person
were not, in the matter of his acts, himself the cause thereof, then
sacrifices would not bear any fruits in his case nor would any body be a
disciple or a master. It is because a person is himself the cause of his
work that he is applauded when he achieved success. So the doer is
censured if he faileth. If a man were not himself the cause of his acts,
how would all this be justified? Some say that everything is the result
of providential dispensation; others again, that this is not so, but
that everything which is supposed to be the result of destiny or chance
is the result of the good or the bad acts of former lives. It is seen,
possessions are obtained from chance, as also from destiny. Something
being from destiny and something from chance, something is obtained by
exertion. In the acquisition of his objects, there is no fourth cause in
the case of man. Thus say those that are acquainted with truth and
skilled in knowledge. If, however, God himself were not the giver of
good and bad fruits, then amongst creatures there would not be any that
was miserable. If the effect of former acts be a myth, then all purposes
for which man would work should be successful. They, therefore, that
regard the three alone (mentioned above) as the doors of all success and
failure in the world, (without regarding the acts of former life), are
dull and inert like the body itself. For all this, however, a person
should act. This is the conclusion of Manu himself. The person that doth
not act, certainly succumbeth, O Yudhishthira. The man of action in this
world generally meeteth with success. The idle, however, never achieveth
success. If success becometh impossible, then should one seek to remove
the difficulties that bar his way to success. And, O king, if a person
worketh (hard), his debt (to the gods) is cancelled (whether he
achieveth success or not). The person that is idle and lieth at his
length, is overcome by adversity; while he that is active and skillful
is sure to reap success and enjoy prosperity. Intelligent persons
engaged in acts with confidence in themselves regard all who are
diffident as doubting and unsuccessful. The confident and faithful,
however, are regarded by them as successful. And this moment misery hath
overtaken us. If, however, thou betakest to action, that misery will
certainly be removed. If thou meetest failure, then that will furnish a
proof unto thee and Vrikodara and Vivatsu and the twins (that ye