13.006
The strength and weakness of divine, human, and action.
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O grandfather, greatly wise and expert in all śāstras, between destiny and human effort, which indeed is superior? (13-6-1)
Bhishma said.
Here too, O Yudhiṣṭhira, they recount this ancient history, the dialogue between Vasiṣṭha and Brahman. (13-6-2)
Vasiṣṭha, the venerable sage, once asked the Grandfather Brahmā, "Of divine and human actions, which indeed is the best?" (13-6-3)
Then the lotus-born god of gods, the grandfather, O king, spoke sweet and meaningful words adorned with reasoning. (13-6-4)
Nothing is born without a seed; no fruit comes without a seed. From a seed, another seed arises; from a seed alone, fruit is known. (13-6-5)
Just as the kind of seed a farmer sows in the field, whether it is a good or bad deed, he obtains fruit of that very kind. (13-6-6)
Just as a seed sown without a field becomes fruitless, so too, destiny is not accomplished without human effort. (13-6-7)
The field is human effort, but the divine is said to be the seed. From the union of field and seed, the crop flourishes. (13-6-8)
The agent himself enjoys the result of action. It is directly seen in the world, both for what is done and what is not done. (13-6-9)
Happiness comes from auspicious actions, suffering from sinful actions. Whatever is done is obtained everywhere; what is not done is never enjoyed anywhere. (13-6-10)
A person who acts gains recognition everywhere, even if their fortune is impaired. One who does not act meets with ruin, just as a wound receives the application of alkali. (13-6-11)
Beauty, good fortune, and various gems are obtained through austerity and action; all is achieved by effort, not by fate for one who does not strive. (13-6-12)
Thus, heaven, enjoyment, and the desired attainment—all these are achieved here through human effort and action. (13-6-13)
All the luminaries, gods, serpents, yakṣas, the moon, the sun, and the winds have, by human effort, attained divinity from a human state. (13-6-14)
Wealth, a circle of friends, sovereignty, noble lineage, and even prosperity are all difficult to enjoy for those who have not performed actions. (13-6-15)
A brāhmaṇa attains prosperity through purity, a kṣatriya through valor, a vaiśya through enterprise, and a śūdra through service. (13-6-16)
Wealth does not associate with one who does not give, nor with the impotent, nor with the inactive; not with one who is not inclined to action, not with the unbrave, likewise not with one who is not austere. (13-6-17)
He by whom the three worlds, the daityas, and all the gods were created—this very Lord Viṣṇu is now performing austerity in the ocean. (13-6-18)
If there were no results from one's own actions, then everything would indeed become fruitless. People, relying on fate, would become indifferent, but this should not be so. (13-6-19)
He who, without performing human effort, merely follows fate, labors in vain, like a woman who, having obtained an impotent husband, toils fruitlessly. (13-6-20)
In the human world, fear regarding good and bad is not as it is; in the world of the gods, even a little fear arises. (13-6-21)
When human effort is made, fate alone follows; fate does not deserve to give anything to anyone if effort is not made. (13-6-22)
When even the abodes of the gods are seen to be impermanent, how can the divine remain or be established without action? (13-6-23)
In this world, divine beings do not undertake activity for anyone; they produce intense attachment out of fear of being overpowered themselves. (13-6-24)
There is always conflict between the seers and the deities. By whose speech could anything be undivine, since it is from that speech that the divine proceeds? (13-6-25)
How does its origin occur, and how does fate operate? In this way, even in the world of the gods, many deceptions are found. (13-6-26)
The self alone is truly one's own friend; the self alone is truly one's own enemy; the self alone is also the witness of one's actions, both done and not done. (13-6-27)
Whatever is done or altered, some of it succeeds in the accomplished action. In a good deed, an evil action does not truly take effect. (13-6-28)
All that is the refuge of the gods and merit is attained by merits. If one has gained a man of virtuous character, what can fate accomplish? (13-6-29)
Once, Yayati, having fallen and been cast down to earth, was again raised to heaven by his grandsons (his daughters' sons) through their meritorious deeds. (13-6-30)
Purūravas, the royal sage, who was formerly addressed by the Brahmins as 'Aila' and thus became well-known, attained heaven, this king. (13-6-31)
The lord of Kosala, Saudāsa, who was honored by performing horse-sacrifice and other sacrifices, attained the state of being a man-eater due to the curse of a great sage. (13-6-32)
Aśvatthāman and Rāma, the two bowmen and sons of the sage, do not attain the heavenly world here by virtuous actions. (13-6-33)
A god, after performing hundreds of sacrifices and becoming like a second Indra, by a single false statement, went to the lowest depths of Rasātala. (13-6-34)
Bali, the son of Virocana, was bound by the gods with the noose of dharma; by the effort of Viṣṇu, he was made to lie in the netherworld. (13-6-35)
Janamejaya, having left the protection of Indra, set out and killed the wives of the Brāhmaṇas; why was he not stopped by fate? (13-6-36)
Having killed a Brāhmaṇa out of ignorance and being affected by the killing of a child, why was the Brāhmaṇa sage Vaiśampāyana prevented by fate? (13-6-37)
Because of giving cows falsely to Brāhmaṇas during a great sacrifice, the royal sage Nṛga in ancient times became a chameleon. (13-6-38)
Dhundhumāra, the royal sage, after attaining old age through sacrifices, renounced the giver of delight and slept in the mountain enclosure. (13-6-39)
The kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas, which had been taken away by the mighty sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was regained by them not through fate, but by relying on their own strength. (13-6-40)
The sages endowed with austerity and discipline, firm in their vows—why do they not release a curse by action, but only by the force of fate? (13-6-41)
Having obtained all that is very difficult to attain in this world, a man who abandons sin, but is afflicted by greed and delusion, is not protected by fate. (13-6-42)
Just as even a small fire, when fanned by the wind, becomes great, so too destiny, when combined with right action, grows well. (13-6-43)
Just as a lamp begins to fade when its oil is exhausted, so too does fate begin to fade when actions are exhausted. (13-6-44)
Even if one acquires abundant wealth, pleasures, or women, a man here who lacks the capacity or is devoid of action cannot enjoy them. Even wealth that is well-kept and protected by the gods, if it is destined for expenditure, will be spent through some action. (13-6-45)
The world of the gods becomes superior to the world of men; by much greater prosperity are the houses of men. The dwellings of the immortals appear like the abode of the ancestors; and in the world of living beings, wrong actions do not bear fruit due to fate. (13-6-46)
Human effort removes the wrong path; there is no sovereignty in fate. Just as an excellent deed joins a teacher, so does action join fate. Fate, which is unhindered and not weak, is led by human effort wherever it is accumulated. (13-6-47)
O best of sages, I have indeed explained all this to you; always consider the true fruit of human effort. (13-6-48)
By the effort of fate, by actions that are commenced, by destiny, and indeed by action, one may attain the path to heaven. (13-6-49)
