The Bhikṣuṇī Maṇimēkhalai

172 - The Burning Ground
of the town and demanded of her how she happened to fail in her duty
of protection of this youth, when she had made it her business to see
that no harm befell anybody in the burning-ghat, places of assembly,
the ground round old trees, sequestered temples, and other places
occasioning fear in people. She demanded to know if the goddess lost
her righteousness, and if so, what exactly it was that she herself can
do in regard to the matter.
The goddess appeared in response to this invocation and asked her
what it was that made her so sorrow-stricken as to brave the dangers
of a midnight visit to the burning-ghat. Learning from her of the
death of her son, she told the disconsolate mother that no devil nor
evil spirit did take her son’s life; his ignorance and his previous deeds
are entirely responsible for his death.
Old Gautamī offered to give up her life if the goddess would restore
her son to life, as thus restored he would be a protection to his father.
The goddess replied again that when one’s life goes out of the body, it
follows the track of its deeds and gets into another birth immediately;
there could hardly be any doubt in regard to this.
‘To restore life that is gone is not matter possible of [128]
achievement. Therefore give up useless sorrow for the death of your
son. If it were otherwise, are there not many who would give life for
life for kings of this earth? Do you not see in front of you hundreds of
monuments erected to the memory of dead sovereigns. Give up,
therefore, talk of cruelty, which would lead you only to the sufferings
of hell.’
Gautamī said in reply: