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Part 1 |
Thus a man practising Dharma, Artha and Kama enjoys happiness both in this world and in the
world to come. The good perform those actions in which there is no fear as to what is to result from
them in the next world, and in which there is no danger to their welfare. Any action which conduces
to the practice of Dharma, Artha and Kama together, or of any two, or even one of them, should be
performed, but an action which conduces to the practice of one of them at the expense of the
remaining two should not be performed.
Footnotes
1
These were certainly materialists who seemed to think that a bird in the hand was worth two
in the bush.
2
Among the Hindoos the four classes of men are the Brahmans or priestly class, the Kshutrya
or warlike class, the Vaishya or agricultural and mercantile class, and the Shoodra or menial
class. The four stages of life are, the life of a religious student, the life of a householder, the
life of a hermit, and the life of a Sunyasi or devotee.
3
Bali was a demon who had conquered Indra and gained his throne, but was afterwards
overcome by Vishnu at the time of his fifth incarnation.
4
Dandakya is said to have abducted from the forest the daughter of a Brahman, named
Bhargava, and, being cursed by the Brahman, was buried with his kingdom under a shower
of dust. The place was called after his name the Dandaka forest, celebrated in the Bamayana,
but now unknown.
Ahalya was the wife of the sage Gautama. Indra caused her to believe that he was Gautama,
and thus enjoyed her. He was cursed by Gautama and subsequently afflicted with a thousand
ulcers on his body.
Kichaka was the brother-in-law of King Virata, with whom the Pandavas had taken refuge
for one year. Kichaka was killed by Bhima, who assumed the disguise of Draupadi. For this
story the Mahabarata should be referred to.
The story of Ravana is told in the Ramayana, which with the Mahabarata form the two great
epic poems of the Hindoos; the latter was written by Vyasa, and the former by Valmiki.
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