Having saluted Narayana and Nara the best of male beings as also Sarasvati, the goddess of learning let us cry success.

Yudhishthira said O grandfather, peace of mind has been described to be subtile and of various forms. I have heard all your discourses, but have not still been able to acquire tranquillity of mind.

Various means of quieting the mind have been described by you, O sire, but how can peace of mind be acquired from only a knowledge of the different sorts of tranquillity, when I myself have been the means of bringing all this about?

Seeing your body covered with arrows and bad sores, I cannot get, O hero, any peace of mind. thinking of the evils I have done.

Seeing your body, O bravest of the brave, covered with blood, like a hill covered with water from its springs, I am perishing with grief as the lotus in the rainy season.

What can be more painful than this, that, for me, you, O grandfather have been reduced to this condition by my people fighting against their enemies on the battlefield.

Other princes also, with their sons and kinsmen, have been killed on my account. Alas, what can be more painful than this?

Tell us, O prince, what will befall us and the sons of Dhritarashtra, who, impelled by fate and anger, have done this hateful act.

O king, I think the son of Dhritarashtra is fortunate, because he does not see you in this condition.

But I, who am the cause of your death as well as of that of our friends, am denied all peace of mind by seeing you on the naked earth in this miserable plight.

The wicked Duryodhana, the most infamous of his family has, with all his soldiers and his brothers, died in battle, performing Kshatriya duties.

That wicked man does not see you lying on the ground! Verily, for this reason, I would prefer death to life.

O hero, who never forsook virtue, had I with my brothers met with death before this at the hands of our enemies on the battlefield, I would not have seen you in this pitiful condition, so pierced with arrows! Surely, O prince, the Maker had created us to commit evil deeds.

O king, if you wish to do me good, do you then instruct me in such a way that I may be purged of this sin in even another world.

Bhishma said Why, O fortunate one, do you regard your soul, which is dependent, to be the cause of your deeds? Its inaction is subtle and imperceptible to the senses.

Regarding it is cited the old story of the conversation between Mrityu and Gautami with Kala and the Fowler and the serpent.

There was, O son of Kunti, an old lady named Gautami, who was endued with great patience and peace of mind. One day she found her son dead on account of having been bitten by a serpent.

An angry fowler, named Arjunaka, bound the serpent with a string and brought it before Gautami.

He then said to her. This wretched serpent has been the cause of your son's death. O blessed lady! Tell me quickly how this wretch is to be killed!

Shall I throw it into the fire or shall I cut it into pieces? This infamous killer of a child should not live longer!

Gautami replied Do you, O Arjunaka of little understanding, set free this serpent! It should not be killed by you. Who is so foolish as not to care for the inevitable destiny that awaits him and make himself heavy for sinking into sin?

Those who have made themselves light by performing virtuous deeds, manage to cross the sea of the world as a ship crosses the ocean. But those who have loaded themselves with sin sink into the bottom, as an arrow thrown into the water.

By killing this serpent, this my boy will not revive, and by letting it live, no harm will be caused to you. Who would go to the endless regions of Death by killing this living creature?

The fowler said I know, O lady, who know the difference between, right and wrong that great persons are pained at the miseries of all creatures. But these words which you have uttered carry instruction for only a selfcontained person. Therefore, I must kill this serpent.

Those who value peace of mind, attribute everything to the course of Time as the cause, but practical men soon pacify their grief. People, through perpetual error, fear loss of beatitude. Therefore, O lady, remove your grief by having this serpent killed (by me).

Gautami replied People like us are never pained. Good men have their souls always bent on virtue. The death of the boy was predestined: therefore, I cannot approve of the destruction of this serpent.

Brahmanas do not cherish resentment, because resentment leads to pain. Do you, O Goodman, forgive and set free this serpent out of mercy.

The fowler replied Let us acquire great and inexhaustible merit in the next worlds by destroying (this creature), as a man gains great merit, and confers it on his victim as well, by sacrifice upon the altar! Merit is won by killing an enemy: by killing this despicable creature, you will acquire great and true merit in the next world.

Gautami replied What good is there in torturing and destroying an enemy, and what good is acquired by not setting free an enemy in our power? Therefore. O you of kind face, why should we not forgive this serpent and try to acquire merit by setting it free.

The fowler replied A great number (of creatures)should be safeguarded against this one, instead of this single creature being protected. Virtuous men quit the vicious: do you, therefore, destroy the wicked creature.

Gautami replied By killing this serpent, my son, O fowler, will not regain his life, nor do I see that any other end will be attained by its death: therefore, do you, O fowler, set this living serpent free.

The fowler said By destroying Vritra, Indra got the best portion (of sacrificial offerings), and by destroying a sacrifice Mahadeva secured his share of sacrificial offerings: do you, therefore, kill this serpent forthwith without any misgivings whatsoever.

Bhishma said Although repeatedly urged on by the fowler for the destruction of the serpent, the great Gautami did nor bend her mind to that sinful deed. Painfully fettered with the cord, sighing a little and keeping up its composure with great difficulty, the serpent then uttered these words slowly, in a human voice.

The serpent said O foolish Arjunaka, what is my fanlt? I have no will of my own, and am not independent! Death sent me on this work.

By his order have I bitten this child, and not out of any anger or option an my part. Therefore, if there be any sin in this, O fowler, the sin is his.

The fowler said If you have committed this evil, urged thereto by another, the sin is your also as you are an instrument in the act.

As in the making of an earthen pot the potter's wheel and rod and other things are all considered as causes, so are you, O serpent.

The serpent said He who is guilty should be killed by me, You, O serpent, are guilty! Indeed you confess it. As all these, vis., the porter's wheel, rod, and other things, are not independent causes, so I am not an independent cause! Therefore, this is no fault of mine, you should admit it.

If you hold otherwise, then these are to be considered as causes working with one another. For thus working with one other, a doubt springs up about their relation as cause and effect.

Such being the case, it is no fault of mine, nor should I be killed on this account, nor am I guilty of any sin! Or, if you think that there is sin, the sin lies in the aggregate of causes.

The fowler said If you are neither the principal cause nor the agent in this matter: you are still the cause of the death. Therefore, I think you should be killed.

If, O serpent, you think that when an evil deed is done the doer is not implicated therein, then there can be no cause in this matter: but having done this, you should surely be killed. What more do you think?

The serpent said Whether any prime cause exists or not, no effect is done without an (intermediate) act. Therefore, causation being of no importance in either case, my act as the cause should be considered in full.

If, O fowler, you consider me truly, to be the cause then the sin of this act of killing a living being rests on the shoulders of another who led me to do this.

The fowler said You don't deserve life, O foolish one, why do you then exchange so many words, O wretched serpent? You should be killed by me. You have done a heinous crime by killing this infant.

The serpent said O fowler, as the priests officiating at a sacrifice do not gain the merit of the act by offering oblations of clarified butter to the fire, so should I be considered in this matter.

Bhishma continued The serpent directed by Death having said this, Death himself appeared there and addressing the serpent said:

Mrityu said Guided by Kala, I, O serpent, sent you on this mission, and neither are you nor am I the cause of this child's death.

As the clouds are driven hither and thither by the wind I, am, O serpent, moved by Kala.

All influences of Sattwa, or Rajas, or Tamas, originate from Kala as they work in all creatures.

All creatures, mobile and immobile, in heaven, or earth, are pervaded by the influence of Kala. The whole universe, O serpent, is permeated by this same influence of Kala.

All acts in this world and all abstentions, as also all their changes, are owing to be influenced by Kala.

The Sun, Soma, Vishnu, Water, Wind, the god of a hundred sacrifices, Fire, Sky, Earth, Mitra and Parjanaya, Aditi, and the Vasus, Rivers and Oceans, all existent and nonexistent objects, are created and destroyed by Kala.

Knowing this, why do you, O serpent, consider me blameable? If I am to be blamed for this, you are also blameable.

The serpent said I do not, O Mrityu, blame you, nor do I set you free from all blame. I only say that I am directed and influenced by you.

If Kala is to be blamed, or, it is not for me to find the fault. We have nor right to do so.

As it is my duty to absolve myself from this blame, so it is my duty to see that Mrityu is not blamed.

Bhishma continued Then the serpent, addressing Arjunaka said, 'You have heard what Mrityu has said. Therefore, it is not proper for you to torment me, who am innocent, by fettering me with this rope

The fowler said I have heard, you, O serpent, as well as the words of Mrityu, but these, O serpent, do not set you free from all blame.

Mrityu and you are the causes of this child's death. I regard both of you to be the cause and I do not call that to be the cause which is not truly so.

Accursed be the wicked and vengeful Death that causes misery to the good! I shall also kill you who are sinful and engaged in sinful deeds.

Mrityu said We both are not free, but are dependent on Kala, and are ordained to do our appointed work. You will not blame us if you do consider this matter thoroughly.

The fowler said If you both, O serpent and Mrityu, depend on Kala. I am curious to know how pleasure and anger are caused.

Mrityu said Everything is done under the influence of Kala. I have said it before, O fowler, that Kala is the cause of all and therefore we both, acting under the influence of Kala, do our appointed work and, therefore, O fowler, we two should not be blamed by you.

Bhishma said Then Kala arrived there where ethics were being discussed, and spoke thus to the serpent and Mrityu and the fowler Arjunaka assembled together.

Kala said Neither Mrityu, nor this serpent, nor I, O fowler, am guilty of the death of any creature. We are merely the immediate causes of the event. O Arjunaka, the Karma of this child was the exciting cause of our action in this matter.

There was no other cause by which this child met its death. It was killed by the result of its own Karma.

It has met 'with death as the result of its pristine Karma. Its Karma has been the root of its destruction. We all are subject to our respective Karma.

Karma is a help to salvation as sons are and Karma also expresses virtue and vice in man. We impell one another even acts urge one another.

As men make from a lump of clay whatever they wish to make, so do men come by various results out of Karma.

As light and shadow are connected with each other, so are men related to Karma through their own deeds.

Therefore, neither are you, nor am I, nor Mrityu, nor the serpent, nor this old Brahmana lady, is the cause of this child's death.

He himself is the cause here. Upon Kala, O king, explaining the matter thus, Gautami, convinced in her mind that men suffer according to their actions, spoke thus to Arjunaka.

Gautami said Neither Kala, nor Mrityu, nor the serpent, is the cause here. This child has met with death as the result of its own Karma,

I too have so acted that my son has died. Let now Kala and Mrityu retire from there, and do you too, O Arjunaka, set this serpent free.

Bhishma continued Then Kala and Mrityu and the serpent returned to their respective places, and Gautami became consoled in mind as also the fowler.

Having heard all this, O king, do you forego all grief, and acquire peace of mind! Men attain to heaven or hell as the result of their own Karma.

This evil has neither been of your own creation, nor of Duryodhana's! That these king's of Earth have all been killed, is the work of Kala.

Vaishampayana said Having heard all this, the powerful and pious Yudhishthira became consoled in mind, and again enquired as follows.