ace of
mind, contentment, pleasant speech, renunciation of desire and anger,
virtuous conduct and actions regulated according to the ordinances of
holy writ, constitute the perfect way of the virtuous. And those who are
constant in virtue follow these rules of virtuous conduct, and having
reached the pinnacle of knowledge, and discriminating between the
various phases of human conduct, which are either very virtuous or the
reverse, they escape from the great danger. Thus, O great Brahmana,
having introduced the subject of virtuous conduct, have I described to
thee all this, according to my own knowledge and to what I have heard on
the subject."'"

SECTION CCVII

"Markandeya continued, 'The pious fowler, O Yudhishthira, then said to
that Brahmana, "Undoubtedly my deeds are very cruel, but, O Brahmana,
Destiny is all-powerful and it is difficult to evade the consequence of
our past actions. And this is the _karmic evil_ arising out of sin
committed in a former life. But, O Brahmana, I am always assiduous in
eradicating the evil. The Deity takes away life, the executioner acts
only as a secondary agent. And we, O good Brahmana, are only such agents
in regard to our _karma_. Those animals that are slain by me and whose
meat I sell, also acquire _karma_, because (with their meat), gods and
guests and servants are regaled with dainty food and the _manes_ are
propitiated. It is said authoritatively that herbs and vegetables, deer,
birds and wild animals constitute the food of all creatures. And, O
Brahmana, king Sivi, the son of Usinara, of great forbearance attained
to heaven, which is hard to reach, giving away his own flesh. And in
days of yore, O Brahmana, two thousand animals used to be killed every
day in the kitchen of king Rantideva; and in the same manner two
thousand cows were killed every day; and, O best of regenerate beings,
king Rantideva acquired unrivalled reputation by distributing food with
meat every day. For the performance of the fourmonthly rites animals
ought to be sacrificed daily. 'The sacred fire is fond of animal food,'
this saying has come down to us. And at sacrifices animals are
invariably killed by regenerate Brahmanas, and these animals being
purged of sin, by incantation of hymns, go to heaven. If, O Brahmana,
the sacred fire had not been so fond of animal food in ancient times, it
could never have become the food of any one. And in this matter of
animal food, this rule has been laid down b