me back. Having heard it, O king, from
the celestial Rishi, I have, O son, communicated to thee high knowledge
productive of the highest good. This knowledge was obtained from
Hiranyagarbha by the high-souled Rishi Vasishtha. From that foremost of
Rishis, viz., Vasishtha, it was acquired by Narada. From Narada I have
acquired that knowledge which is truly identifiable with the eternal
Brahma. Having heard this discourse of high import, fraught with
excellent words, do not, O foremost of the Kurus, yield any longer to
grief. That man who knows Kshara and Akshara becomes freed from fear. He,
indeed, O king, is obliged to cherish fear who is destitute of this
knowledge. In consequence of Ignorance (of Brahma), the man of foolish
soul hath repeatedly to come back into this world. Indeed, departing from
this life, he has to be born in thousands and thousands of orders of
Being every one of which hath death in the end. Now in the world of the
deities, now among men, and now among intermediate orders of Being, he
has to appear again and again. If in course of time he succeeds in
crossing that Ocean of Ignorance in which he is sunk, he then succeeds in
avoiding rebirth altogether and attaining to identity with the Supreme
Soul. The Ocean of Ignorance is terrible. It is bottomless and called the
Unmanifest. O Bharata, day after day, creatures are seen to fall and sink
in that Ocean. Since thou, O king, hast been freed from that eternal and
limitless Ocean of Ignorance, thou hast therefore become freed from
Rajas and also Tamas."'"

SECTION CCCX

"'Bhishma said, "Once on a time a king of Janaka's race, while ranging the
uninhabited forests in pursuit of deer, saw a superior Brahmana or Rishi
of Bhrigu's race. Bowing with his head unto the Rishi who was seated at
his ease, king Vasuman took his seat near him and obtaining his
permission put to him this question: 'O holy one, what is productive of
the highest benefit, both here and hereafter, to man who is endued with
an unstable body and who is the slave of his desires? Properly honoured
by the king, and thus questioned, that high-souled Rishi possessed of
ascetic merit then said these words unto him that were highly beneficial.'

"'"The Rishi said, 'If thou desirest both here and hereafter what is
agreeable to thy mind, do thou then, with restrained senses, abstain from
doing what is disagreeable to all creatures. Righteousness is beneficial
unto them that are good. Righteo