Questioning of Yama by Savitri
Sri Narayana said—On hearing the words of Yama, the chaste Savitri praised him with great devotion and then said.
Savitri said—О lord of Dharma, what is truth and what are bad deeds for a human beings? Which are the deeds, which are discarded by the noble people?
What is the seed of actions? Who provides reward for one’s actions? What is karma (deeds)? Who performs it? What is the reason for it?
Who enjoys the fruit of one’s deeds? Who gets involved in it? Who possesses a body? What is a body? Who performs deeds?
What is the life of human beings? What are the- organs of senses? What are their definitions? Who is there to be consumed? How can one get rid of one’s deeds? What is life? What is the supreme soul? You kindly tell me.
Yama said—The deeds which in the Vedas are required to be performed, bestow welfare and those that are prohibited in the Vedas are inauspicious. The selfless service to lord Vishnu results in the destruction of the deeds and also bestows the devotion of lord Hari.
The devotee of lord Vishnu always feels free and is unmindful of birth, death, old age, ailment, grief and fear. This is ordained in the Vedas.
О chaste lady, the Vedas have prescribed two types of salvation. One of them bestows Nirvdna-pada to the human being and the other bestows the devotion of lord Vishnu.
The Vaisnava people get desirous of such a type of salvation which provides them with the devotion of the lord while the other devotees aspire for salvation alone.
Lord Krishna who is beyond nature, is considered to be the seed of the deeds. He alone bestows reward for the same.
Не also happens to be the cause of the deeds; he always remains present everywhere and as such he alone is the cause of all the deeds. Human life has to reap the harvest of the deeds but the soul remains detached from the same.
The reflection of the soul is considered to be the body as well as the soul in it. The body consists of the five perishable elements.
In the universe of the lord, there are five elements known as the earth, the wind, the sky, the water and the fire.
The body is the perfonner and the soul enjoys the results of the deeds. There are several types of pleasures of the world and the one who detracts himself from the same is sure to achieve salvation.
The knowledge about truth and untruth is of several types. The subject of Ghata and Pata are the different parts of the same knowledge.
The force which can distinguish between the various elements is called wisdom. Such elements are known in the Vedas as the seed of knowledge. Life is contained in the different forms of the wind. The wind is the only source of keeping the sense organs active. The one which is the main essence of the supreme soul in the organs of senses, alone influences one in performing deeds, is inescapable for the creatures, is invisible and is a particle of wisdom. It is called the mind, it is the inspiration for all the actions of the creatures. It puts a man in grief by attracting him towards evil and becomes his enemy but when it diverts a person to noble deeds bestowing pleasure on him, it becomes his friend. The eyes, the ears, the nose, the skin and the tongue are the organs of senses. The sun, the wind, the earth and speech are the lords of the organs of senses. The one who bears the life and the body is called the Jlva. The lord himself address Sri Krsna as the supreme soul and Parabrahman, who is invisible, beyond nature and is the cause of all the causes. О daughter, I have thus given you replies to all the questions put forth by you according to the sastras and which serve as great wisdom for the intellectuals. Therefore you leave the place now.
Savitri said—“Where shall I go leaving my husband and a person like you who are the ocean of Knowledge? Whatever questions I ask from you, kindly give me the answer.
Yama, with the influences of one’s deeds, how many times one has to be reborn? О father, by performing which deeds does one go either to heaven or hell? Name to me the deeds by the performance of which one obtains the devotion of the lord. By performing which deed, does a man suffer from ailments and by performing which deeds is one freed from the ailment?
By performing which deed does one get long life and by performing which does one get short life? By performing which deed does one become grief-stricken and by performing which deed does one enjoy pleasure?
By performing which deed is one bom in life like limbless, one-eyed, deaf, blind, a miser or insane and a negligent?
By performing which deeds does one become greedy, a great hunter or the killer of the people? How can one achieve success or the Salokya type of salvation?
By perfonning which deeds does one become a Brahmana and an ascetic? By performing which deeds does one enjoy the pleasure of heaven and by performing which deeds does one achieve Vaikuntha?
О Brahman, by performing which deeds does one achieve Goloka, which is the best and all spotless? You kindly tell me the number and nature of hells.
How does one achieve them and the period for which one stays there and what type of ailments have to be suffered by the sinners, you kindly answer me all the questions which I have put up to you.
