The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v2.c39.s3.66

v2.c39.s3.66

The gods, despite their close relations to men,⁹ and their interest in the sacrifice, regard men with some degree of dislike and suspicion : there was even a time when men and gods lived together, but the gods were wearied and disgusted with the demands of men, who used always to ask them for what they wanted *sans phrase*,¹ and therefore departed from the earth. It is the gods who have given men the evils of sleep, sluggishness, anger, hunger, love of dice and of women.² The Ṛbhus, admitted indeed into the society of the gods, are disliked because of their human odour.³ Many are the devices adopted by the gods to prevent men following them into their immortality : they succeed in so far that an agreement with the god of death secures that men shall not attain immortality with their bodies.⁴ On the other hand men ever strive to imitate the gods and adopt in the sacrifice the habits of the gods, that especially of preferring the right side for the commencement of all rites as opposed to the left, which men are said to favour : the differences are of absurd detail.⁵