to torment me, who am guiltless, by tying me with this cord.'

"'"The fowler said, 'I have listened to thee, O serpent, as well as to the
words of Mrityu, but these, O serpent, do not absolve thee from all
blame. Mrityu and thyself are the causes of the child's death. I consider
both of you to be the cause and I do not call that to be the cause which
is not truly so. Accursed be the wicked and vengeful Mrityu that causes
affliction to the good. Thee too I shall kill that art sinful and
engaged in sinful acts!'

"'"Mrityu said, 'We both are not free agents, but are dependent on Kala,
and ordained to do our appointed work. Thou shouldst not find fault with
us if thou dost consider this matter thoroughly.'

"'"The fowler said, 'If ye both, O serpent and Mrityu, be dependent on
Kala, I am curious to know how pleasure (arising from doing good) and
anger (arising from doing evil) are caused.'

"'"Mrityu said, 'Whatever is done is done under the influence of Kala. I
have said it before, O fowler, that Kala is the cause of all and that for
this reason we both, acting under the inspiration of Kala, do our
appointed work and therefore, O fowler, we two do not deserve censure
from thee in any way!'"

"'Bhishma continued, "Then Kala arrived at that scene of disputation on
this point of morality, and spoke thus to the serpent and Mrityu and the
fowler Arjunaka assembled together.

"'"Kala said, 'Neither Mrityu, nor this serpent, nor I, O fowler, am guilty
of the death of any creature. We are merely the immediate exciting causes
of the event. O Arjunaka, the Karma of this child formed the exciting
cause of our action in this matter. There was no other cause by which
this child came by its death. It was killed as a result of its own Karma.
It has met with death as the result of its Karma in the past. Its Karma
has been the cause of its destruction. We all are subject to the
influence of our respective Karma. Karma is an aid to salvation even as
sons are, and Karma also is an indicator of virtue and vice in man. We
urge one another even as acts urge one another. As men make from a lump
of clay whatever they wish to make, even so do men attain to various
results determined by Karma. As light and shadow are related to each
other, so are men related to Karma through their own actions. Therefore,
neither art thou, nor am I, nor Mrityu, nor the serpent, nor this old
Brahmana lady, is the cause of this child's death. He himself is the