SECTION XXXI

“Yudhishthira said, ’Thy speech, O Yajnaseni, is delightful, smooth and full of excellent phrases.  We have listened to it (carefully).  Thou speakest, however, the language of atheism.  O princess, I never act, solicitous of the fruits of my actions.  I give away, because it is my duty to give; I sacrifice because it is my duty to sacrifice!  O Krishna, I accomplish to the best of my power whatever a person living in domesticity should do, regardless of the fact whether those acts have fruits or not.  O thou of fair hips, I act virtuously, not from the desire of reaping the fruits of virtue, but of not transgressing the ordinances of the Veda, and beholding also the conduct of the good and wise!  My heart, O Krishna, is naturally attracted towards virtue.  The man who wisheth to reap the fruits of virtue is a trader in virtue.  His nature is mean and he should never be counted amongst the virtuous.  Nor doth he ever obtain the fruits of his virtues!  Nor doth he of sinful heart, who having accomplished a virtuous act doubteth in his mind, obtain the fruits of his act, in consequence of that scepticism of his!  I speak unto thee, under the authority of the Vedas, which constitute the highest proof in such matters, that never shouldst thou doubt virtue!  The man that doubteth virtue is destined to take his birth in the brute species.  The man of weak understanding who doubteth religion, virtue or the words of the Rishis, is precluded from regions of immortality and bliss, like Sudras from the Vedas!  O intelligent one, if a child born of a good race studieth the Vedas and beareth himself virtuously, royal sages of virtuous behaviour regard him as an aged sage (not withstanding his years)!  The sinful wretch, however, who doubteth religion and transgresseth the scriptures, is regarded as lower even than Sudras and robbers!  Thou hast seen with thy own eyes the great ascetic Markandeya of immeasurable soul come to us!  It is by virtue alone that he hath acquired immortality in the flesh.  Vyasa, and Vasistha and Maitreya, and Narada and Lomasa, and Suka, and other Rishis have all, by virtue alone, become of pure soul!  Thou beholdest them with thy own eyes as furnished with prowess of celestial asceticism, competent to curse or bless (with effect), and superior to the very gods!  O sinless one, these all, equal to the celestials themselves, behold with their eyes what Is written in the Vedas, and describe virtue as the foremost duty!  It behoveth thee not, therefore, O amiable Queen, to either doubt or censure God or act, with a foolish heart.  The fool that doubteth religion and disregardeth virtue, proud of the proof derived from his own reasoning, regardeth not other proofs and holdeth the Rishis, who are capable of knowing the future as present as mad men.  The fool regardeth only the external world capable of gratifying his senses, and is blind to everything else.  He that doubteth religion