind begins to blow with violence, persons conversant with the Vedas do
not recite the Vedas. The Vedas are a form of wind. If uttered with
force, the external wind becomes tortured."
"Having said these words, the puissant son of Parasara bade his son (when
the wind had ceased) to go on with his Vedic recitation. He then left
that spot for plunging into the waters of the celestial Ganga.'"[1755]
