ts begin to
manifest themselves. Self-restraint, forgiveness, patience, energy,
contentment, truthfulness of speech, modesty, abstention from injury,
freedom from the evil practices called vyasana, and cleverness,--these
are productive of happiness. No creature is eternally subject to the
fruits of his good or bad acts. The man possessed of wisdom should always
strive to collect and fix his mind. One never has to enjoy or endure the
good and bad acts of another. Indeed, one enjoys and endures the fruits
of only those acts that one does oneself. The person that casts off both
happiness and misery walks along a particular path (the path, viz., of
knowledge). Those men, however, O king, who suffer themselves to be
attached to all worldly objects, tread along a path that is entirely
different. A person should not himself do that act which, if done by
another, would call down his censure. Indeed, by doing an act that one
censures in others, one incurs ridicule. A Kshatriya bereft of courage, a
Brahmana that takes every kind of food, a Vaisya unendued with exertion
(in respect of agriculture and other moneymaking pursuits), a Sudra that
is idle (and, therefore, averse to labour), a learned person without good
behaviour, one of high birth but destitute of righteous conduct, a
Brahmana fallen away from truth, a woman that is unchaste and wicked, a
Yogin endued with attachments, one that cooks food for one's own self, an
ignorant person employed in making a discourse, a kingdom without a king
and a king that cherishes no affection for his subjects and who is
destitute of Yoga,--these all, O king, are deserving of pity!'"'"[1505]

SECTION CCXCII

"'"Parasara said, 'That man who, having obtained this car, viz., his body
endued with mind, goes on, curbing with the reins of knowledge the steeds
represented by the objects of the senses, should certainly be regarded as
possessed of intelligence. The homage (in the form of devotion to and
concentrated meditation on the Supreme) by a person whose mind is
dependent on itself and who has cast off the means of livelihood is
worthy of high praise,--that homage, namely, O regenerate one, which is
the result of instructions received from one who has succeeded in
transcending acts but not obtained from the mutual discussion of men in
the same state of progress.[1506] Having obtained the allotted period of
life, O king, with such difficulty, one should not diminish it (by
indulgence of the