Compassion

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

The Offerings to Rudra a Homage to thy wrath, O Rudra, To thine arrow homage also; Homage to thy bow, And homage to thine arms. b With thy most kindly arrow, And kindly bow, With thy kindly missile, Be gentle to us, O Rudra. c That body of thine, O Rudra, which is kindly, Not dread, with auspicious look, With that body, most potent to heal, O haunter of the mountains, do thou look on us. d The arrow which, O haunter of mountains, In thy hand [1] thou bearest to shoot, That make thou kindly, O guardian of mountains; Harm not the world of men. e With kindly utterance thee We address, O liver on the mountains, That all our folk Be free from sickness and of good cheer. f The advocate hath spoken in advocacy, The first divine leech, Confounding all the serpents And all sorceries. g The dusky, the ruddy, The brown, the auspicious, And the Rudras which in thousands Lie around this (earth) in the quarters [2], Their wrath do we deprecate. h He who creepeth away, Blue-necked and ruddy, Him the cowherds have seen, Have seen the bearers of water And him all creatures; May be, seen, be gentle unto us. i Homage to the blue-necked, Thousand-eyed one, the bountiful And to those that are his warriors I have paid my homage. k Unfasten from the two notches Of thy bow the bowstring, And cast thou down The arrows in thy hand [3]. 1 Unstringing thy bow, Do thou of a thousand eyes and a hundred quivers, Destroying the points of thine arrows, Be gentle and kindly to us. m Unstrung is the bow of him of the braided hair And arrowless his quiver; His arrows have departed, Empty is his quiver. n O most bountiful one, the missile That is in thy hand, thy bow, With it on all sides do thou guard us, Free from sickness. o Homage to thy weapon, Unstrung, dread; And homage to thy two hands, To thy bow. p May the missile from thy bow Avoid us on every side, And do thou lay far from us This quiver that is thine.

The Piling of the Fire Altar (continued) a Golden of colour, pure, purifying, In which was born Kaçyapa, in which Indra, They have conceived Agni as a germ, of varied forms; May these waters be gentle and kindly to us. b Those in whose midst Varuna doth go, Gazing on the truth and falsehood of men, Dripping honey, pure, purifying; May these waters be gentle and kindly to us. c Those of which in the sky the gods make their food, Those that are in many places in the sky, Those that inundate the earth with their sap [1], the pure ones May these waters be gentle and kindly to us. d With auspicious eye gaze on me, O waters; With auspicious body, do ye touch my skin; I invoke all you Agnis that sit in the waters; Do ye confer upon me radiance and might and force. e When as ye went below Ye cried (ánadata) on the slaying of the serpent, Therefore are yo criers (nadyáh) by name; These are your names, O streams. When instigated by Varuna Ye wallowed speedily [2], Then Indra obtained (apnot) you as ye went Therefore ye are waters (ápah). g As ye glided against his will, He stayed (ávivarata) your courses, Indra with his might, O goddesses; Therefore your name is water (váh). h One god stepped upon them, As they glided, according to his will, (Saying) 'The great ones have breathed forth (úd) Therefore they are called water. i The waters are kindly, the waters were ghee; These waters bear Agni and Soma; The bitter sap of those dispensing sweetness [3], the satisfying, Hath come to me with breath, with radiance. k I behold, or I hear; The cry cometh to me, the voice of them to us; I consider that I have enjoyed the ambrosia then, When I delighted you, O ye of golden hue. l Ye, waters, are healing; Further us to strength, To see great joy. m The most auspicious flavour that is yours, Accord to us here, Like eager mothers. n To him may we come with satisfaction, To whose dwelling ye quicken us, O waters, and propagate us.

i Ye have made me, who am not younger, the younger; Speaking the truth I desire this; May I [3] enjoy his lovingkindness as do ye; May not one of you supplant another. k He hath enjoyed my lovingkindness, the all-knower; He hath found a support, for he hath won the shallow; May I enjoy his lovingkindness as do ye May not one of you supplant another. l On the five dawns follow the five milkings, On the cow with five names the five seasons; The five quarters are established by the fifteenfold (Stoma), With equal heads over the one world [4]. M She who first shone forth is the child of holy order; One supporteth the might of the waters; One moveth in the places of the sun, And one in those of the heat; Savitr governeth one. n She who first shone forth Hath become a cow with Yams; Do thou, rich in milk, milk for us Season after season. O She of bright bulls hath come with the cloud, the light, She of all forms, the motley, whose banner is fire; Accomplishing thy common task, Bringing old age, thou hast come, O unaging dawn. P Lady, of seasons the first, she hath come hither, Leading the days, and bearer of offspring; Though one, O Usas, in many places dost thou shine forth Unaging thou dost make to age all else. a O Agni, drive away those foes of ours that are born; Drive away those too that are unborn, O all-knower; Shine out for us in kindliness and without anger, In thy protection may I be with threefold protection and victorious. b O Agni, drive away those foes of ours that are born with force; Drive away those that are unborn, O all-knower; Favour us in kindliness, May we (enjoy thy protection); drive away our foes. c (Thou art) the forty-fourfold Stoma, radiance the wealth. d (Thou art) the sixteenfold Stoma, force the wealth. e Thou art the dust of earth [1], called Apsas.

"'Yudhishthira said, "What is the nature of the compassion or pity that is felt at the sight of another's woe? What is the nature of that compassion or sympathy that one feels for another in consequence of one's living in the companionship of that other? What is the nature (and degree) of the high blessedness that attaches to kine? It behoveth thee, O grandsire, to expound all this to me."

"'Bhishma said, "The virtuous Suka, hearing these words of Sakra, heaved a deep sigh and sorrowfully replied unto him, saying--'O consort of Sachi, and chief of the gods, the ordinances of the deities are always to be obeyed. Do thou listen to the reason of the matter in regard to which thou hast questioned me. Here, within this tree, was I born, and here in this tree have I acquired all the good traits of my character, and here in this tree was I protected in my infancy from the assaults of my enemies. O sinless one, why art thou, in thy kindness, tampering with the principle of my conduct in life? I am compassionate, and devoutly intent on virtue, and steadfast in conduct. Kindliness of feeling is the great test of virtue amongst the good, and this same compassionate and humane feeling is the source of perennial felicity to the virtuous. All the gods question thee to remove their doubts in religion, and for this reason, O lord, thou hast been placed in sovereignty over them all. It behoves thee not, O thousand-eyed one, to advise me now to abandon this tree for ever. When it was capable of good, it supported my life. How can I forsake it now?'--The virtuous destroyer of Paka, pleased with these well-meant words of the parrot, thus said to him:--'I am gratified with thy humane and compassionate disposition. Do thou ask a boon of me.'--At this, the compassionate parrot craved this boon of him, saying,--'Let this tree revive.'--Knowing the great attachment of the parrot to that tree and his high character, Indra, well-pleased, caused the tree to be quickly sprinkled over with nectar. Then that tree became replenished and attained to exquisite grandeur through the penances of the parrot, and the latter too, O great king, at the close of his life, obtained the companionship of Sakra by virtue of that act of compassion.

Indeed, the practice is not regarded as sinful. There is nothing, O delighter of the Kurus, that is equal in point of merit, either here or hereafter, to the practice of compassion to all living creatures. The man of compassion has no fear. Those harmless men that are endued with compassion have both this world and the next. Persons conversant with duty say that that Religion is worthy of being called Religion which has abstention from cruelty for its indication. The man of cleansed soul should do only such acts as have compassion for their soul. That flesh which is dedicated in sacrifices performed in honour of the deities and the Pitris is called Havi (and, as such, is worthy of being eaten). That man who is devoted to compassion and who behaves with compassion towards others, has no fear to entertain from any creature. It is heard that all creatures abstain from causing any fear unto such a creature. Whether he is wounded or fallen down or prostrated or weakened or bruised, in whatever state he may be, all creatures protect him. Indeed, they do so, under all circumstances, whether he is on even or uneven ground. Neither snakes nor wild animals, neither Pisachas nor Rakshasas, ever slay him. When circumstances of fear arise, he becomes freed from fear who frees others from situations of fear. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a gift that is superior to the gift of life. It is certain that there is nothing dearer to oneself than one's life. Death, O Bharata, is a calamity or evil unto all creatures. When the time comes for Death, a trembling of the whole frame is seen in all creatures. Enduring birth in the uterus, decrepitude and afflictions of diverse kinds, in this ocean of the world, living creatures may be seen to be continually going forward and coming back. Every creature is afflicted by death.

Thus it was that when the Tao was lost, its attributes appeared; when its attributes were lost, benevolence appeared; when benevolence was lost, righteousness appeared; and when righteousness was lost, the proprieties appeared.

If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold. If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly. If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers.

When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. (Then) appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.

And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout,

And lower thy wing (in kindness) unto those believers who follow thee.

Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.

The disciples of Gotama are always well awake, and their mind day and night always delights in compassion.

A man is not an elect (Ariya) because he injures living creatures; because he has pity on all living creatures, therefore is a man called Ariya.

The Bhikshu who acts with kindness, who is calm in the doctrine of Buddha, will reach the quiet place (Nirvana), cessation of natural desires, and happiness.

Sanjaya. Him, filled with such compassion and such grief, With eyes tear-dimmed, despondent, in stern words The Driver, Madhusudan, thus addressed:

In gentleness on me! Good is it I did see This unknown marvel of Thy Form! But fear Mingles with joy! Retake, Dear Lord! for pity's sake Thine earthly shape, which earthly eyes may bear!

The loving speech Sugriva heard, And all his heart with woe was stirred. Remorse and gentle pity stole Each thought of triumph from his soul: Thus fades the light when Rahu(606) mars The glory of the Lord of Stars.(607) All angry thoughts were stayed and stilled And kindly love his bosom filled. His brother's word the chief obeyed And took the chain as Bali prayed. On little Angad standing nigh The dying hero fixed his eye, And, ready from this world to part, Spoke the fond utterance of his heart:

Thus soothing, kindly eloquent, With every hopeful argument Kausalya's heart by sorrow rent, Fair Queen Sumitra ceased. Kausalya heard each pleasant plea, And grief began to leave her free, As the light clouds of autumn flee, Their watery stores decreased.

A while the anxious throng he eyed. And "Where is Sita, where?" he cried. Thus while hot tears his utterance broke The mourning son of Raghu spoke. The deer in pity for his woes Obeyed the summons and arose. Upon his right thy stood, and raised Their sad eyes up to heaven and gazed Each to that quarter bent her look Which Ravan with his captive took. Then Raghu's son again they viewed, And toward that point their way pursued. Then Lakshman watched their looks intent As moaning on their way they went, And marked each sign which struck his sense With mute expressive influence, Then as again his sorrow woke Thus to his brother chief he spoke: "Those deer thy eager question heard And rose at once by pity stirred: See, in thy search their aid they lend, See, to the south their looks they bend. Arise, dear brother, let us go The way their eager glances show, If haply sign or trace descried Our footsteps in the search may guide."

He said: compassion touch’d the hero’s heart He stood, suspended with the lifted dart: As pity pleaded for his vanquish’d prize, Stern Agamemnon swift to vengeance flies, And, furious, thus: “Oh impotent of mind![164] Shall these, shall these Atrides’ mercy find? Well hast thou known proud Troy’s perfidious land, And well her natives merit at thy hand! Not one of all the race, nor sex, nor age, Shall save a Trojan from our boundless rage: Ilion shall perish whole, and bury all; Her babes, her infants at the breast, shall fall;[165] A dreadful lesson of exampled fate, To warn the nations, and to curb the great!”

“Good heaven! what active feats yon artist shows! What skilful divers are our Phrygian foes! Mark with what ease they sink into the sand! Pity that all their practice is by land!”

Sighing he said: his grief the heroes join’d, Each stole a tear for what he left behind. Their mingled grief the sire of heaven survey’d, And thus with pity to his blue-eyed maid:

“Hear me,” he cried, “daughter of Aegis-bearing Jove, unweariable, hear me now, for you gave no heed to my prayers when Neptune was wrecking me. Now, therefore, have pity upon me and grant that I may find friends and be hospitably received by the Phaeacians.”

Then the vision said, “Take heart, and be not so much dismayed. There is one gone with him whom many a man would be glad enough to have stand by his side, I mean Minerva; it is she who has compassion upon you, and who has sent me to bear you this message.”

“We will be sure, sir,” answered Telemachus, “to tell him everything as soon as we see him. I wish I were as certain of finding Ulysses returned when I get back to Ithaca, that I might tell him of the very great kindness you have shown me and of the many beautiful presents I am taking with me.”

1. Right here do I erect a firm house: may it stand upon a (good) foundation, dripping with ghee! Thee may we inhabit, O house, with heroes all, with strong heroes, with uninjured heroes! 2. Right here, do thou, O house, stand firmly, full of horses, full of cattle, full of abundance! Full of sap, ful.] of ghee, full of milk, elevate thyself unto great happiness! 3. A supporter art thou, O house, with broad roof, containing purified grain! To thee may the calf come, to thee the child, to thee the milch-cows, when they return in the evening! 4. May Savitar, Vâyu, Indra, Brihaspati cunningly erect this house! Alay the Alaruts sprinkle it with moisture and with ghee; may king Bhaga let our ploughing take root! 5. O mistress of dwelling, as a sheltering and kindly goddess thou wast erected by the gods in the bealrinina; clothed in grass, be thou kindly disposed; give us, moreover, wealth along with heroes! 6. Do thou, O cross-beam, according to regulation ascend the post, do thou, mightily ruling, hold off the enemies! May they that approach thee reverently, O house, not suffer injury, may we with all our heroes live a hundred autumns! 7. Hither to this (house) hath come the tender child, hither the calf along with (the other) domestic animals; hither the vessel (full) of liquor, together with bowls of sour milk! 8. Carry forth, O woman, this full jar, a stream of ghee mixed with ambrosia! Do thou these drinkers supply with ambrosia; the sacrifice and the gifts (to the Brahmans) shall it (the house) protect! 9. These waters, free from disease, destructive of disease, do I carry forth. The chambers do I enter in upon together with the immortal Agni (fire).