Chapter
11: Svâyambhuva
Manu
Advises
Dhruva
Mahârâja
to
Stop
Fighting
(1) Maitreya said: 'After having heard the words
of the sages Dhruva touched water and fixed on his bow an arrow
made by Nârâyana. (2)
Joining this weapon of Nârâyana to his bow, quickly
the illusions created by the Yakshas were vanquished oh Vidura, just
like pleasures and pains are dispelled by the rise of spiritual
knowledge. (3) With the weapon that was given to him fixed on his
bow,
golden arrows with feathers like the wings of swans sprang forward which pierced the enemy
soldiers with the
tumultuous sound of peacocks entering a forest. (4)
Because of those sharp pointed arrows the
Yakshas here and there dispersed on the battlefield got terribly
excited so that they full of anger
with uplifted weapons rushed
towards him, just like serpents with raised hoods do when they wage
against Garuda. (5) With his
arrows he cut through the arms, legs, necks and bellies of all
the Yakshas who came forward in battle. He sent them all to the abode
above
the sun where all those who send their seed upwards [the
celibates] are going. (6) When he saw
those
Yakshas being killed by the man with the wonderful chariot while
they
factually had not committed any offense, the grandfather, the Manu, in his mercy approached the son of
Uttânapâda together with the great sages in order to
instruct him. (7)
Manu said: 'Enough my son, stop the
killing
of
these
good
guys
who
never
wronged
you. With this
escalation of anger you're treading the
path of ignorance and sin. (8)
My dear, this
undertaking to kill the Yakshas who haven't sinned, is not befitting a
member of our
family and is forbidden by the sages. (9)
Surely my best, you are aggrieved at the death of the brother you care
about, but now the offense of one Yaksha has lead to the killing of his
many associates. (10)
This killing of living beings is certainly never the way of those who
honestly follow the path of the Lord of the Senses. Taking
the body for the self one is like the animals. (11) You have with your meditation upon the
Supersoul within all
living beings reached the abode of Lord Hari who is so
difficult to propitiate. You thus being of worship attained the supreme
position of
Vishnu. (12) How can someone like you who esteemed by the
devotees of the Lord always are remembered by them, you who as an
example to others are vowed to the saintly, engage in such an
abomination?
(13) When one is of tolerance, friendship, mercy
and equanimity towards all living beings, the Soul of All, the Supreme
Lord will be
very pleased. (14) Pleasing the Supreme Lord a person being liberated
from the
modes of material nature and freed from the worries of his individual
existence will achieve unlimited spiritual bliss [brahma
nirvâna]. (15) Man
and
woman
[by
the
impelling
force
of
Time]
evolved
from
the five elements of matter and
by their sexual behavior even more men
and women came about in this world. (16)
Because
of the interaction of the modes of nature oh King,
thus the creation,
maintenance and annihilation takes place with the illusory energy of the Supreme Self. (17) The
way iron is moved
[by a magnet] this world of cause and effect must be considered as
being moved by
the remote cause [of] the original and most exalted Person who is free
from the modes of nature. (18)
Under the influence of the no
doubt hard to fathom potency of the Almighty One in the form of the
force of Time, the interaction
[or disturbance of the equilibrium] of the modes of nature resulted in this
diversity of energies upon which the Supreme Personality
exerts His influence even though He is not the one acting and in which
He leads to death even though He is not the one who kills. (19)
He to whom there is no end in
the form of Time puts everything to an end, He who knows no beginning
constitutes
the beginning of everything, He
who is inexhaustible gives life to one living being by means of
another one and He as death puts an end to everything that kills. (20)
As death entering each his
life no
one is His ally or His definitive enemy. All the combinations of the
elements [organic and inorganic] helplessly follow His movement like
dust particles moved by the wind.
(21) Free from a
short or long lifespan as is the case with beings that are born, the
Almighty One is ever situated in His transcendental position and
grants the covetous ones the results of their actions. (22)
Some oh king, explain that
karma [the work load of fruitive
activities] as arising from one's
particular nature or as brought
about by others oh protector of men. Some say it's due to time, others
refer to fate, while still others ascribe it to the desire of the
living entity. (23)
Who my dear boy, can ever understand the intentions of Him who is our
origin, He of transcendence who from the unmanifested reality [pradhâna]
gives
rise
to
the
different
energies
and
natural
forces?
(24) The same way my son, all these followers of Kuvera [the divine treasurer] are not the murderers of your brother. Only God is the cause of the birth and death of a living being my dear. (25) He creates the universe and also maintains and annihilates it. Moreover He does not get entangled by the activities of the modes of nature, for He [being free from false ego] does not identify Himself with a material body. (26) This Supersoul, the controller and maintainer of all beings, brings forth, fosters and devours, making use of the force of His external energy. (27) For Him my dearest, He the Supreme One of death and immortality who in every respect is the ultimate goal of surrender for all the world, all the devotees and important personalities of creation bring their offerings, being controlled by Him the way bulls are controlled by a rope through their nose. (28) Five years of age only you left your mother, aggrieved at heart by the words of your stepmother and went to the forest to worship the Lord with austerities. Thus you attained the highest position in the three worlds. (29) Keeping Him in mind my best one, free from anger turn yourself to the one infallible spiritual self [the Brahman] situated in the beyond and try looking at the soul to discover the uncontaminated state from within all that is divided appears to be untrue. (30) When you then render transcendental service to the Soul Inside of the Supreme Lord who endowed with all potencies is the unlimited reservoir of all pleasure, you will very soon untie the knot of illusion of 'I' and 'mine' and thus be firmly fixed.
(31) Just control your anger - it is the enemy of all goodness - and all good fortune will be yours. By constantly keeping to this lesson my dear King, this [directive] will work like a medicinal treatment for a disease. (32) An intelligent person who for his soul desires freedom from fear, must never be lead by anger, for everyone shuns the person ruled by it. (33) By angrily killing the Yakshas of whom you thought that they had killed your brother, you've slighted the brother of S'iva, Kuvera. (34) Forthwith go pacify him my son. Offer him respectfully, with gentle words your obeisances, before the wrath of the great ones will defeat our family.'
(35) Manu Svâyambhuva after thus giving instruction to his grandson received from him his obeisances and departed together with the sages for his abode.'
(24) The same way my son, all these followers of Kuvera [the divine treasurer] are not the murderers of your brother. Only God is the cause of the birth and death of a living being my dear. (25) He creates the universe and also maintains and annihilates it. Moreover He does not get entangled by the activities of the modes of nature, for He [being free from false ego] does not identify Himself with a material body. (26) This Supersoul, the controller and maintainer of all beings, brings forth, fosters and devours, making use of the force of His external energy. (27) For Him my dearest, He the Supreme One of death and immortality who in every respect is the ultimate goal of surrender for all the world, all the devotees and important personalities of creation bring their offerings, being controlled by Him the way bulls are controlled by a rope through their nose. (28) Five years of age only you left your mother, aggrieved at heart by the words of your stepmother and went to the forest to worship the Lord with austerities. Thus you attained the highest position in the three worlds. (29) Keeping Him in mind my best one, free from anger turn yourself to the one infallible spiritual self [the Brahman] situated in the beyond and try looking at the soul to discover the uncontaminated state from within all that is divided appears to be untrue. (30) When you then render transcendental service to the Soul Inside of the Supreme Lord who endowed with all potencies is the unlimited reservoir of all pleasure, you will very soon untie the knot of illusion of 'I' and 'mine' and thus be firmly fixed.
(31) Just control your anger - it is the enemy of all goodness - and all good fortune will be yours. By constantly keeping to this lesson my dear King, this [directive] will work like a medicinal treatment for a disease. (32) An intelligent person who for his soul desires freedom from fear, must never be lead by anger, for everyone shuns the person ruled by it. (33) By angrily killing the Yakshas of whom you thought that they had killed your brother, you've slighted the brother of S'iva, Kuvera. (34) Forthwith go pacify him my son. Offer him respectfully, with gentle words your obeisances, before the wrath of the great ones will defeat our family.'
(35) Manu Svâyambhuva after thus giving instruction to his grandson received from him his obeisances and departed together with the sages for his abode.'