d death from the
messengers of Yama. Indeed, misery and a painful round of rebirth are his
inheritance. Endued with life, O king, the Jiva in this world, from the
moment of his birth, enjoys and endures his own (previous) acts,
depending upon righteousness (and its reverse). If the Jiva, according to
the best of his power, follows righteousness from the day of his birth,
he then succeeds in enjoying, when reborn, happiness without
interruption. If, on the other hand, without following righteousness
without interruption, he acts sinfully, he reaps happiness at first as
the reward of his righteousness and endures misery after that. Endued
with unrighteousness, the Jiva has to go to the dominions of Yama and
suffering great misery there, he has to take birth in an intermediate
order of being.[509] Listen to me as I tell thee what the different acts
are by doing which the Jiva, stupefied by folly, has to take birth in
different orders of being, as declared in the Vedas, the scriptures, and
the (sacred) histories. Mortals have to go to the frightful regions of
Yama. In those regions, O king, there are places that are fraught with
every merit and that are worthy on that account of being the abodes of
the very deities. There are, again, places in those regions that are
worse than those which are inhabited by animals and birds. Indeed, there
are spots of these kinds in the abode of Yama which (so far as its
happier regions are concerned) is equal to the region of Brahman himself
in merits. Creatures, bound by their acts, endure diverse kinds of
misery. I shall, after this, tell thee what those acts and dispositions
are in consequence of which a person obtains to an end that is fraught
with great misery and terror. If a regenerate person, having studied the
four Vedas, becomes stupefied by folly and accepts a gift from a fallen
man, he has then to take birth in the asinine order. He has to live as an
ass for five and ten years. Casting off his asinine form, he has next to
take birth as an ox, in which state he has to live for seven years.
Casting off his bovine form, he has next to take birth as a Rakshasa of
regenerate order. Living as Rakshasa of the regenerate order for three
months, he then regains his status (in his next birth) of a
Brahmana.[510] A Brahmana, by officiating at the sacrifice of a fallen
person, has to take birth as a vile worm. In this form he has to live for
five and ten years, O Bharata. Freed from the statu