Vyāsa, the revered sage, looked upon his son Śuka with deep affection and concern. With a heart full of good intentions, he offered his advice: “O auspicious one, listen to my words, which are for your benefit. Take a maiden from a good family as your wife, and follow the path laid down by the Vedas.” Śuka, however, replied with gentle firmness, “Father, I will not establish a household. The life of a householder always brings sorrow; it is like a snare that perpetually binds all embodied beings. Where is true happiness to be found among those who are constantly troubled by anxiety for wealth? The greedy torment the poor, and even one’s own relatives can become a source of suffering. “Even Indra, king of the gods, is not truly happy, nor is the detached mendicant. Who else in this world—possessing even the riches of the three realms—could claim to be so? When Maghavan saw the suffering of an ascetic, he too became distressed, and the lord of heaven himself creates many obstacles for the ascetic. Not even Brahmā finds happiness, nor does Viṣṇu, though he has obtained the delightful Lakṣmī; he constantly faces distress in his battles with the demons. Even the prosperous Lord of Lakṣmī must make great efforts and perform arduous austerities. For whom, then, is abundant happiness found? “Even Śankara, I know, is always beset by unhappiness; he continually practices austerity and wages war against the demons. The wealthy, though greedy, never sleep peacefully; how then, Father, can the poor ever hope to attain happiness? And even knowing that a son is born from one’s own strength, you would consign him to this dreadful world, which always brings sorrow. Birth is suffering, old age is suffering, and death too is suffering; even dwelling in the womb, Father, is suffering, surrounded by filth and urine. “The suffering arising from craving and greed is exceedingly great; and in begging, the highest suffering is found—worse even than death, O Father. Brahmins who live by accepting gifts do not live by the strength of wisdom; dependence is the greatest suffering, and with it, death comes day by day. Having studied all the Vedas and scriptures thoroughly, the wise must still go to the wealthy and praise them wholeheartedly for their needs. “But what worry is there for one stomach? It can be satisfied by leaves, roots, fruits, or whatever means, with contentment. When there is a large family with wife, sons, and grandsons, great suffering arises for their provision. Where, O Father, is the wonderful happiness in this? Instead, teach me the science of yoga and the knowledge that brings true happiness. Father, I never delight in all these ritualistic actions. “Tell me, instead, the method for the destruction of karma—whether it be prārabdha, accumulated, or present—so that the threefold root of karma may be dissolved. Just as a leech always drinks blood, so too does a woman; but the fool, deluded by attachment, does not understand this. Through pleasures, strength, wealth, and a mind full of crooked words, one’s beloved takes away everything; what other thief is there like this? For the sake of destroying the happiness of sleep, the fool gathers wives; deceived by fate, he acts for sorrow, not for happiness.” Sūta, the storyteller, then described the scene: Hearing such words from both Vyāsa and Śuka, Vyāsa was seized by deep anxiety, uncertain about what he should do. Tears born of sorrow flowed from his eyes, his body trembled, and his mind became weary. Seeing his father so distressed, overwhelmed by grief and dejection, Śuka—his eyes wide with wonder—spoke to Vyāsa. “Ah, how fierce is the power of Māyā, which bewilders even the wise—the very author of Vedānta, the all-knowing, the knower of the Vedas! I do not know what this Māyā is, nor how exceedingly difficult she is, that she bewilders even the learned Vyāsa, son of Satyavatī. He who is the speaker of the Purāṇas, the composer of the Bhārata, the arranger of the Vedas—even he has fallen into delusion. “I seek refuge in that Goddess who bewilders the world, and even Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and others—what then of ordinary beings? Is there anyone in the three worlds who is not deluded by Māyā, by whose power even Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and others were once bewildered? Ah, what strength, what power has been created by the Goddess! Even the all-knowing Lord has been subdued by Māyā alone. “The Purāṇikas say Vyāsa was born from the line of Viṣṇu; yet even he, like a merchant whose boat is broken, is sunk in the ocean of delusion. Today, helpless like an ordinary man, he sheds tears; ah, this power of Māyā is hard to abandon, even for the learned. Who is this? Who am I? How is this, and what is this confusion? In this body made of five elements, the notion of ‘father’ and ‘son’ arises. “Truly, Māyā is powerful, the deluder even of magicians; overpowered by her, even Kṛṣṇa, the twice-born, weeps.” Sūta continued: Śuka, bowing in mind to the Goddess—the cause of all causes, the mother and sovereign of all the gods, including Brahmā and the rest—spoke to his father Vyāsa, who was born from the fire-sticks and now sat miserable, submerged in the ocean of grief. His words were full of reason and auspiciousness: “O highly fortunate son of Parāśara, you are yourself the giver of understanding to all; why do you grieve, master, like an ordinary man ignorant of the truth? Today I am your son, but I do not know who I was in a previous birth. Who am I, and who are you, O blessed one? This is confusion, O great soul. “Be steadfast, awaken, and do not let your mind fall into despair; recognizing this as a net of delusion, abandon sorrow, O wise one. Hunger is appeased by food, not by seeing one’s son; thirst is quenched by drinking water, not by beholding one’s own child.” Thus did Śuka, with clarity and compassion, seek to dispel his father’s sorrow and remind him of the deeper truths beyond worldly attachment.