Markandeya Purana 2.49

2.49

naśyato yudhyato vāpi tāvadbhavati jīvitam /
yāvaddhātāsṛjat pūrvaṃ na yāvanmanasepsitam //

“Well was it said by the chief of the dvijas, Uśanas himself, the regent of the planet Venus, when he saw the army of the Daityas intent on fleeing, hard-pressed by the gods. ‘Ye must not go, turn ye back; why run ye away, ye feeble ones? Abandoning valour and glory, where have ye gone? Ye shall not perish. Whether one perishes or whether one fights, one possesses life as long as God originally created, not as long as one’s mind desires. Men perish, some in their homes, some in flight; so, too, do they meet their death when eating food and drinking water. So, too, others, when sporting themselves, seated in the chariot of Love, free from sickness, their bodies unpierced by arrows, fall into the power of the King of the departed. Others, when intent on austerities, are led off by the servants of the King of the departed: and otters occupied in meditation and study have not gained immortality. Of yore, Indra hurled his thunderbolt against Śambara, yet that demon, though pierced thereby to the heart, did not perish. By that very thunderbolt, indeed, and by the same Indra, when their time was come, the Dānavas were slain, the Daityas forthwith perished. Perceiving this, ye should not fear: return ye.’ Then those Daityas, abandoning the fear of death, turned back. This speech of Uśanas is proved true by these most noble birds, which even in the superhuman battle did not meet with destruction. Whence comes the laying of the eggs, O brahmans? Whence comes the even fall of the bell? And how comes it that the ground is covered with flesh, fat, and blood? Certainly these must he some brahmans; they are not ordinary birds. The favour of destiny shows great good-fortune in the world.”