Text 18] Further Inquiries by Vidura 28)

happiness; edhelte—enjoy; klisyati—suffer; antaritah—via media; janah—
persons.

TRANSLATION

Both the lowest of fools and he who is transcendental to all intelli-
gence enjoy happiness, whereas persons who are between them suffer the
material pangs.

PURPORT

The lowest of fools do not understand material miseries; they pass
their lives merrily and do not inquire into the miseries of life. Such
persons are almost on the level of the animals, who, although in the eyes
of superiors are always miserable in life, are unaware of material dis-
tresses. A hog’s life is degraded in its standard of happiness, which entails
living in a filthy place, engaging in sex enjoyment at every opportune
moment and laboring hard in a struggle for existence, but this is unknown
to the hog. Similarly, human beings who are unaware of the miseries of
material existence and are happy in sex life and hard labor are the lowest of
fools. Yet because they have no sense of miseries, they supposedly enjoy
so-called happiness. The other class of men, those who are liberated and
are situated in the transcendental position above intelligence, are really
happy and are called paramahamsas. But persons who are neither like hogs
and dogs nor on the level of the paramahamsas feel the material pangs, and
for them inquiry on the Supreme Truth is necessary. The Vedanta-sutras
state, alhalo brahma-jijiasa: ‘‘Now one should inquire about Brahman.”
This inquiry is necessary for those who are between the paramahamsas
and the fools who have forgotten the question of self-realization in the
midst of life in sense gratification.

TEXT 18

wand fafrBrer seftcentt aera: |
at ae Gea TTT 12

arthabhavam viniscitya
pratitasyapi natmanah

tam capi yusmac-carana
sevayaham paranude

artha-abhavam— without substance; viniscitya—being ascertained; prati-
tasya—of the apparent values; api—also; na—never; atmanah—of the self;
