The body of a person that is tortured by thirst, that is
agitated by agony, that is perfectly helpless, and that is desirous of
prolonging his life, is dragged towards destruction.[1769] Days and
nights are ceaselessly running bearing away in their current the periods
of life of all human beings. Like currents of rivers, these flow
ceaselessly without ever turning back.[1770] The ceaseless succession of
the lighted and the dark fortnights is wasting all mortal creatures
without stopping for even a moment in this work. Rising and setting day
after day, the Sun, who is himself undecaying, is continually cooking the
joys and sorrows of all men. The nights are ceaselessly going away,
taking with them the good and bad incidents that befall man, that depend
on destiny, and that are unexpected by him. If the fruits of man's acts
were not dependent on other circumstances, then one would obtain whatever
object one would desire. Even men of restrained senses, of cleverness,
and of intelligence, if destitute of acts, never succeed in earning any
fruits.[1771] Others, though destitute of intelligence and unendued with
accomplishments of any kind, and who are really the lowest of men, are
seen, even when they do not long after success, to be crowned with the
fruition of all their desires.[1772] Some one else, who is always ready
to do acts of injury to all creatures, and who is engaged in deceiving
all the world, is seen to wallow in happiness. Some one that sits idly,
obtains great prosperity; while another, by exerting earnestly, is seen
to miss desirable fruits almost within his reach.
Pages:
2504
2505
2506
2507
2508
2509
2510
2511
2512
2513
2514
2515
2516
2517
2518
2519
2520
2521
2522
2523
2524
2525
2526
2527
2528