अनुशासनिक पर्व — धर्म र अर्थ — परलोकमा सुख कसले दिन्छ; रुद्र र उमाको कथा

Uma said O Holy One, O lord of all beings, O you adored of deities and Asuras equally, tell me what are the duties and derelictions of men. Indeed, O powerful one, remove my doubts.

It is by these three, viz., thought, word, and deed, that men become fettered with bonds. It is by the same three that they become freed from these fetters.

By following what conduct, Ogod, indeed, by what kind of acts, by what behaviour and qualities and words, do men succeed in ascending to Heaven?

The God of Gods said O goddess, you are well conversant with the true meaning of duties. You are ever devoted to Virtue and Self-control. The question you have asked me is fraught with the benefit of all creatures. It increases the intelligence of all persons. Do you, therefore, listen to the answer.

Those persons who are devoted to the Religion of Truth, who are righteous and destitute of the indications of the several modes of life, and who enjoy the wealth acquired by fair means, succeeds in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who are freed froin all doubts, who are gifted with omniscience, and who have eyes for seeing all things, are never fettered by either virtue or sin. Those men who are shorn of all attachments, can never be fettered by the chains of action.

They who never injure others in thoughts, word, or deed, and who never attach themselves to anything, can never be fettered by deeds.

They who abstain from kiiling any creature, who are gifted with righteous conduct, who have mercy, who treat friends and foes equally, and who are self-controlled, can never be fettered by acts.

Those men who are gifted with mercy towards all beings, who succeed in creating the confidence of all living creatures, and who men have shaken off malice in their conduct, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who have no no desire to appropriate others' properties, who never associate with the spouses of others, and who enjoy only such wealth as has been acquired by fair means, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who treat the wives of other people as their own mothers and sisters and daughters, succeed in attaining to Heaven.

Those who abstain from misappropriating others' things, who are perfectly contented with what they themselves possess, and who live depending upon their own destiny, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who never know other peoples' wives, who are masters of their senses, and who are given to righteous conduct, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

This is the path, created by the gods, that the pious should follow. This is the path, freed from passion and aversion, sanctioned for the pious to follow.

Those men who are devoted to their own wives and who seek them in only their seasons, and who do not indulge in sexual pleasure, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

For the sake of multiplying their merit or for acquiring their means of livelihood, the wise should follow charity, penances and purity of both body and mind. Those who wish to ascend to Heaven, should follow in this tract and not any other.

Uma said Tell me, O illustrious-god, O sinless lord of all creatures, what are those words by which one becomes fettered and what are those words by speaking which one may be freed from fetters.

Maheshvara said Those men who never tell falschood for either themselves or for others, or in jest or for exciting laughter, succeed in ascending Heaven.

They who never tell lies for acquiring their livelihood or for acquiring merit or through mere caprice, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

They who utter words which are smooth and sweet and faultless, and who with sincerity welcome all whom they meet with, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

They who never utter words which are harsh, bitter and cruel, and who are free from deceitfulness and evil of every kind, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who never utter deceitful words which create disunion between friends and who always speak what is true and what promotes good feelings, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who avoid harsh words and abstains from quarrels with others, who are equal in their conduct to all creatures, and who have governed their souls, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

They who abstain from evil speech or sinful conversation, who avoid disagreeable speeches, and who utter only auspicious and agreeable words, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

They who never utter, under anger, such words as cut others to the quick, and who, even when under the influence of anger, speak words what are peaceful and agreeable, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

This religion, O goddess of speech, should always be followed by men. It is auspicious and characterised by Truth. The wise should always avoid untruth.

Uma said Tell me, O god of gods, O holder of Pinaka, O you who are highly blessed, what those thoughts are by which a person may be fettered.

Maheshvara said Gifted with merit that originates from mental acts, O goddess, one ascends to Heaven. Listen to me, O auspicious one, as I recite to you what those acts are.

Listen to me, Oyou of sweet face, how also a mind of illregulated features, becomes fettered by illregulated or evil thoughts.

Those men who do not seek, even mentally, to take other peoples things even when they lie in a lone forest, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those who not others' belongings, even when they see it lying in a house or a village that has been deserted, ascend to Heaven.

Those men who do not seek, even mentally, to associate with the married wives of others, even when they see them in deserted places and under the influence of desire, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who, meeting with friends or enemies behave in the same friendly way towards all, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who are possessed of learning and mercy, who are pure in body and mind, men care who are firm in truth, and who are contented with what belongs to them, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who do not bear illwell to any creature, who do not stand in need of labour for their livelihood, who bear friendly hearts towards all beings, and who entertain mercy towards all, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who have faith, who have mercy, who are holy, who scek the company of holy men, and who know the distinctions between right and wrong, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men, O goddess, who know the consequences of good and bad deeds, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

Those men who are just in all their dealings, who have desirable accomplishinents, who are devoted to the deities and the Brahmanas, and who are persevering in doing all good acts, succeed in ascending to Heaven.

All these me, O goddess, succeed in ascending to Heaven through the meritorious results of their deeds. What else do you wish to hear?

Uma said I have a great doubt, O Maheshvara, on a subject about human beings. You should explain it to me carefully.

By what deeds does a man succeed, O powerful deity, in acquiring a long life? By what penances also does one acquire a long life?

By what acts does one become shortlived on Earth? O you who are perfectly stainless, you should tell me what are the consequences of acts.

Some have great good fortune and some suffer from misfortune. Some are possessed of noble, and some are of ignoble, birth.

Some have such repulsive features as if they are made of wood, while others look very handsome at even the first sight.

Some appear to have no wisdom, while others are possessed of it. Some, again, are seen gifted with high intelligence and wisdom, enlightened by knowledge and science.

Some have to suffer little pain, while others there are that are loaded with heavy calamities. Such diverse sights are seen of men. O illustrious one, you should tell me the reason of all this!

The God of Gods said Indeed, O goddess, I shall describe to you the fruits of acts. It is by them that all human beings in this world enjoy or suffer the consequences of their acts.

That man who assumes a dreadful aspect for the purpose of taking the lives of other creatures, who arms himself with strong sticks for injuring other creatures, who is seen with uplifted weapons, who kills living creatures, who is shorn of mercy, who always causes tribulation to living beings, who refuses to grant protection to even worms and ants, who is cruel, one who is such, O goddess, sinks in Hell. One who has an opposite disposition and who is righteous in deeds, becomes born as a handsome man.

The man who is cruel, goes to Hell, while he who is merciful, ascends to Hcaven. The man who goes to Hell, has to suffer great misery.

One who, having sunk in Hell, rises therefrom, takes birth as a shortlived man.

That man who is given to slaughter and injury, O goddess, becomes, through his sinful deeds, liable to destruction. Such a person becomes disagreeable to all creatures and shortlived. That man who belongs to what is called the White class, who abstains from the destruction of living crcatures, who has thrown away all weapons, and never inflicts any punishment on any body, who never injures any creature, who never causes anybody to kill creatures for him, who never kills or strikes even when struck or attempted to be killed, who never sanctions or approves an act of destruction, who is gifted with mercy towards all creatures who treats others as his own self, such a superior man, O goddess, succeeds in acquiring to the dignity of a celestial. Filled with joy, such a man enjoys various kinds of luxurious articles.

If such a person is ever born in the world of men, he becomes longlived and enjoys great happiness.

This is the way of those who are uf righteous conduct and righteous deeds, and who are blessed with longevity, the way that was marked out by the SelfCreate Brahman himself and which is marked by abstention from the destruction of living creatures.