incur obloquy in assemblies of
fellowmen and has not to stand in fear of the king, then danger threatens
the Kshatriya ruler. In consequence of the sins perpetrated by sinful
men, the god Rudra appears in the kingdom. Indeed, the sinful by their
sins bring upon them that god of vengeance. He then destroys all, the
honest and the wicked alike (without making any distinction).'

"'"Aila said, 'Whence does Rudra spring? What also is his form? Creatures
are seen to be destroyed by creatures. Tell me all this, O Kasyapa!
Whence does the god Rudra spring?'

"'"Kasyapa said, 'Rudra exists in the hearts of men. He destroys the bodies
themselves in which he dwells as also the bodies of others. Rudra has
been said to be like atmospheric visitations and his form is like that of
the wind-gods.'

"'"Aila said, 'The Wind does not, by blowing, visibly destroy men on all
occasions, nor does the deity of the clouds do so by pouring rain. On the
other hand, it is seen among men that they lose their senses and are
slain through lust and malice.'

"'"Kasyapa said, 'Fire, blazing forth in one house, burneth a whole quarter
or an entire village. Similarly, this deity stupefies the senses of some
one and then that stupefaction touches all, the honest and the wicked
alike, without any distinction.'

"'"Aila said, 'If chastisement touches all viz., the honest and the wicked
alike, in consequence of the sins perpetrated by the sinful, why should
men, in that case, do acts that are good? Indeed, why should they not
perform wicked acts?'

"'"Kasyapa said, 'By avoiding all connection with the sinful, one becomes
pure and stainless. In consequence, however, of their being mixed with
the sinful, the sinless are overtaken by chastisement. Wood that is wet,
if mixed with wood that is dry, is consumed by fire in consequence of
such co-existence. The sinless, therefore, should never mingle with the
sinful.'

"'"Aila said, 'The earth holds the honest and the wicked. The sun warms the
honest and the wicked. The wind blows equally for them. Water cleanses
them equally.'

"'"Kasyapa said, 'Such, indeed, is the course of this world, O prince! It
is not so, however, hereafter. In the other world, there is great
difference of condition between the person that acts righteously and him
that acts sinfully. The regions that meritorious men acquire are full of
honey and possessed of the splendour of gold or of a fire upon which
clarified butter has been p