All men wish to attain to gradual
superiority of position. To gratify this wish they strive to the best of
their power. The result, however, does not agree with wish.[1780] Even
men that are perfectly heedful, that are honest, and brave and endued
with prowess, are seen to pay their adorations to men intoxicated with
the pride of affluence and with even alcoholic stimulants.[1781] Some men
are seen whose calamities disappear before even these are marked or
noticed by them. Others there are who are seen to possess no wealth but
who are free from misery of every kind. A great disparity is observable
in respect of the fruits that wait upon conjunctions of acts. Some are
seen to bear vehicles on their shoulders, while some are seen to ride on
those vehicles. All men are desirous of affluence and prosperity. A few
only have cars (and elephants and steeds) dragged (or walking) in their
processions. Some there are that fail to have a single spouse when their
first-wedded ones are dead; while others have hundreds of spouses to call
their own. Misery and happiness are the two things that exist side by
side. Men have either misery or happiness. Behold, this is a subject of
wonder! Do not, however, suffer thyself to be stupefied by error at such
a sight! Cast off both righteousness and sin! Cast off also truth and
falsehood! Having cast off truth and falsehood, do thou then cast off
that with whose aid thou shalt cast off the former! O best of Rishis, I
have now told thee that which is a great misery! With the aid of such
instructions, the deities (who were all human beings) succeeded in
leaving the Earth for becoming the denizens of heaven!
"'Hearing these words of Narada Suka, endued with great intelligence and
possessed of tranquillity of mind, reflected upon the drift of the
instructions he received, but could not arrive at any certainty of
conclusion.
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