Suffering

The evil-doer suffers in this world, and he suffers in the next; he suffers in both. He suffers when he thinks of the evil he has done; he suffers more when going on the evil path.

He will have cruel suffering, loss, injury of the body, heavy affliction, or loss of mind,

Let each man direct himself first to what is proper, then let him teach others; thus a wise man will not suffer.

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

I will console this afflicted girl of face like the full moon, and suffering distress that she had never before endured, and ever meditating on her lord.’

"'"Pujani said, 'If Time, according to thee, be the cause of all acts, then of course nobody can cherish feelings of animosity towards anybody on earth. I ask, however, why friends and kinsmen, seek to avenge themselves the slain. Why also did the gods and the Asuras in days of yore smite each other in battle? If it is Time that causes weal and woe and birth and death, why do physicians then seek to administer medicines to the sick? If it is Time that is moulding everything, what need is there of medicines? Why do people, deprived of their senses by grief, indulge in such delirious rhapsodies? If Time, according to thee, be the cause of acts, how can religious merit be acquired by persons performing religious acts? Thy son killed my child. I have injured him for that. I have by that act, O king, become liable to be slain by thee. Moved by grief for my son, I have done this injury to thy son. Listen now to the reason why I have become liable to be killed by thee. Men wish for birds either to kill them for food or to keep them in cages for sport. There is no third reason besides such slaughter or immurement for which men would seek individuals of our species. Birds, again, from fear of being either killed or immured by men seek safety in flight. Persons conversant with the Vedas have said that death and immurement are both painful. Life is dear unto all. All creatures are made miserable by grief and pain. All creatures wish for happiness. Misery arises from various sources. Decrepitude, O Brahmadatta, is misery. The loss of wealth is misery. The adjacence of anything disagreeable or evil is misery. Separation or dissociation from friends and agreeable objects is misery. Misery arises from death and immurement. Misery arises from causes connected with women and from other natural causes. The misery that arises from the death of children alters and afflicts all creatures very greatly. Some foolish persons say that there is no misery in others' misery.

We can never know how we are to act in order to avoid misery. Therefore, none should grieve for misery.’

Relent not in pursuit of the enemy. If ye are suffering, lo! they suffer even as ye suffer and ye hope from Allah that for which they cannot hope. Allah is ever Knower, Wise.

He said: I expose my distress and anguish only unto Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not.

And make mention (O Muhammad) of Our bondman Job, when he cried unto his Lord (saying): Lo! the devil doth afflict me with distress and torment.

The people suffer from famine because of the multitude of taxes consumed by their superiors. It is through this that they suffer famine.

“Why mourns my son? thy late preferr’d request The god has granted, and the Greeks distress’d: Why mourns my son? thy anguish let me share, Reveal the cause, and trust a parent’s care.”

THE SECOND BATTLE, AND THE DISTRESS OF THE GREEKS.

A thousand cares his labouring breast revolves; To seek sage Nestor now the chief resolves, With him, in wholesome counsels, to debate What yet remains to save the afflicted state. He rose, and first he cast his mantle round, Next on his feet the shining sandals bound; A lion’s yellow spoils his back conceal’d; His warlike hand a pointed javelin held. Meanwhile his brother, press’d with equal woes, Alike denied the gifts of soft repose, Laments for Greece, that in his cause before So much had suffer’d and must suffer more. A leopard’s spotted hide his shoulders spread: A brazen helmet glitter’d on his head: Thus (with a javelin in his hand) he went To wake Atrides in the royal tent. Already waked, Atrides he descried, His armour buckling at his vessel’s side. Joyful they met; the Spartan thus begun: “Why puts my brother his bright armour on? Sends he some spy, amidst these silent hours, To try yon camp, and watch the Trojan powers? But say, what hero shall sustain that task? Such bold exploits uncommon courage ask; Guideless, alone, through night’s dark shade to go, And midst a hostile camp explore the foe.”

Entitled "Arjun-Vishad," Or "The Book of the Distress of Arjuna."

Krishna. Yet farther will I open unto thee This wisdom of all wisdoms, uttermost, The which possessing, all My saints have passed To perfectness. On such high verities Reliant, rising into fellowship With Me, they are not born again at birth Of Kalpas, nor at Pralyas suffer change!

Then Rama, friend and hope and guide Of suffering creatures, thus replied:

As Guha thus, and Bharat, each To other spoke in friendly speech, The Day-God sank with glory dead, And night o'er all the sky was spread. Soon as King Guha's thoughtful care Had quartered all the army there, Well honoured, Bharat laid his head Beside Satrughna on a bed. But grief for Rama yet oppressed High-minded Bharat's faithful breast-- Such torment little was deserved By him who ne'er from duty swerved. The fever raged through every vein And burnt him with its inward pain: So when in woods the flames leap free The fire within consumes the tree. From heat of burning anguish sprung The sweat upon his body hung, As when the sun with fervid glow On high Himalaya melts the snow. As, banished from the herd, a bull Wanders alone and sorrowful. Thus sighing and distressed, In misery and bitter grief, With fevered heart that mocked relief, Distracted in his mind, the chief Still mourned and found no rest.

When Rama heard the vulture tell The tale that proved his love so well, His bow upon the ground he placed, And tenderly the bird embraced: Then to the earth he fell o'erpowered, And burning tears both brothers showered, For double pain and anguish pressed Upon the patient hero's breast. The solitary bird he eyed Who in the lone wood gasped and sighed, And as again his anguish woke Thus Rama to his brother spoke:

It should be sloping east of the Ahavaniya and west of the Garhapatya. That is a place of sacrifice which is distinctly marked, be is distinguished from his evil foe, they doubt not of him for common meal or wedding. On a place of sacrifice which is artificial should he make him sacrifice who desires wealth. Man must be made; verily he prospers. The high altar taking the form of a lioness went away and remained between the two parties. The gods reflected, 'Whichever of the two she joins, they will become this.' They called to her; she said, 'Let me choose a boon; through me shall ye obtain all your desires, but the oblation shall come to me before (it comes to) the fire.' Therefore do they besprinkle the high altar before (they sprinkle) the fire, for that was its chosen boon. He measures (it) round with the yoke-pin [1], that is its measure; verily also by what is fitting he wins what is fitting. 'Thou art the abode of riches (vitta) for me', he says, for being found (vitta) she helped them; thou art the resort of the afflicted for me', he says, for she helped them in affliction; 'protect me when in want', he says, for she protected them when in want; 'protect me when afflicted', he says, for she protected them when afflicted. 'May Agni, named Nabhas, know (thee) [2], O Agni Angiras', (with these words) he thrice strokes with (the wooden sword); verily he wins the fires that are in these worlds. He strokes in silence for the fourth time, verily he wins that which is not indicated. 'Thou art a lioness; thou art a buffalo', he says, for it (the high altar) taking the form of a lioness went away and remained between the two parties. 'Extend wide; let the lord of the sacrifice extend wide for thee', he says; verily he enriches the sacrificer with offspring and cattle. 'Thou art firm' [3], (with these words) he strikes (the earth) together, for firmness.

To) Agni (offering is made) on eight potsherds; to Soma an oblation; to Savitr (offering) on eight potsherds; to Pusan an oblation; to Rudra an oblation; to Agni Vaiçvanara (offering) on eight potsherds; if he should not go to the wild beast's lair; to Agni, saviour from distress, (offering is made) on eight potsherds; to Surya milk (is offered); Vayu receives a share in the butter offering. vii. 5. 22. To Agni, saviour from distress, (offering is made) on eight potsherds; to Indra, saviour from distress, on eleven potsherds; to Mitra and Varuna, saviours from sin, a milk offering; to Vayu and Savitr saviours from sin, an oblation; to the Açvins, saviours from sin, grain; to the Maruts, saviours from evil, on seven potsherds; to the All-gods, saviours from evil, on twelve potsherds; to Anumati an oblation; to Agni, Vaiçvanara on twelve potsherds; to heaven and earth, saviours from evil, on two potsherds. vii. 5. 23. To Agni he made obeisance; to the earth he made obeisance; as Agni with the earth made harmony, so for me may favourable harmonies be made. To Vayu he made obeisance, to the atmosphere he made obeisance; as Vayu with the atmosphere (made harmony, so &c.) To Surya he made obeisance, to the sky he made obeisance; as Surya with the sky (made harmony, so &c.) To the moon he made obeisance, to the Naksatras he made obeisance; as the moon with the Naksatras (made harmony, so &c.) To Varuna he made obeisance, to the waters he made obeisance [1]; as Varuna with the waters (made harmony, so &c.) To the Saman he made obeisance, to the Rc he made obeisance; as the Saman with the Rc (made harmony, so &c.) To the Brahman (caste) he made obeisance, to the Ksatriya (caste) he made obeisance; as the Brahman with the Ksatriya (made harmony, so &c.) To the king he made obeisance, to the people he made obeisance; as the king with the people (made harmony, so &c.)

“My friend,” answered Nestor, “you recall a time of much sorrow to my mind, for the brave Achaeans suffered much both at sea, while privateering under Achilles, and when fighting before the great city of king Priam. Our best men all of them fell there—Ajax, Achilles, Patroclus peer of gods in counsel, and my own dear son Antilochus, a man singularly fleet of foot and in fight valiant. But we suffered much more than this; what mortal tongue indeed could tell the whole story? Though you were to stay here and question me for five years, or even six, I could not tell you all that the Achaeans suffered, and you would turn homeward weary of my tale before it ended. Nine long years did we try every kind of stratagem, but the hand of heaven was against us; during all this time there was no one who could compare with your father in subtlety—if indeed you are his son—I can hardly believe my eyes—and you talk just like him too—no one would say that people of such different ages could speak so much alike. He and I never had any kind of difference from first to last neither in camp nor council, but in singleness of heart and purpose we advised the Argives how all might be ordered for the best.

“My dear, will you be so kind as to show me the house of king Alcinous? I am an unfortunate foreigner in distress, and do not know one in your town and country.”

And Ulysses said, “I am no god, why should you take me for one? I am your father, on whose account you grieve and suffer so much at the hands of lawless men.”

We shout to the hero with hymn and song we (shout) with a pleasing song. Take delight in our songs; may we not ever suffer harm! COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPHIC HYMNS.

2 Flow onward from the waters, flow, inviolable, from the plants: 3 Soma, as Pavamana, pass over all trouble and distress: 4 Thou, Pavamana, foundest light; thou at thy birth becamest great:

2 Bring forth the God with song divine, being Jatavedas hitherward, 3 He here, a God−devoted Priest, led forward comes to sacrifice. 4 This Agni rescues from distress, as 'twere from the Immortal Race,

As the sun, the eye of the whole world, is not defiled by external impurities seen by the eyes, thus the one inner Self of all living beings is not defiled by the misery of the world, being outside it.