मोक्षधर्म पर्व — सुख र दुःखको मूल

Yudhishthira said Tell me, O grandfather, whence and how happiness and misery approach the rich, and the poor, but who follow different practices and rites.

Bhishma said Regarding it is cited the old history of what was sung by Champaka who had acquired tranquility and liberation for himself.

In days of yore a certain Brahmana made iniserable by a bad wife, bad dress, and hunger, and practising the vow of renunciation, sang me these verses.

Various sorts of sorrow and happiness overtake, from the day of birth, the person who is born on the Earth.

If he could ascribe either of them to the work of Destiny, he would then be indifferent w either happiness or misery as they fall to his share,

Though your mind is freed of desire, yet you bear a heavy burden. You do not strive to accomplish your own good. Are you not successful in subduing your mind?

Having renounced home and coveted wealth, if you go about, you shall then know what is real happiness. One who is shorn of everything, sleeps soundly and rises happily.

Abject poverty, in this world, is the road to happiness. It is the safest way, it leads to the source of all blessings, and the path is not beset with any peril. Persons cherishing desire, cannot reach this goal (but those who have ridden over their desire, can easily do so.

Stretching my eyes on every part of the three worlds, I do not find the person who can be equal to a poor man of unblemished character and who is indifferent to worldly things.

I weighed poverty and sovereignty in the balance, and found sovereignty wanting, and poverty to all appearances possessed greater merits then sovereignty.

Between poverty and sovereignty there is this great difference, viz., that the sovereign of vast possessions is always troubled with painful anxiety and seems to be an easy prey of death.

Regarding, however, the poor man who has no wealth to call his own, nor any hopes to entertain, and as such has emancipated himself, neither fire, nor foe, nor death, nor thieves, can override him.

The very gods praise such a man who wnders about according to his will who lies down on the naked Earth with his arm for a pillow, and who possesses a tranquil soul.

The man of wealth, affected by anger and lust, stains himself with his sinful heart. He casts sidelong glances and makes dry specches. He becomes sinful and his countenance loses its luster with his wry face.

Biting his lips, and worked up with passion, he gives vent to harsh and cruel words. If such a man desires to make even a gift of the whole world, who is there that would like to look at him even.

Continuous Prosperity stupefies a person of weak intellect. Like the wind driving off the autumnal clouds, it drives off his judgement. Association with Prosperity induces him to think,-~-I am beautiful. I am wealthy.

I am high-born! I am successful in my undertakings! I am no ordinary individual!...For these three reasons, his heart becomes intoxicated.

He makes a waste of the possessions left by his ancestors by following the bent of his heart cager for worldly enjoyments. And then when reduced to want he does not regard the appropriation of other's wealth as sinful.

At this stage when he outstrips all barriers and becomes reckless of conduct as regards his appropriation of other's possessions from every side the rulers of men checks and afflict him like sportsmen afflicting a deer with their sharp arrows which they espied in the woods.

Such a man is then overwhelmed with many other afflictions of a like nature that originate in fire and weapons.

Therefore, becoming indifferent to all worldly attachments i.e., for children and wives) together with all fleeting phantons (as the physical body, etc.,) one should , helped by his intelligence, treat himself with proper medicine for the cure of those painful afflictions.

Without Renunciation one can never be happiness. Without Renunciation one never be successful in gaining what is his highest good. Without Renunciation one can never be at his ease even in sleep. Therefore, renouncing every thing, makc happiness your can Own.

A Brahmana, told me all this, at Hastinapur, in times gone by, about what Champaka had sung. I hold Renunciation, therefore, as the foremost of things.