How persons whose bodies have been destroyed re-appear

Santi said Hearing this story of the reappearance and departure of his forefathers, the highly intelligent king Janamejaya became greatly pleased.

Filled with joy, he once more asked Vaishampayana the subject of the reappearance of dead men, saying of the reappearance of dead men, saying-How is it possible for persons whose bodies have been destroyed to reappear in those very forms?

Thus asked, that foremost of twice-born persons, viz., the disciple of Vyasa, that first of speakers, possessed of great energy, thus answered Janamejaya.

This is certain, viz., that acts are never destroyed. Bodies, o king, are born of acts; so also are features.

The great primal elements are eternal on account of the union with them of the Lord of all beings. They exist with what is eternal. Accordingly, they have no destruction when the non-eternal are destroyed.

Acts done without exertion are true, and foremost, and yield real fruit. The soul, united, however, with such acts as require exertion for their performance, enjoys pleasure and pain.

Though united so, yet it is a certain internee that the soul is never modified by them, like the reflection of creatures in a mirror. It is never destroyed.

As long as one's deeds are not exhausted (by enjoyment or endurance of their fruits good and bad), so long does he consider the body to be his ownself. The man, however, whose acts have been exhausted, without considering body to be self, takes the self to be something otherwise.

Various existent objects, attaining to a body, become united as one. Those very objects become eternal to men of knowledge who understand the difference.

In the Horse-Sacrifice, this Shruti is heard in the matter of the killing of the horse. The certain possessions of embodied creatures, viz., their vital airs (and the senses, etc.) exist eternally even when they are borne to the other world.

I shall, you what is beneficial, if it be agreeable to you, O king. You have while employed in our sacrifices, heard of the celestial paths.

When preparations were made for any sacrifice of yours, the celestials became beneficially inclined to you. When, indeed, the celestials were thus disposed and came to your sacrifice, they were lords in the matter of the passage.

Therefore, the eternal ones (viz., Jivas), by adoring the deities in sacrifices, succeed in attaining to excellent ends. When the five primal elements are eternal, when he soul also is eternal, he called Purusha is equally so.

When such is the case he who sees a creature as disposed to take various forms, is considered as having an erroneous understanding. He who indulges in too much grief at separation, is, I think, a foolish person.

He who sees evil in separation should give up union. By standing aloof, no unions are formed, and sorrow is renounced, for sorrow in the worlds is born of separation.

Only he who understands the distinction between body and self, and not another becomes freed from the erroneous belief. He who knows the other viz., self attains to the highest understanding and becomes freed from error.

As regards creatures, they appear from an invisible state, and once more disappears into invisibleness. I do not know him. He also does not know me. As regards myself renunciation is not yet mine.

He, who is not possessed of power, enjoys or endures the fruits of all his deeds in those bodies in which he does them.

If the act be a mental one, its fruits are enjoyed or endured mentally; if it be done with the body, its results are to be enjoyed or endured in the body.