मोक्षधर्म पर्व — त्यही विषय

Tuladhara said See with your own eyes, O Jajali, who, amongst the good or otherwise, have followed this path of duty which I have spoken of! You will understand properly how the truth stands.

See, many birds are roving in the sky! Amongst them are those who were brought up on your head, as also many hawks and many others of different kinds.

See, O Brahmana, those birds have got their wings and legs for entering their respective nests. Call them, O twice-born one.

There, those birds, treated affectionately by you, are showing their love for you who are their father! Forsooth, you are their father, O Jajali! Do you call your children!

Bhishma continued-Then those birds, summoned by Jajali, answered according to the dictates of that religion which preaches abstention from injury to any creature.

All acts that done without injuring any creature come to use both here and hereafter. Those acts, however, that injure others, destroy faith, and faith being destroyed, brings ruin on the destroyer.

The sacrifice of those who regard equally both acquisition and non-acquisition, who are endued with faith, who are self controlled, who have tranquil minds, and who celebrate sacrifices from a sense of duty yield fruits.

Faith in Brahma is the daughter of the SunGod, O twice-bom one. She is the protectress and the giver of good birth. Faith is superior to the merit begotten by recitations and meditation.

An act vitiated by faulty speech is saved by Faith. An act sullied by defect of mind is saved by Faith. But neither speech nor mind can save an act which is sullied by want of Faith.

Men who know the past recite in this connection the following verse sung by Brahman. The gods regard as equal the offerings in sacrifices of a person who is pure but wanting in Faith, and of another who is impure but has Faith. After mature consideration the gods have considered equal the food, again, of a person conversant with the Vedas but miserly in conduct, and that of a usurer who is liberal in conduct.

The supreme Lord of all creatures, then told them that they had committed a mistake, The food of a liberal person is purified by Faith. The food, however, of the person who has Faith is lost for such want of Faith. The food of a liberal usurer can be accepted but not the food of a miser.

Only one person in the world viz., he who has no Faith, is unfit to make offerings to the gods. The food of only such a man is unfit to be eaten. This is the opinion of men who know duties.

Want of Faith is a great sin. Faith is a purifier of sins. Like a snake casting off its slough, the man of Faith succeeds in shaking off all his sins.

The religion of abstention with Faith is superior to all shortcomings of conduct, he who follows Faith, becomes purified.

What need has such a person of penances, or of conduct, or of endurance? Every man has Faith. Faith, however, is of three sorts, viz., as partaking of the nature of the qualities of goodness, darkness, and ignorance, and according to the nature of Faith which one has, one is named.

Person gifted with goodness and endued with insight into the true import of morality have thus described the subject of duties. We have, on enquiry, got all this from the sage Dharınadarshana.

O you of great wisdom, adopt Faith, for you will then acquire what is superior. He who believes (in the sayings of the Shrutis), and who acts according to their sense, is, indeed, of righteous soul. O Jajali, he who follows his own path is surely a superior person.

Bhishma said After a short time Tuladhara and Jajali, both of whom had been gifted with great wisdom, ascended to heaven and played there in great happiness, having reached their respective places won by their respective deeds. Tuladhara had spoken many truths of this sort.

That great person understood this religion perfectly. These eternal duties were accordingly declared by him.

O son of Kunti, having heard these words of Tuladhara of celebrated energy, the twiceborn Jajali betook himself to tranquillity. In this way many truths of deep sense were spoken by Tuladhara, illustrated by examples for instruction. What other truths do you wish to hear?