all their desires fulfilled, were given to praiseworthy courses
of life, were speakers of truth, godly and pure. All were equal to the
gods, could ascend to the sky at their pleasure, and could come back
again; and all went about at their pleasure. And they had their death and
their life also under their own control; and they had few sufferings; had
no fear; and had their wishes fulfilled; and they were free from trouble;
could visit the gods and the magnanimous saints; knew by heart all
righteous rules; were self-controlled and free from envy. And they lived
many thousand years; and had many thousand sons. Then in course of time
they came to be restricted to walking solely on the surface of the earth,
overpowered by lust and wrath, dependent for subsistence upon falsehood
and trick, overwhelmed by greed and senselessness. Then those wicked men,
when disembodied, on account of their unrighteous and unblessed deeds,
went to hell in a crooked way. Again and again, they were grilled, and,
again and again they began to drag their miserable existence in this
wonderful world. And their desires were unfulfilled, the objects
unaccomplished, and their knowledge became unavailing. And their senses
were paralysed and they became apprehensive of everything and the cause
of other people's sufferings. And they were generally marked by wicked
deeds, and born in low families; they became wicked and afflicted with
diseases, and the terror of others. And they became short-lived and
sinful and they reaped the fruit of their terrible deeds. And coveting
everything, they became godless and indifferent in mind, O son of Kunti!
The destiny of every creature after death is determined by his acts in
this world. Thou hast asked me where this treasure of acts of the sage
and the ignorant remain, and where they enjoy the fruit of their good and
evil deeds! Do thou listen to the regulations on this subject! Man with
his subtle original body created by God lays up a great store of virtue
and vice. After death he quits his frail (outer) body and is immediately
born again in another order of beings. He never remains non-existent for
a single moment. In his new life his actions follow him invariably as
shadow and, fructifying, makes his destiny happy or miserable. The wise
man, by his spiritual insight, knows all creatures to be bound to an
immutable destiny by the destroyer and incapable of resisting the
fruition of his actions in good or evil fortune. T