regards the righteous, none of them attains to an end that is superior to that of any other person amongst them.  Indeed, the righteous show, in this respect, an equality.  As regards the man of Knowledge, whatever acts have been done by him in past times (while he was steeped in Ignorance) and whatever acts fraught with great iniquity he does (after attainment of Knowledge), he destroys both by Knowledge as his sole means.  Then again, upon the attainment of Knowledge he ceases to perpetrate these two evils, viz., censuring the wicked acts of others and doing any wicked acts himself under the influence of attachment.’"[1451]

SECTION CCLXXXVII

“Yudhishthira said, ’Living creatures always stand in fear of sorrow and death.  Tell me, O grandsire, how the occurrence of these two may be prevented.’

“Bhishma said, ’In this connection, O Bharata, is cited the old narrative of the discourse between Narada and Samanga.’

“Narada said, ’(While others salute their superiors by only a bend of the head) thou salutest thy superiors by prostrating thyself on the ground till thy chest comes into contact with the ground.  Thou seemest to be engaged in crossing (the river of life) with thy hands.[1452] Thou seemest to be always free from sorrow and exceedingly cheerful.  I do not see that thou hast the least anxiety.  Thou art always content and happy and thou seemest to sport (in felicity) like a child.’

“Samanga said, ’O giver of honours, I know the truth about the Past, the Present, and the Future.  Hence I never become cheerless.[1453] I know also what the beginning of acts is in this world, what the accession of their fruits, and how varied are those fruits.  Hence I never yield to sorrow.[1454] Behold, the illiterate, the destitute, the prosperous, O Narada, the blind, idiots and madmen, and ourselves also, all live.[1455] These live by virtue of their acts of past lives.  The very deities, who exist freed from diseases, exist (in that state) by virtue of their past acts.  The strong and the weak, all, live by virtue of past acts.  It is fitting, therefore, that thou shouldst hold us in esteem.  The owners of thousands live.  The owners of hundreds also live.  They that are overwhelmed with sorrow live.  Behold, we too are living!  When we, O Narada, do not give way to grief, what can the practice of the duties (of religion) or the observance of (religious) acts do to us?  And since all joys and sorrows also are not unending, they are, therefore, unable to agitate us at all.[1456] That for which men are said to be wise, indeed, the very root of wisdom, is the freedom of the senses from error.  It is the senses that yield to error and grief.  One whose senses are subject to error can never be said to have attained wisdom.  That pride which is indulged in by a man subject to error is only a form of the error to which he is subject.  As regards the man of error, he has neither this world