01.085
Aṣṭaka said.
O lord, when you, of desired form, resided in the Nandana garden for a hundred thousand years, what was the reason, O chief of Kṛta Yuga, that you abandoned the essence and took to the earth? (01-85-1)
King Yayāti said.
Just as here, a kinsman, friend, or one's own people abandon a person when his wealth is diminished, even so there, when a man's merit is exhausted, he is at once abandoned by the hosts of gods along with their lords. (01-85-2)
Aṣṭaka said.
How do those whose merit is exhausted become there? My mind is exceedingly bewildered here. Of what kind, and to whose abode do they go? Please tell me that, O knower of the field, for I consider you thus. (01-85-3)
Yayati spoke.
All these, greedily desiring, O king, fall into this earthly hell. Depleted, they go in many ways for the sake of eating the flesh of vultures and jackals, seeking an increase. (01-85-4)
Therefore, this action, being wicked and blameworthy in the world, should be avoided by a man. All this has been told to you, O king; now, if you wish, tell me, what more shall I say to you? (01-85-5)
Aṣṭaka said.
But when the birds attack them, likewise vultures, white-throated birds, and moths, how do they suffer, how do they come to be? I have not heard of any hell on earth other than this. (01-85-6)
King Yayati said.
As actions leave the body, expanding upwards, they manifest in two forms and move about on the earth. They fall into this earthly hell and do not even consider the passing of many, many years. (01-85-7)
Sixty thousand fall in the sky, and likewise for eighty years. As they fall, the terrible earth-born rākṣasas with sharp fangs indeed attack them while they are falling. (01-85-8)
Aṣṭaka said.
When those sinful ones fall, terrible earthly rākṣasas with sharp fangs strike them. How do they become so? How do they arise? How do they, as creatures born in the womb, come into being? (01-85-9)
King Yayāti said.
Blood and seed, together with flower and fruit, are considered to be created by the man. That (seed) indeed merges with her menstrual blood; then, having become an embryo, he enters there. (01-85-10)
Trees and herbs enter the waters, the air, the earth, and the atmosphere; all four-footed and two-footed beings, as well as everything, indeed, these beings become as embryos. (01-85-11)
Aṣṭaka said.
Please tell me and resolve my doubt: does the embryo here assume a different body, or does it enter the human womb by its own will? (01-85-12)
Regarding the collection consisting of body and so on; by what does the eye and ear receive their designation? Tell us this entire reality; asked thus, all of us, dear one, consider you to be the knower of the field. (01-85-13)
Yayati said;
The wind elevates the womb; at the time of death, the seed, mixed with the essence of flowers, is present. There, he, endowed with authority by the subtle elements, gradually nurtures the embryo here. (01-85-14)
When a man is born, assuming bodily members, being the seat of the six kinds of knowledge, he perceives sound here with both his ears and sees all forms with his eyes. (01-85-15)
Know thus that in the body of the great-souled living being, there is an accumulation of eight—smell by the nose, taste by the tongue, touch by the skin, and mental perceptions by the mind. (01-85-16)
Aṣṭaka said.
That person who, after being settled, is burned, buried, or even pounded, and, having become non-existent, attains destruction—by what does he perceive his self thereafter? (01-85-17)
King Yayati said.
O king, having left behind the vital airs like one asleep after groaning, and having deposited his good and evil actions, following the foremost life-current, he casts off the body and attains another birth. (01-85-18)
Doers of virtue attain auspicious births; doers of sin attain sinful births. The sinful ones become worms and insects; O eminent one, I have no wish to speak (further). (01-85-19)
Four-footed, two-footed, and six-footed beings — such kinds exist even in the womb. All this has been explained in full; what more do you ask, O lion among kings? (01-85-20)
Ashtaka said.
O dear one, by performing what does a mortal obtain the best worlds—by asceticism or by knowledge? Tell me completely, as I ask you: in what way may one reach those auspicious worlds, step by step. (01-85-21)
Yayati said.
The wise say that austerity, charity, tranquility, self-restraint, modesty, uprightness, and compassion for all beings are always destroyed by pride when a person is overcome by darkness. (01-85-22)
He who studies, thinking himself wise, and uses knowledge to destroy the fame of others—his worlds become limited and that fruit of Brahman does not come to him. (01-85-23)
There are four actions that are not inherently dangerous, but if wrongly performed, they produce fear: Agnihotra performed for social regard, silence for respect, study for respect, and sacrifice for respect. (01-85-24)
One should not feel delighted when honored, nor distressed when insulted. The virtuous honor the virtuous in this world; the wicked do not acquire noble thoughts. (01-85-25)
Thus, ‘one should give’, ‘one should worship’, ‘one should study’ — this is my vow. In this regard, they say those acts which cause harm should always be avoided. (01-85-26)
Those wise ones who, with devotion of the mind, realize the ancient essence which is their support—attaining that supreme luminous form, they reach the highest peace, both after departing and here itself. (01-85-27)
