Indian Antiquary Vol 35

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 62

56
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1908.
Then the Celestial Beiuge replied in grave and majestic speech as follows: "If you are the messengers of Yâma, tell us where does your Master reside? Tell as what is right and what is wise ? What actions and what men are punishable? Are all beings punishable, or only sinners ?"
The Angels of Death replied, "Whatever is ordained by the Vedas is virtue, the rest is vice. The Vedas proceod from Vishnu, by whom all souls are passed into different bodies. All this is known from the Vedas. The sun, the moon, the heavens, the air, the two twilights, days and nights, time, earth, fire, water, and the Devas, all bear witness to the actions of each embolied soul. Nothing is hidden, and the actions will deterinine the punishment as well as the place. All who transgress these laws are punishable. When a man begins to live, he must be doing something, good or bad, according as he is associated with the different yuņae. He must reap the exact fruit of action, Yama is also present wherever a being is and witnesses all his actions, words and thoughts, which are determined by the guna he is in. And some will remember their past actions in a former birth by virtue of their bodies being made of fine matter; others will forget, by reason of their bodies being made of gross matter. Some will frequent the company of good men, and so obtain knowledge of God. Sin can only be got rid of by serving Vishnu, who resides in the mind, who is known through the Vedas and Védánta, and is the Highest Being. The man who does not know God, or keep in the company of the godly, will be lost, as a stra:7 is destroyed in the fire. But those who serve God will be restored, as a sick man is restored by good medicine. But this man left his good life, and fell in love with a bad woman, and became sunk in sensuality, drank wine and ate mcat, and so he must be punisbed by Yâma, and purified og that discipline."
Then the Celestial Beings enumerated all Ajamila's good deeds, and showed that in his past births he had accumulated much virtue as well as some vice, and for this vice he had been siredy panished by falling into a state of vice. Hearing this, the Angels of Death left him and went away.
Then Ajamila, who had heard all the conversation between the Angels of Death and the Celestial Beings, stood up and saluted Visbņu and the Celestial Beings, and humbly tried to express bis gratitude. The Celestial Beings told him that it was by his calling his son Narayana (the highest name of God) that his thoughts were directed towards God and therefore they were able to come to his aid. Saying this, they left him, whereupon he surveyed all his past life and his bad actions, and repented of them, and said, "I was in danger of falling into hell, when these Celestial Beings saved me. This is the result of my former service to God, which can never be frnitles .." Oa this, he was taken to heaven.
X.
Chitraketu. Chitrakátu was the King of Surasong in the Maharashtra Country. He ruled bis people well, being very patient and trying to gain their good opinion. He had a thousand wives, who were all of them beautiful, bat none of them had any children. All his riches and prosperity did not make up to hire for the want of a son. One day the Rishi Angiraba carne to see the King, and seeing that he appeared sorrowful, asked the cause of his trouble. The King replied, “Through the power of your penance nothing is hidden from you, and therefore you know the cause," and bent his head with shame. The Rishi understanding what he wanted, advised him to perform a certain sacrifice by which he would be granted a son. The King performed the sacrifice, and in course of tipe, his chief wife bore him a son. The King was transported with joy, and made a great feast. The child grew well and strong, and the King became much attached to the chief wife and neglected the others. This filled their minds with jealousy, and at last they contrived together to poison the ehild. When the mother saw the dead child, she fell to the ground like a tree cut down. The King heard her cry and filled with fear, hastenod to the place, where seeing his son dead, he shooned sway with grief.