“Bhishma continued, ’Hearing these words fraught with excellent sense and with reason, king Janaka failed to return any answer thereto.’"[1711]

SECTION CCCXXII

“Yudhishthira said, ’How was Suka, the son of Vyasa, in days of old, won over to Renunciation?  I desire to hear thee recite the story.  My curiosity in this respect is irrepressible.  It behoveth thee, O thou of Kuru’s race, to discourse to me on the conclusions in respect of the Unmanifest (Cause), the Manifest (Effects), and of the Truth (or Brahma) that is in, but unattached to them, as also of the acts of the self-born Narayana, as they are known to thy understanding.

“Bhishma said, ’Beholding his son Suka living fearlessly as ordinary men do in practices that are considered harmless by them, Vyasa taught him the entire Vedas and then discoursed to him one day in these words:  ’Vyasa said, O son, becoming the master of the senses, do thou subdue extreme cold and extreme heat, hunger and thirst, and the wind also, and having subdued them (as Yogins do), do thou practise righteousness.  Do thou duly observe truth and sincerity, and freedom from wrath and malice, and self-restraint and penances, and the duties of benevolence and compassion.  Rest thou on truth, firmly devoted to righteousness, abandoning all sort of insincerity and deceit.  Do thou support thy life on what remains of food after feeding gods and guests.  Thy body is as transitory as the froth on the surface of water.  The Jiva-soul is sitting unattached in it as a bird on a tree.  The companionship of all agreeable object is exceedingly short-lived.  Why then, O son, dost thou sleep in such forgetfulness?  Thy foes are heedful and awake and ever ready (to spring on thee) and always watchful of their opportunity.  Why art thou so foolish as not to know this?[1712] As the days are going one after another, the period of thy life is being lessened.  Indeed when thy life is being incessantly shortened, why dost thou not run to preceptors (for learning the means of rescue)?  Only they that are destitute of faith (in the existence of next life) set their hearts on things of this world that have the only effect of increasing flesh and blood.  They are totally unmindful of all that is concerned with the next world.  Those men that are stupefied by erroneous understandings display a hatred for righteousness.  The man who walks after those misguided persons that have betaken themselves to devious and wrong paths is afflicted equally with them.  They however, that are contented, devoted to the scriptures, endued with high souls, and possessed of great might, betake themselves to the part of righteousness.  Do thou wait upon them with reverence and seek instruction from them.  Do thou act according to the instructions received from those wise men whose eyes are set upon righteousness.  With understanding cleansed by such lessons and rendered superior, do thou then restrain