ter having placed his
sacred fire on a tree, and walks along the path that belongs to heroes
and lies down (when need for lying down comes) in the attitude of heroes,
and conducts himself always after the manner of heroes, certainly attains
to the end that is reserved for heroes.[568] Such a man repairs to the
eternal region of Sakra where he becomes crowned with the fruition of all
his wishes and where he sports in joy, his person decked with garlands of
celestial flowers and celestial perfumes. Indeed, that righteous souled
person lives happily in Heaven, with the deities as his companions. The
hero, observant of the practices of heroes and devoted to that Yoga which
belongs to heroes, living in the practice of Goodness, having renounced
everything, having undergone the Diksha and subjugated his senses, and
observing purity of both body and mind, is sure to attain to that path
which is reserved for heroes. Eternal regions of happiness are his.
Riding on a car that moves at the will of the rider, he roves through all
those happy regions as he likes. Indeed, dwelling in the region of Sakra,
that blessed person always sports in joy, freed from every calamity."'"'"

SECTION CXLIII

"'"'Uma said, "O holy one, O thou that didst tear off the eyes of Bhaga and
the teeth of Pushan, O destroyer of the sacrifice of Daksha, O three-eyed
deity, I have a great doubt. In days of yore, the Self-born One created
the four orders. Through the evil consequence of what acts doth a Vaisya
become a Sudra? Through what acts doth a Kshatriya become a Vaisya and a
regenerate person (Brahmana) becomes a Kshatriya? By what means may such
degradation of castes be prevented? Through what acts does a Brahmana
take birth in his next life, in the Sudra order? Through what acts, O
puissant deity, does a Kshatriya also descend to the status of Sudra? O
sinless one, O lord of all created beings, do thou, O illustrious one,
dispel this doubt of mine. How, again, can the three other orders
naturally succeed in attaining to the status of Brahmanhood?"

"'"'The illustrious one said, "The status of a Brahmana, O goddess, is
exceedingly difficult to attain. O auspicious lady, one becomes a
Brahmana through original creation or birth. After the same manner the
Kshatriya, the Vaisya, and the Sudra, all become so through original
creation. Even this is my opinion[569]. He, however, that is born a
Brahmana falls away from his status through his own evil acts