मोक्षधर्म पर्व — शोक-रहित सनातन पद; शुकदेव गृह त्यागते हैं

Narada said When the changes of happiness and sorrow appear or disappear, they cannot be prevented by either wisdom or policy or exertion.

Without suffering himself to deviate from his true nature, one should try his best for protecting his own Self. He who makes such care and exertion, has never to to perish. Considering Self as something dear, one should always try to rescue himself from decrepitude death, and disease.

Metal and physical ailments afflict the body, like keen-pointed arrows discharged from the bow by a strong bowman.

The body of a person who is tortured by thirst, who is moved by agony, who is perfectly helpless, and that is desirous of prolonging his life, is dragged towards destruction.

Days and nights are continually running, carrying away in their current the periods of life of all human beings. Like currents of rivers, these flow ceaselessly without ever returning.

The continued succession of the lighted and the dark fortnights is destroyed all mortal creatures without stopping for even a moment in this work.

Rising and setting day after day, the Sun, who is himself undecaying, is perpetually coO king the joys and sorrows of all men.

The nights are continually going away, taking with them the good and bad incidents that befall man, that depend on destiny, and that are unexpected by him.

If the fruits of men's deeds were not dependent on other circumstances, then one would acquire whatever object he would long for.

Even men of controlled senses, of cleverness, and of intelligence, if destitute of acts, never succeed in acquiring any fruits.

Other, though shorn of intelligence and accomplishments of any sort, and who are really the lowest of men, are seen, even when they do not wish for success, to be crowned with the fruition of all their desires.

Some one else, who is always ready to injure all creatures, and who is engaged in imposing on all the world, is seen to languish in happiness.

Some one who sits idly, acquires great prosperity; while another, by working earnestly, is seen to miss desirable fruits almost within his reach.

Do you ascribe it as one of the faults of man! The seminal fluid, originating in one's nature from sight of one person, goes to another person.

When given to the womb, it sometimes produces an embryo and sometimes fails. When sexual intercourse fails, it resembles a mango tree that puts forth a great many flowers without, however, producing a single fruit.

As regards some men who are desirous of having offspring and who, for the fruition of their object, work earnestly, they fail to procreate an embryo in the womb.

Some person, again, who fears the birth of an embryo as one fears a snake of deadly poison, finds, a long-lived son born to him and sources who seems to be his own self return to the stages through which he has passed.

Many persons with strong desire for children, and cheerless on that account, after sacrificing to many gods and practising severe austerities, at last beget children, duly borne for ten long months, that prove to be veritable wretches of their race.

Others, who have been obtained by virtue of such blessed rites and observances, at once acquires riches and grain and various other of enjoyment acquired and accumulated by their fore fathers.

In an act of sexual intercourse, when two persons of opposite sexes come into contact with one another, the embryo takes birth in the womb, like a calamity attacking the mother.

Very soon after suspension of the vital airs, other physical forms possess that embodied creature whose gross body has been destroyed but whose deeds have all been performed with that gross body, made of flesh and phlegm.

Upon the destruction of the body, another body which is as much destructible as the one which is destroyed, is kept ready for the burnt and destroyed creature even as one boat goes to another for transferring to itself the passengers of the other.

By sexual intercourse, a drop of the seminal fluid that is inanimate, is cast into the womb. I ask you, through whose or what care is the embryo kept alive?

That part of the body into which the food that is eaten goes and where it is digested, is the place where the embryo lives, but it is not disgested there.

In the womb, amid urine and faeces, one's sojourn is governed by Nature. The born creature is not free in the matter or residence therein or escape therefrom. In fact, in these respects, he is perfectly helpless.

Some embryos fall from the womb. Some come out alive. While as regards some, they are destroyed in the womb, after being quickened with life, on account of some other bodies being ready for them.

That man who, in an act of sexual intercourse, injects the seminal fluid, obtains from it a son or daughter. The offspring thus obtained, when the time comes, takes part in a similar act of sexual intercourse.

When the lease of a person's life ends, the five primal elements of his body attain to the seventh and the ninth stages and they cease to be. The person, however, suffers no change.

Forsooth, when persons are attacked by diseases as little animals assailed by hunters, they then lose the power of rising up and moving about.

If when men are attacked by diseases, they wish to spend even immense riches, physicians with their best efforts fail to lessen their sufferings.

Even physicians, who are well-skilled and expert in their science and well-equipt with excellent medicines, are themselves attacked by disease like animals assailed by hunters.

Even if men drink many astringents and various sorts of medicated ghee, they are seen to be broken by decrepitude like trees by strong elephants.

When animals and birds and beasts of prey and poor men are attacked by diseases, who treats them with medicines? Indeed, these are not seen to be ill.

Like larger animals attacking smaller ones, diseases are seen to attack even dreadful kings of fierce energy and invincible prowess.

All men, deprived of the power of even uttering cries of pain, and overwhelmed by error and grief, are seen to be carried away along the dreadful current into which they have been thrown.

Embodied creatures, even when trying to conquer it with the help of wealth, of sovereign power, or of the austerest penances. men

If all attempts men make were successful then men would never die, would never be subject to decrepitude, would never meet with any disagreeable thing, and lastly would have all their wishes fructified.

All desire to acquire gradual superiority of position. To satisfy this wish they try their very best. The result however, does not agree with their wish.

Even men who are perfectly careful, who are honest, and brave and endued with prowess, are seen to worship men intoxicated with the pride of wealth and with even alcoholic stimulants.

Some men are seen whose calamities vanish before even these are seen by them. Others there are who are seen to possess no riches but who are free from misery of every sort.

A great disparity is seen about the fruits that wait upon conjunctions of acts. Some are seen to carry vehicles on their shoulders, while some are seen to ride on them.

All men desirous of riches and prosperity. A few only have cars dragged in their processions. Some there are who cannot get a single wife when their first married ones are dead; while others have hundreds of wives.

are Misery and happiness are the two things which exist side by side. Men have either misery or happiness. See this is a subject of wonder! Do you, however, allow yourself to be stupefied by error at such a sight.

Renounce both virtue and sin! Renounce also truth and falsehood! Having renounced both truth and falsehood, do you then cast off that with whose help you shall cast off the former.

O best of Rishis, I have now told you what is a great mystery! With the help of such instructions, the gods succeeded in leaving the Earth for becoming dwellers of heaven.

Hearing these words of Narada, Shuka, gifted with great intelligence and possessed of tranquillity of mind, reflected upon the drift of the instructions he received, but could not deterinine any thing.

He understood that one suffers great misery on account of children and wives; that one has to work hard for the acquisition of science and Vedic lore. He, therefore, asked himself, saying,-What is that situation which is eternal and which is free from all sorts of misery but in which there is great prosperity?

Thinking for a moment upon the course ordained for him, Shuka, who was well acquainted with the beginning and the end of all duties, determined to attain to the highest end which is full of happiness.

He questioned himself, saying,-How shall I, cutting off all attachments and becoming perfectly free, acquire that excellent end? How, indeed, shall I acquire that excellent situation whence there is no return into the ocean of various sorts of birth.

I wish to come by that condition of existence whence there is no return! Renouncing all kinds of attachments, arrived at certainty by mental retrospection, I shall acquire that end.

I shall acquire that situation in which your Soul will have tranquillity, and when I shall be able to live for good without being subject to decrepitude or change.

It is, however, certain that that high end cannot be acquired without the help of Yoga. One who has acquired the state of perfect knowledge and enlightenment never comes by low attachments through deeds.

I shall, therefore, have recourse to Yoga, and renouncing this body which is my present residence, I shall change myself into a wind and enter that mass of effulgence which is represented by the sin.

When Individual Soul enters that mass of effulgence, he no longer suffers like Soma who, with the gods, upon the exhaustion of merit, drops down on the Earth and having once more acquired sufficient merit returns to heaven.

The Moon is always seen to decrease and once more increase. Seeing this decrease and increase that go on repeatedly, I do not wish to have a form of existence in which there are such changes.

The Sun warms all the worlds by means of his rays. His disc never suffers any diminution. Remaining unchanged, he drinks energy from all things. Hence, I wish to go into the Sun of blazing effulgence.

There I shall live, invincible by all, and in my inner soul freed from all fear, having renounced this body of mine in the solar region.

I shall enter with the great Rishis the unbearable energy of the Sun, I declare to all creatures, these trees, these elephants, these mountains, the Earth herself, the several cardinal points, the sky, the gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Pishachas, Uragas, and the Rakshasas, that I shall enter all creatures in the world.

Let all the gods with the Rishis, witness my Yoga power to-day.-Having said these words, Shuka, informed the illustrious Narada of his intention.

Obtaining Narada's permission, Shuka then went to where his father was. Arrived before him, the great Muni, viz., the great and Islandborn Krishna, Shuka circumambulated him and addressed him the usual enquiries.

Hearing of Shuka's intention, the great Rishi became highly pleased. Addressing him the great Rishi said,-0 son, O dear son, do you stay here to-day so that I may see you for some time for gratifying my eyes.

Shuka, however, paid no heed to that request. Freed from affection and all doubt, he began to think only of Liberation, and set his heart on the journey.

Leaving his father, that foremost of Rishis then went to the spacious breast, of Kailasa which was inhabited by numbers of ascetics crowned with success.