37 -The conversation between the Father and Son (continued). The discrimination of the Soul.

Alarka ruled righteously and prosperously, but was greatly addicted pleasure- His brother Subáhu, wishing to correct him, formed an alliance with the king of Kášhí-Both attacked Alarka to wrest the kingdom from him, and reduced him to great straits. In his distress he oks at Madálasa’s token-ring and seeks relief from Dattatreya-He explains to Dattatreya wherein lies his suffering, and launches into a metaphysical disquisition on the soul, the mind, the body, and pleasure and pain. 

Jada spoke.

1 And Alarka also, righteous in soul, protected justly and like children his glad people who practised each his own

2 business. Inflicting punishment on the wicked, and worthily affording protection to the peaceable, ho experienced intense delight; and he offered great sacrifices. 

3 And there were born to him sons, mighty and valiant, righteous in soul, magnanimous, who were adversaries to evil

4 conduct. And he amassed wealth by means of righteousness, and righteousness again by means of wealth; and since those two things are not antagonistic, he enjoyed even the pleasures

5 of sense. Thus many years passed away as if but a single day, while he ruled the earth, devoted to righteousness, wealth

6 and the gratification of his desires. No feelings of indifference occurred while he enjoyed his loved objects of sense; nor again did he grow satiated in amassing righteousness and wealth. 

7 His brother Subáhu, who roamed the forests, heard that he Was thus besotted in his attachment to pleasure, and uncontrolled

8 in his senses. The prince, being desirous of admowishing him, pondered long and concluded that an alliance on his part with the king’s enemies would be beneficial to the 

9 king. Then he cleverly made repeated visits to the king Káshi, who had numerous armies and chariots, as his protected in order to regain his kingdom.

10 That king collected together his army against Alarka, and despatched a messenger to demand that the kingdom should be

11 gived up to Subáhu. Alarka refused, cognizant of his own justice, to give up the kingdom then in obedience to that command, and returned answer to the messenger of the king of

12 Káshí; - “Let my elder brother come to me with affection an ask for the kingdom for himself. I will not yield up the

13 smallest bit of territory through fear on an attack.” Even wise Subáhu made no request then. Supplication is not the duty of kshatriyas, for he was mighty in valour. 

14 Then the king of Kášhí accompanied by all his army

15 marchod to attack tho country of king Alarka. And forth with forming a close union with the contiguous kings he attacked with some of their many vassals, and reduced him to

16 subjection. And without harassing Alarka’s neighbouring kings by molesting their realms, he thus subjugated both the

17 governors of the fortresses and the forest tribes. He reduced into submission some kings by bribes, and some creating dissension, and others who were well-affected toward Alarka by conciliation. 

18 Then the king with his small army, harassed by the advesary’s host, found his treasury depleted extremely by the foe

19 that blockaded his city. And being thus straitened and with his treasury diminishing daily, he fell into intensc dejection

20 and perplexity of mind. After suffering the keenest pain, then bethought him of the ring, about which his mother Madalasa

21 had formerly spoken to him. Then bathing and pufying himself, he addressed the bráhmans, and drawing out

22 the ring saw the motto thereof in clear characters. The king pronounced what his mother had written thercon, while hair of his body was visibly standing erect, and his eyes were

23 expanded with joy: - ‘Association must be shunned by every soul; if to shun it be impossible, it should be formed with the

24 good, for association with the good is a panacea. Love must be shunned by every soul; if to eschew it be impossible, it should be displayed towards the desire for final emancipation from existence, for that desire is a cure therefor.’ 

25 Now having exclaimed repeatedly, “How can men really attain bliss?’, and having decided that it was through the desire for final emancipation since that desire is appropriate*

* For tatsangato read tatsangatá? 

26 thereto, the king next pondering upon association with the good, and suffering the most poignant grief, visited illustrious

27 Dattátreya. On meeting him, magnanimous, stainless and devoid of attachments, he prostrated himself and worshipped him and addressed him with propriety; “O bráhman! show me favour, thou who art the refuge of refugeseekers! Remove affliction from me, who am in affliction, and over-addicted to desires.” 

Dattatreya spoke.

29 “At once indeed do I remove thy affliction, O king. Tell me truly, wherefore hast thou that affliction, 0 king?” 

Jada spoke.

30 Being thus addressed by that wiso Muni, the king pondered

31 over the seat and the nature of his three-fold affliction. The king, being noble in intellect, held long and repeated deliberation with his soul, being steadfast tho while, and then laughing spoke thus: -

32 “It is not myself, nor the earth, nor the sea, nor the stars, nor the wind, nor the air; but I wish for happiness in bodily

33 concerns. Pleasure and pain pass to deficiency or excess in this body composed of five elements; what welfare should

34 I not get, if such I might have, in another body wherein I should possess a constant and perfect good-disposition and should be raised and depressed through inequalities? Moreover, a man of self-denial is perceived by his difference

35 from others. And so does bodily pleasure or pain generate a good disposition in one who looks upon the subtle third portion

36 which exists merely a moment? Since pain dwells in the mind,† and pleasure again is a mental thing; therefore, neither pain nor pleasure belong to the Ego; for the Mind is

†Manas. 

37 not the Ego. Inasmuch as neither Self-consciousness,* nor Mind, nor Intellect † is the Ego, why then does the in-born

* Ahankára.     

† Buddhi. 

38 pain in something else affect me? Since the Ego is not the Body, nor the Mind, the Ego is distinct from the Body and the Mind. Therefore, let pleasures and pains dwell in the

39 Mind or in the Body; how is the Ego concerned hereat? if my elder brother covets the sovereignty over this body, it is an aggregate of five elements. How then is my Self concerned with the action of the qualities therein? He when seated

40 therein and I are distinct as regards the Body. He who altogether lacks hands and other organs, flesh, bones and head, what connexion, even a slight one, has that man here with

41 elephants, horses, chariots and other treasures? Hence my Self has no foe, it has no pain, it has no pleasure, nor city, nor treasury, nor army composed of horses, elephants, &c., neither has he, nor a third person, nor any one, nor have I any of

42 these things. For as the air that occupies tho orb†† of a small water-jar and a pitcher, though one, is perceived in many ways, so Subáhu and the king of Káśhí and I, methinks, are perceived among bodies by bodily differences.”

†† For mandalu read madala.