observing the behaviour of all creatures, a king should, by the exercise of his intelligence, apply remedies for alleviating the great sorrows of his subjects.  The causes of all mental sorrow are two, viz., delusion of the mind and the accession of distress.  No third cause exists.  All these diverse kinds of woe as also those arising from attachment to earthly enjoyments, that overtake man, are even such.[79] Decrepitude and Death, like a pair of wolves, devour all creatures, strong or weak, short or tall.  No man can escape decrepitude and death, not even the subjugator of the whole earth girt by the sea.  Be it happiness or be it sorrow that comes upon creatures., it should be enjoyed or borne without elation or depression.  There is no method of escape from them.  The evils of life, O king, overtake one in early or middle or old age.  They can never he avoided, while those (sources of bliss) that are coveted never come.[80] The absence, of what is agreeable, the presence of what is disagreeable, good and evil, bliss and woe, follow Destiny.  Similarly, the birth of creatures and their death, and the accessions of gain and loss, are all pre-ordained.  Even as scent, colour, taste, and touch spring naturally, happiness and misery arise from what has been pre-ordained.  Seats and beds and vehicles, prosperity and drink and food, ever approach leaving creatures according to Time’s course.[81] Physicians even get ill.  The strong become weak.  They that are in the enjoyment of prosperity lose all and become indigent.  The course of Time is very wonderful.  High birth, health, beauty, prosperity, and objects of enjoyment, are all won through Destiny.  The indigent, although they may not desire it, have many children.  The affluent again are seen to be childless.  Wonderful is the course of Destiny.  The evils caused by disease, fire, water, weapons, hunger, poison, fever, and death, and falls from high places, overtake a man according to the Destiny under which he is born.  It is seen in this world that somebody without sinning, suffers diverse ills, while another, having sinned, is not borne down by the weight of calamity.  It is seen that somebody in the enjoyment of wealth perishes in youth; while some one that is poor drags on his existence, borne down by decrepitude, for a hundred years.  One borne in an ignoble race may have a very long life, while one sprung from a noble line perishes soon like an insect.  In this world, it is very common that persons in affluent circumstances have no appetite, while they that are indigent can digest chips of wood.  Impelled by destiny, whatever sins the man of wicked soul, discontented with his condition, commits, saying, ‘I am the doer,’ he regards to be all for his good.  Hunting, dice, women, wine, brawls, these are censured by the wise.  Many persons, however, possessed of even extensive knowledge of the scriptures are seen to be addicted to them.  Objects, whether coveted or otherwise, come upon creatures in consequence of Time’s