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The creature that dies only goes into another form. The body alone dissolves
away. The living creature, though depending upon the body, does not meet with
destruction when the body is destroyed. There is no destruction of the living
creature, or of what is given, or of our other acts.
The living creature is not seen after the destruction of the physical frame
just as fire is not seen after the consumption of the fuel with which it was
ignited.
If there is no destruction of the living creature like that of fire, I submit,
fire itself is not seen after consumption of the fuel (that ignited it). When
the supply of fuel is stopped, the fire becomes extinguished, and, as far as I
know, becomes annihilated. This should surely be regarded to have met with
destruction which has no longer any action, which furnishes no proof of its
existence, and which no longer occupies any space.
It is true that upon the consumption of fuel fire is no longer seen. It mingles
with space because there is no longer any visible object in which to inhere,
and hence it becomes incapable of perception by us. Similarly, upon leaving the
body, the creature lives in space, and cannot be seen in consequence of its
extreme subtility as is doubtless the case with fire. It is fire or heat that
sustains the breaths called Prana and the others. Know that that heat (thus
existing) is called life or the living agent. That heat which is the sustainer
of the breaths, becomes extinguished in consequence of the suppression of
breath. Upon that heat in the physical frame being extinguished, the frame
itself loses animation. Falling down, it is transformed into earth, for that is
its ultimate destination.
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The breath that is in all mobile and immobile objects mingles with space, and
the heat that is in them follows that breath. These three (viz., space, air and
fire), mingle together. The other two (viz., water and earth) exist together in
the form of earth. There is air where space is, and there is fire where air is.
They are formless, it should be known, and become endued with form only in
respect of embodied creatures.
If in the physical frames of all living creatures there are heat, air, earth,
space and water, what then, are the indications of living agent? Tell me these,
O sinless one! I desire to know the nature of the life that is in the bodies of
living beings; bodies made up of the five primal elements, engaged in the five
acts, endued with the five senses and possessed of animation. Upon the
dissolution of the body which is a union of flesh and blood, and a mass of fat,
sinews and bones, that which is a living agent cannot be seen. If this body,
composed of the five elements, be destitute of what is called life, who or what
then is that which feels misery upon the appearance of either bodily or mental
pain?
The living agent hears what is said, with the aid of the ears. It, however,
happens again, that the same agent hears not when the mind is otherwise
engaged. It seems, therefore, that that which is called the living agent serves
no purpose. The whole scene that the living agent sees with eyes acting in
concert with the mind, the eye beholds not, even when lying before it, if the
mind is otherwise engaged. Then again, when it is under the influence of sleep,
that agent neither sees nor smells, nor hears, nor speaks, nor experiences the
perceptions of touch and taste. Who or what then is that which feels joy,
becomes angry, gives way to sorrow, and experiences tribulation? What is that
which wishes, thinks, feels aversion, and utters words?
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The mind is also made of the five elements in common with the body. For this
reason it is of no consequence with respects to the acts mentioned by thee.
Only the one internal Soul sustains the body. It is he that perceives smell,
taste, sound, touch and form and other properties (that exist in external
nature). That Soul, pervading all the limbs, is the witness (of the acts) of
the mind endued with five attributes and residing within the body composed of
the five elements. It is he who feels pleasure and pain, and when separated
from him the body no longer experiences them. When there is no longer any
perception of form or of touch, when there is no heat in the fire that resides
within the body; indeed, when that animal heat becomes extinguished,- the body
in consequence of its abandonment by the Soul, meets with destruction.
Water is the form of all embodied creatures. In that water is the Soul which is
displayed in the mind. That Soul is the Creator Brahman who exists in all
things. When the Soul becomes endued with vulgar attributes, it comes to be
called Kshetrajna. When freed from those attributes, it comes to be called
Parmatman or Supreme Soul. Know that Soul. He is inspired with universal
benevolence. He resides in the body like a drop of water in a lotus. Know well
that which is called Kshetrajna and which has universal benevolence. Darkness,
Passion and Goodness (Tamas, Rajas and Sattwa respectively), are the attributes
of the living agent. The learned say that the Soul has consciousness and exists
with the attributes of life.
The Soul exerts and causes everything to exert. Persons that have a knowledge
of the Soul say that the Soul is different from life. It is the Supreme Soul
that has created the seven worlds and sets them agoing. There is no destruction
of the living agent when the dissolution of the body takes place. Men destitute
of intelligence say that it dies. That is certainly untrue. All that the living
agent does is to go from one unto another body. That which is called death is
only the dissolution of the body. It is thus that the Soul, wrapped in diverse
forms, migrates from form to form, unseen and unnoticed by others.
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Persons possessed of true Knowledge behold the Soul by their keen and subtile
intelligence. The man of wisdom, living on frugal fare, and with heart cleansed
of all sins, devoting himself to Yoga meditation, succeeds every night, before
sleep and after sleep, in beholding his Soul by the aid of his Soul. In
consequence of a contented heart, and by abandoning all acts good and bad, one
can obtain infinite happiness by depending upon one's own Soul. The king of
fiery effulgence, residing within the mind is called the living agent. It is
from that Lord of everything that this creation has sprung. Even this is the
conclusion to be arrived at in the enquiry into the origin of creatures and the
soul.
What should a wise man do, seeing that the period of human life is passing
away so very quickly?
Death is that by which the world is assailed. Decrepitude encompasses it. Those
irresistible things that come and go away are the nights that are continually
lessening the period of human life. When I know that Death tarries for none
(but approaches steadily towards every creature), how can I pass my time
without covering myself with the garb of knowledge?
When each succeeding night, passing away lessens the allotted period of one's
existence, the man of wisdom should regard the day to be fruitless. When death
is approaching steadily who is there that would, like a fish in a shallow
water, feel happy? Death comes to a man before his desires have been gratified.
Death snatches away a person when he is engaged in plucking flowers and when
his heart is otherwise set, like a tigress bearing away a ram. Do thou, this
very day, accomplish that which is for thy good. Let not this Death come to
thee.
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Death drags its victims before their acts are accomplished. The acts of
tomorrow should be done today, those of the afternoon in the forenoon. Death
does not wait to see whether the acts of its victim have all been accomplished
or not. Who knows that Death will not come to him even today? In prime of age
one should betake oneself to the practice of virtue. Life is transitory. If
virtue be practised, fame here and felicity hereafter will be the consequences.
Overwhelmed by ignorance, one is ready to exert oneself for sons and wives.
Achieving virtuous or vicious acts, one brings them up and aggrandises them.
Like a tiger bearing away a sleeping deer, Death snatches away a man addicted
to the gratification of desires and engaged in the enjoyment of sons and
animals. Before he has been able to pluck the flowers upon which he has set his
heart, before he has been gratified by the acquisition of the objects of his
desire, Death bears him away like a tiger bearing away its prey. Death
overpowers a man while the latter is still in the midst of the happiness that
accrues from the gratification of desire, and while still thinking 'This has
been done; this is to be done; this has been half-done.' Death bears away the
man, however designed according to his profession, attached to his field, his
shop, or his home, before he has obtained the fruit of his acts.
Death bears away the weak, the strong, the brave, the timid, the idiotic and
the learned, before any of these obtains the fruits of his acts. When death,
decrepitude, disease, and sorrow arising from diverse causes, are all residing
in thy body, how is it that that thou livest as if thou art perfectly hale? As
soon as a creature is born, Decrepitude and Death pursue him for (effecting)
his destruction. All living things, mobile and immobile, are affected by these
two. The attachment that one feels for dwelling in villages and towns (in the
midst of fellow men) is said to be the very mouth of Death. The forest, on the
other hand, is regarded as the fold within which the senses may be penned. This
is declared by the Srutis (scriptures). The attachment a person feels for
dwelling in a village or town (in the midst of men) is like a cord that binds
him effectually. They that are good break that cord and attain to emancipation,
while they that are wicked do not succeed in breaking them. He who never
injures living creatures by thought, word or deed, is never injured by such
agencies as are destructive of life and property. Nothing can resist the
messengers (Disease and Decrepitude) of Death when they advance except Truth
which devour Untruth. In Truth is immortality.
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For these reasons one should practise the vow of Truth; one should devote
oneself to a union with Truth; one should accept Truth for one's Veda; and
restraining one's senses, one should vanquish the Destroyer by Truth. Both
immortality and Death are planted in the body. One comes to Death through
ignorance and loss of judgment; while Immortality is achieved through Truth. I
shall therefore, abstain from injury and seek to achieve Truth, and
transgressing the sway of desire and wrath, regard pleasure and pain with an
equal eye, and attaining tranquillity, avoid Death like an immortal. Upon the
advent of that season when the sun will progress towards the north, I shall
restraining my senses, set to the performance of the
Santi-sacrifice, the Brahma-sacrifice, the Mind-sacrifice and the
Work-sacrifice.
How can one like me worship his Maker in animal-sacrifices involving cruelty,
or sacrifices of the body, such as Pisachas only can perform and such as
produce fruits that are transitory?
[Note: Santi is tranquillity. The Santi-sacrifice is the endeavour to practise
self-denial in everything; in other words, to restrain all sorts of
propensities or inclinations. The Brahma-sacrifice is reflection on truths laid
down in the Upanishads. The Word-sacrifice consists in the silent recitation
(japa) of the Pranava or Om (AUM), the initial mantra. The Mind-sacrifice is
contemplation of the Supreme Soul. The Work-sacrifice consists in baths,
cleanliness, and waiting upon preceptor.]
That person whose words, thoughts, penances, renunciation, and yoga meditation,
all rest on Brahma, succeeds in earning the highest good. There is no eye that
is equal to the eye of knowledge. There is no penance like that involved in
Truth. There is no sorrow equal to (that involved in) attachment. There is no
happiness (that which is obtainable from) renunciation.
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The soul does not take birth in a different body immediately
Parsara said: Learned men, conversant with Adhyatma (knowledge of the soul),
say that the body is a conglomeration of arteries and sinews and bones and much
repulsive and impure matter and a compound of primal essences, and the senses
and objects of the senses born of desire, all having outer cover of skin close
to them. Destitute (in reality) of beauty and other accomplishments, this
conglomeration, through force of the desires of a previous life, assumes a
human form. Abandoned by the owner, the body becomes inanimate and motionless.
Indeed, when the primal ingredients return to their respective natures (merge
into the five elements), the body mingles with the dust. Caused by its union
with acts, this body reappears under circumstances determined by its acts.
Indeed, under whatever circumstances this body meets with dissolution, its next
birth, determined by those circumstances, is seen to enjoy and endure the
fruits of all its past acts.
Jiva (the embodied soul), after dissolution of the body it inhabited, does not
take birth in a different body immediately. It roves through the sky for some
time like a spacious cloud. Obtaining a new receptacle, it then takes birth
again.
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