ed in the ways and mysteries
of the world, can have no cause for grief."

"'The fowler replied, "The bodily afflictions should be cured with
medicines, and the mental ones with spiritual wisdom. This is the power
of knowledge. Knowing this, the wise should not behave like boys. Men of
low intelligence are overpowered with grief at the occurrence of
something which is not agreeable to them, or non-occurrence of something
which is good or much desired. Indeed, all creatures are subject to this
characteristic (of grief or happiness). It is not merely a single
creature or class that is subject to misery. Cognisant of this evil,
people quickly mend their ways, and if they perceive it at the very
outset they succeed in curing it altogether. Whoever grieves for it,
only makes himself uneasy. Those wise men whose knowledge has made them
happy and contented, and who are indifferent to happiness and misery
alike, are really happy. The wise are always contented and the foolish
always discontented. There is no end to discontentment, and contentment
is the highest happiness. People who have reached the perfect way, do
not grieve, they are always conscious of the final destiny of all
creatures. One must not give way to discontent[17] for it is like a
virulent poison. It kills persons of undeveloped intelligence, just as a
child is killed by an enraged snake. That man has no manliness whose
energies have left him and who is overpowered with perplexity when an
occasion for the exercise of vigour presents itself. Our actions are
surely followed by their consequences. Whoever merely gives himself up
to passive indifference (to worldly affairs) accomplishes no good.
Instead of murmuring one must try to find out the way by which he can
secure exemption from (spiritual) misery; and the means of salvation
found, he must then free himself from sensuality. The man who has
attained a high state of spiritual knowledge is always conscious of the
great deficiency (instability) of all matter. Such a person keeping in
view the final doom (of all), never grieves. I too, O learned man, do
not grieve; I stay here (in this life) biding my time. For this reason,
O best of men, I am not perplexed (with doubts)". The Brahmana said,
"Thou art wise and high in spiritual knowledge and vast is thy
intelligence. Thou who art versed in holy writ, art content with thy
spiritual wisdom. I have no cause to find fault with thee. Adieu, O best
of pious men, mayst tho