Our actions are
surely followed by their consequences. Whoever merely gives himself up
to passive indifference (to worldly affairs) accomplishes no good.
Instead of murmuring one must try to find out the way by which he can
secure exemption from (spiritual) misery; and the means of salvation
found, he must then free himself from sensuality. The man who has
attained a high state of spiritual knowledge is always conscious of the
great deficiency (instability) of all matter. Such a person keeping in
view the final doom (of all), never grieves. I too, O learned man, do
not grieve; I stay here (in this life) biding my time. For this reason,
O best of men, I am not perplexed (with doubts)". The Brahmana said,
"Thou art wise and high in spiritual knowledge and vast is thy
intelligence. Thou who art versed in holy writ, art content with thy
spiritual wisdom. I have no cause to find fault with thee. Adieu, O best
of pious men, mayst thou be prosperous, and may righteousness shield
thee, and mayst thou be assiduous in the practice of virtue."'
[17] _Vishada_ is the original. It means discontent, but here it
means more a mixture of discontent, perplexity and confusion
than mere discontent.
"Markandeya continued, 'The fowler said to him, "Be it so." And the good
Brahmana walked round him[18] and then departed. And the Brahmana
returning home was duly assiduous in his attention to his old parents. I
have thus, O pious Yudhishthira, narrated in detail to thee this history
full of moral instruction, which thou, my good son, didst ask me to
recite,--the virtue of women's devotion to their husbands and that of
filial piety.
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