Markandeya said: - -
1. O Yudhishthira, O ruler of men, hear what the virtuous fowler said to that Brahmana when he was thus asked by him.
The Fowler said: - -
2. O foremost of Brahmanas, men’s minds are first bent towards acquiring knowledge. When that is acquired, they indulge in their desires and anger.
3. For that end, they labour and perform great works and indulge in their much desired pleasures of beauty, of flavour.
4. Then follows attachment, then follows envy, then avarice and then illusion (extinction of all spiritual light).
5. When men are thus influenced by avarice, envy and attachment, their understanding does not lean towards virtue; and they then practise the very mockery of virtue.
6-7. O foremost of Brahmanas, practising virtue with hypocracy, they remain satisfied in acquiring wealth by dishonourable means. And with the wealth thus acquired, their intelligence becomes attached to the evil ways; they were then filled with the desire to commit sins. O foremost of Brahmanas, when their friends and the learned men remonstrate.
8. They are ready with various answers which are neither sound nor convincing. From their attachment for evil ways, they are guilty of threefold sins.
9. They commit sin in thought, in word and also in action. Addicted to evil ways, all their good qualities are destroyed.
10. These men of evil deeds form friendship with men of similar character and Therefore, as its result, they suffer misery in this world as well as in the next.
11-12. All sinful men are of this nature. Now hear about the virtuous man. He discerns evils by means of his spiritual sight. He is able to discriminate between happiness and misery. He is full of respectful attention to men of virtue; and by practising virtues, his mind becomes inclined to virtue.
The Brahmanas said: - -
13. You have given a true exposition of virtue which none else is able to do. Your spiritual power is great and you appear to me to be a great Rishi.
The Fowler said: - -
14. The greatly powerful Brahmanas are worshipped with the same honours as our ancestors. They are before others always propitiated with offerings of food. Wisemen in this world do what is pleasing to them with all their heart.
15. O foremost of Brahmanas, after having bowed down to Brahmanas as a class I shall now tell you what is pleasing to them. Learn now the Brahma Philosophy,
16. This whole universe, which is unconquerable and which abounds in great elements, is Brahma (himself). There is nothing high than this.
17. Earth, air, water and sky are the great elements. Form, flavour, sound, touch and taste are their characteristic properties.
18. These latter also have their (own peculiar) properties correlated to each other. Of the three qualities they are characterised by each in order of priority.
19. The sixth property is consciousness which is called mind. The seventh is intelligence and then follows Egoism.
20-21. Then are the five senses, then the soul, then the moral qualities, called, Sattva, Raja and Tama. These seventeen are said to be the unknown or incomprehensible qualities. I have told you all this, what else do you wish to know?
Thus ends the two hundred and ninth chapter, colloquy between the Fowler and the Brahmana in the Markandeya Samasya of the Vana Parva.