DM-1.2

Both Suratha and Samadhi approach the rishi Medhas. The king introduces his new friend Samadhi. Seeking permission from Medhas, the king bares tumultuous thoughts of Samadhi and himself.
Though the king considers himself fairly intelligent, he is at a loss to accept how he could be easily cheated by his own ministers when he least expected it. He wonders how he could still be agitated thinking about his kingdom and his lost glory.
Suratha also presents Samadhi's case thus: "This merchant has been disowned by his wife, sons and sycophants but still broods over them with affection".
He beseeches the rishi to throw light on how seemingly sane and intelligent people get deluded as though helplessly about their importance, from where do clouds shroud logical thought processes.Where do knowledge and discrimination hide when most needed?
Unperturbed by the agitated king and the merchant, Medhas proceeds to explain:Every being perceives knowledge of objects by senses.Certainly human beings are endowed with knowledge,but beasts and birds cognize too.
The birds drop grains into the beaks of their young ones even when they are hungry themselves.The young ones when fledged seek the sky never to return.Human beings are attached to their children too and raise them with love, only to expect the children to take care of them in old age.
On the one hand it is by delusion that the birds feed their young and seemingly do not miss them when they fly yonder and on the other hand it is by delusion alone man becomes attached to sons,riches and comfort.Men are hurled into whirlpool of attachment and pit of delusion through the power of Mahamaya, who makes the existence of the world possible.This Mahamaya creates the entire universe, tantalizes it with boon and bane...

Obs-2: The rishi is aptly named Medhas (which means intellect). Intellect sees the world as the work of Mahamaya's sport, seems to arrive at this after logically dissecting lives and behaviors.
Obs-3: Mahamaya is referred as female.


continued..