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CHAPTER II, 20.
237
orders in the body) when the time comes? By aggravating the disorders (in) his own (body), he contracts a disease which ends in death, or he even engages in unreasonable acts), such as hanging ? (oneself). From these causes, the living : body of that creature then perishes. Learn about that correctly as I am about to state it. Heat being kindled in the body, and being urged by a sharp windo, pervades the whole frame, and, verily, checks the (movements of all the) life-winds. Know this truly, that excessively powerful heat, if kindled in the body, bursts open the vital parts--the seats of the soul. Then the soul, full of torments, forthwith falls away from the perishable (body). Know, O best of the twice-born! that (every) creature leaves the body, when the vital parts are burst open, its self being overcome with torments. All beings are constantly distracted with birth and death; and, O chief of the twice-born! are seen abandoning (their) bodies, or entering the womb on the exhaustion of their previous) actions. Again, a man suffers similar torments, having his joints broken and suffering from
· The time of destruction, says Arguna Misra.
• Which, say the commentators, leads to death, even without any disease.
So I construe the original, having regard to the question, 'bow does the body perish?' The other reading, which is in some respects better, is equivalent to the life falls away from the body of that creature.
• This is different, as the commentators point out, from the ordinary life-winds.
• The original here is gtva, not alman, which we have rendered sell. This refers rather to the vital principle. As to the seats, cf. YAgatavalkya Smriti III, 93 seq.
• I adopt the reading karmanám, which I find in one of the MSS. I consulted. I think it probable that that was the reading before the commentators. The other reading is marmanám.
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