"Yudhishthira said, 'Hast thou, O grandsire, ever seen or heard of any
mortal restored to life after having succumbed to death?'
"Bhishma said, 'Listen, O king, to this story of the discourse between a
vulture and a jackal as happened of old. Indeed, the occurrence took
place in the forest of Naimisha. Once upon a time a Brahmana had, after
great difficulties, obtained a son of large expansive eyes. The child
died of infantile convulsions. Some (amongst his kinsmen), exceedingly
agitated by grief and indulging in loud lamentations, took up the boy of
tender years, that sole wealth of his family. Taking the deceased child
they proceeded in the direction of the crematorium, Arrived there, they
began to take the child from one another's breast and cry more bitterly
in grief. Recollecting with heavy hearts the former speeches of their
darling again and again, they were unable to return home casting the body
on the bare ground. Summoned by their cries, a vulture came there and
said these words: 'Go ye away and do not tarry, ye that have to cast off
but one child. Kinsmen always go away leaving on this spot thousands of
men and thousands of women brought here in course of time. Behold, the
whole universe is subject to weal and woe. Union and disunion may be seen
in turns. They that have come to the crematorium bringing with them the
dead bodies of kinsmen, and they that sit by those bodies (from
affection), themselves disappear from the world in consequence of their
own acts when the allotted periods of their own lives run out. There is
no need of your lingering in the crematorium, this horrible place, that
is full of vultures and jackals and that abounds with skeletons and
inspires every creature with dread. Whether friend or foe, no one ever
comes back to life having once succumbed to the power of Time. Such,
indeed, is the fate of all creatures, In this world of mortals, every one
that is born is sure to die. Who shalt restore to life one that is dead
and gone on the way ordained by the Destroyer? At this hour when men are
about to close their daily toil, the Sun is retiring to the Asta hills.
Go ye to your homes, casting off this affection for the child.' Hearing
these words of the vulture, the grief of the kinsmen seemed to abate, and
placing the child on the bare ground they prepared to go away. Assuring
themselves of the fact that the child had died and despairing of seeing
him again, they began to retrace their steps, indulging in loud
lamentations. Assured beyond doubt, and despairing of restoring the dead
to life, they cast off that offspring of their race, and prepared to turn
back from that spot. At this time a jackal, black as a raven, issued out
of his hole and addressed those departing kinsmen, saying, 'Surely, ye
that are kinsmen of that deceased child have no affection. There the sun
still shineth in the sky, ye fools! Indulge your feelings, without fear.
Multifarious are the virtue of the hour. This one may come back to life!
Spreading a few blades of Kusa grass on the ground and abandoning that
dear child on the crematorium, why do ye go away with hearts of steel and
casting off every affection for the darling? Surely, ye have no affection
for that sweet-speeched child of tender years, whose words, as soon as
they left his lips, used to gladden you greatly. Behold the affection
that even birds and beasts bear towards their offspring. Theirs is no
return for bringing up their young ones. Like the sacrifices of the
Rishis (that are never undertaken from desire of fruit or rewards) the
affection of quadrupeds of birds and insects, bears no reward in heaven.
Though delighting in their children, they are never seen to derive any
benefit from the latter either here or hereafter. 'Yet they cherish their
young ones with affection. Their children, growing up, never cherish them
in age. Yet are not they grieved when they do not behold their little
ones? Where, indeed, is affection to be seen in human beings that they
would own the influence of grief? Where would you go leaving here
this child who is the perpetuator of his race? Do you shed tears for him
for some time, and do you look at him a little longer with affection?
Objects so dear are, indeed, difficult to abandon. It is friends and not
others that wait by the side of him that is weak, of him that is
prosecuted in a court of law, of him that is borne towards the
crematorium. Life-breaths are dear unto all, and all feel the influence
of affection. Behold the affection that is cherished by even those that
belong to the intermediate species! How, indeed, can you go away,
casting off this boy of eyes large as the petals of the lotus, and
handsome as a newly-married youth washed clean and adorned with floral
garlands?' Hearing these words of the jackal that had been indulging in
such expressions of touching grief, the men turned back for the sake of
the corpse.'
"The vulture said, 'Alas, ye men destitute of strength of mind, why do ye
turn back at the bidding of a cruel and mean jackal of little
intelligence? Why do you mourn for that compound of five elements
deserted by their presiding deities, no longer tenanted (by the soul),
motionless, and stiff as a piece of wood? Why do you not grieve for your
own selves? Do you practise austere penances by which you will succeed in
cleansing yourselves from sin? Everything may be had by means of
penances. What will lamentations do? ill-luck is born with the body.
It is in consequence of that ill-luck that this boy has departed,
plunging you into infinite grief. Wealth, kine, gold, precious gems,
children, all have their root in penances. Penances again are the results
of yoga (union of the soul with Godhead). Amongst creatures, the measure
of weal or woe is dependent on the acts of a previous life. Indeed, every
creature comes into the world taking with him his own measure of weal and
woe. The son is not bound by the acts of the sire, or the sire by those
of the son. Bound by their own acts, good and bad, all have to travel by
this common road. Duly practise all the duties, and abstain from acts of
unrighteousness. Reverentially wait, according to the directions of the
scriptures, upon the gods and the Brahmanas. Cast off sorrow and
cheerlessness, and abstain from parental affection. Leave the child on
this exposed ground, and go ye away without delay. The actor alone enjoys
the fruit of acts, good or bad, that he does. What concern have kinsmen
with them? Casting off a (deceased) kinsman, however dear, kinsmen leave
this spot. With eyes bathed in tears, they go away, ceasing to display
affection for the dead. Wise or ignorant, rich or poor, every one
succumbs to Time, endued with acts, good and bad. What will you do by
mourning? Why do you grieve for one that is dead? Time is the lord of
all, and in obedience to his very nature he casts an equal eye on all
things. In pride of youth or in helpless infancy bearing the weight of
years or lying in the mother's womb, every one is subject to be assailed
by Death. Such indeed, is the course of the world.'
"The jackal said, 'Alas, the affection cherished by your weeping selves
that are overwhelmed with grief for your deceased child has been lessened
by that light-brained vulture. Even this must be the case, since in
consequence of his well-applied words fraught with tranquillity and
capable of producing conviction, there that one goes back to the town,
casting off affection that is so difficult to abandon. Alas, I had
supposed that great is the grief felt by men indulging in loud
lamentations for the death of a child and for the corpse on a
crematorium, like that of kine bereft of calves. Today, however, I
understand what the measure of grief is of human beings on earth.
Witnessing their great affection I had shed tears myself. (It seems
however, that their affection is not strong)! One should always exert
oneself. Thence does one succeed through destiny. Exertion and destiny,
joining together, produce fruit. One should always exert oneself with
hopefulness. How can happiness be had from despondency? Objects of desire
may be won by resolution. Why then do you go back so heartlessly? Where
do you go, abandoning in the wilderness this son of your own loins, this
perpetuator of the race of his sires? Stay here till the sun sets and the
evening twilight comes. You may then take away this boy with yourselves
or stay with him.'
"The vulture said, 'I am, ye men, a full thousand years of age today, but
I have never seen a dead creature, male or female or of ambiguous sex,
revive after death. Some die in the womb; some die soon after birth; some
die (in infancy) while crawling (on all fours); some die in youth; and
some in old age. The fortunes of all creatures, including even beasts and
birds, are unstable. The periods of life of all mobile and immobile
creatures are fixed beforehand. Bereaved of spouses and dear ones and
filled with sorrow for (the death of) children, men leave this spot every
day with agonised hearts for returning home. Leaving on this spot both
friends and foes numbering by thousands, kinsmen afflicted with grief go
back to their homes. Cast off this lifeless body with no longer any
animal heat in it and which is as stiff as a piece of wood! Why then do
you not go away, leaving the body of this child which has become like a
piece of wood and whose life has entered a new body? This affection
(which ye are displaying) is unmeaning and this hugging of the child is
fruitless. He does not see with his eyes or hear with his ears. Leaving
him here, go ye away without delay. Thus addressed by me in words which
are apparently cruel but which in reality are fraught with reason and
have a direct bearing with the high religion of emancipation, go ye back
to your respective homes.' Addressed thus by the vulture endued with
wisdom and knowledge and capable of imparting intelligence and awakening
the understanding, those men prepared themselves to turn their backs upon
the crematorium. Grief, indeed, increaseth to twice its measure at sight
of its object and at the remembrance of the acts of that object (in
life). Having heard these words of the vulture, the men resolved to leave
the spot. Just at that time the jackal, coming thither with quick steps,
cast his eyes on the child lying in the sleep of death.'
"The jackal said, 'Why, indeed, do you leave, at the vulture's bidding,
this child of golden complexion, adorned with ornaments, and capable of
giving the obsequial cake to his ancestors? If you abandon him, your
affection will not come to an end, nor these piteous lamentations. On the
other hand, your grief will certainly be greater. It is heard that a
Sudra named Samvuka having been slain and righteousness having been
upheld by Rama of true prowess, a (dead) Brahmana child was restored to
life. Similarly, the son of the royal sage Sweta died (prematurely).
But the monarch, devoted to virtue, succeeded in reviving his dead child.
After the same manner, in your case also, some sage or deity may be
willing to grant your desire and show compassion to you that are crying
so piteously.' Thus addressed by the jackal, the men, afflicted with
grief and full of affection for the child, retraced their steps, and
placing the child's head on their laps one after another, began to
indulge in copious lamentations. Summoned by their cries, the vulture,
coming to that spot, spoke unto them as follows.'
"The vulture said, 'Why are you bathing this child with your tears? Why
are you pressing him in this fashion with the touch of your palms? At the
command of the grim king of justice the child has been sent to that sleep
which knows no waking. Those that are endued with the merit of penances,
those that are possessed of wealth, those that have great intelligence,
in fact, all succumb to death. Even this is the place intended for the
dead. It is always to be seen that kinsmen casting off thousands of
kinsmen young and old, pass their nights and days in grief, rolling on
the bare ground. Cease this ardour in putting on the trappings of woe.
That this child would come back to life is what passes belief. He will
not get back his life at the bidding of the jackal. If a person once dies
and takes leave of his body, his body never regains animation. Hundreds
of jackals, by laying down their own lives, will not succeed in
reviving this child in hundreds of years. If, however, Rudra, or Kumara,
or Brahman, or Vishnu, grant him a boon, then only may this child come
back to life. Neither the shedding of tears, nor the drawing of long
sighs, nor copious lamentations, will bring back this one to life.
Myself, the jackal, you all, and all the kinsmen of this one, with all
our merits and sins, are on the same road (that this one has taken). For
this reason one possessed of wisdom should, from a distance, avoid
behaviour that displeases others, harsh speeches, the infliction of
injury on others, the enjoyment of other people's wives, and sin and
falsehood. Carefully seek righteousness, truth, the good of others,
justice, compassion for all creatures, sincerity, and honesty. They,
incur sin who, while living, do not cast their eyes upon their mothers
and fathers and kinsmen and friends. What will you do, by crying, for him
after death, that sees not with his eyes and that stirs not in the
least?' Thus addressed, the men, overwhelmed with sorrow and burning with
grief on account of their affection for the child, departed for their
homes, leaving the body (on the crematorium).
"The jackal said, 'Alas, terrible is the world of mortals! Here no
creature can escape. Every creature's period of life, again, is short.
Beloved friends are always departing. It abounds with vanities and
falsehoods, with accusations and evil reports. Beholding again this
incident that enhances pain and grief, I do not for a moment like this
world of men. Alas, fie on you, ye men, that thus turn back, like foolish
persons, at the vulture's bidding, though you are burning with grief on
account of the death of this child. Ye cruel wights, how can you go away,
casting off parental affection upon hearing the words of a sinful vulture
of uncleansed soul? Happiness is followed by misery, and misery by
happiness. In this world which is enveloped by both happiness and misery,
none of these two exists uninterruptedly. Ye men of little understanding,
whither would ye go, casting off on the bare ground this child of so much
beauty, this son that is an ornament of your race. Verily, I cannot
dispel the idea from my mind that this child endued with comeliness and
youth and blazing with beauty is alive. It is not meet that he should
die. It seems that ye are sure to obtain happiness. Ye that are
afflicted with grief on account of the death of this child will surely
have good luck today. Anticipating the probability of inconvenience and
pain (if you remain here for the night) and fixing your hearts on your
own comfort, whither would you, like persons of little intelligence, go,
leaving this darling?'
"Bhishma continued, 'Even thus, O king, the kinsmen of the deceased
child, unable to decide upon what they should do, were, for
accomplishment of his own purpose, induced by that sinful jackal who
uttered agreeable falsehoods, that denizens of the crematorium who
wandered every night in quest of food, to stay in that place.'
"The vulture said, 'Dreadful is this spot, this wilderness, that resounds
with the screech of owls and teems with spirits and Yakshas and
Rakshasas. Terrible and awful, its aspect is like that of a mass of blue
clouds. Casting off the dead body, finish the funeral rites. Indeed,
throwing away the body, accomplish those rites before the sun sets and
before the points of the horizon become enveloped in gloom. The hawks are
uttering their harsh cries. Jackals are howling fiercely. Lions are
roaring. The sun is setting. The trees on the crematorium are assuming a
dark hue in consequence of the blue smoke of the funeral pyres. The
carnivorous denizens of this place, afflicted with hunger, are yelling in
rage. All those creatures of horrible forms that live in this frightful
place, all those carnivorous animals of grim features that haunt this
desert, will soon assail you. This wilderness is certainly frightful.
Danger will overtake you. Indeed, if you listen to these false and
fruitless words of the jackal against your own good sense, verily, all of
you are sure to be destroyed.'
"The jackal said, 'Stay where you are! There is no fear even in this
desert as long as the sun shines. Till the god of day sets, do ye remain
here hopefully, induced by parental affection. Without any fear,
indulging in lamentations as ye please, continue to look at this child
with eyes of affection. Frightful though this wilderness be, no danger
will overtake you. In reality this wilderness presents an aspect of quiet
and peace. It is here that the Pitris by thousands took leave of the
world. Wait as long as the sun shines. What are this vulture's words to
you? If with stupefied understandings ye accept the cruel and harsh
speeches of the vulture, then your child will never come back to life!'
"Bhishma continued, 'The vulture then addressed those men, saying that
the sun had set. The jackal said that it was not so. Both the vulture and
the jackal felt the pangs of hunger and thus addressed the kinsmen of the
dead child. Both of them had girded up their loins for accomplishing
their respective purposes. Exhausted with hunger and thirst, they thus
disputed, having recourse to the scriptures. Moved (alternately) by these
words, sweet as nectar, of those two creatures, viz., the bird and the
beast, both of whom were endued with the wisdom of knowledge, the kinsmen
at one time wished to go away and at another to stay there. At last,
moved by grief and cheerlessness, they waited there, indulging in bitter
lamentations. They did not know that the boast and the bird, skilled in
accomplishing their own purposes, had only stupefied them (by their
addresses). While the bird and the beast, both possessed of wisdom.. were
thus disputing and while the kinsmen of the deceased child sat listening
to them, the great god Sankara, urged by his divine spouse (Uma), came
there with eyes bathed in tears of compassion. Addressing the kinsmen of
the deceased child, the god said, 'I am Sankara the giver of boons.' With
hearts heavy with grief, those men prostrated themselves before the great
deity and said unto him in reply, 'Bereft of this one who was our only
child, all of us are at the point of death. It behoveth thee to grant us
life by granting life to this our son.' Thus solicited, the illustrious
deity, taking up a quantity of water in his hands granted unto that dead
child life extending for a hundred years. Ever employed in the good of
all creatures, the illustrious wielder of Pinaka granted a boon unto both
the jackal and the vulture in consequence of which their hunger was
appeased. Filled with delight and having achieved great prosperity, the
men bowed unto the god. Crowned with success, they then, O king, left
that spot in great joy. Through persistent hopefulness and firm
resolution and the grace of the great god, the fruits of one's acts are
obtained without delay. Behold, the combination of circumstances and the
resolution of those kinsmen. While they were crying with agonised hearts,
their tears were wiped and dried up. Behold, how within only a short
time, through their steadiness of resolution, they obtained the grace of
Sankara, and their afflictions dispelled, they were made happy. Indeed,
through Sankara's grace, O chief of the Bharatas, those sorrowing kinsmen
were filled with amazement and delight at the restoration of their child
to life. Then, O king, casting off that grief of which their child had
been the cause, those Brahmanas, filled with delight, quickly went back
to their town taking the restored child with them. Behaviour like this
has been laid down for all the four orders. By frequently listening to
this auspicious story fraught with virtue, profit, and salvation, a man
obtains happiness both here and hereafter.'"
