dual grains of barley may be given away
instead of clothes by one unable to obtain clothes for gift. But one
giving away barley grains when perfectly able to give away clothes would
be guilty of guile.

1262. The scriptures frequently lay down ordinances in the alternative.
The absolute or substantive provisions are for the able. Those in the
alternative are for them that are unable.

1263. What is meant by the sacrifices, etc., of such men being identical
with infinite Brahma is that these men were identical with Brahma and
whatever they did was Brahma. They had no consciousness of self, or they
did nothing for self. They were the Soul of the universe.

1264. What is said here in effect is that at first there was only one
course of duties, called sadachara or good conduct, for all men. In
progress of time men became unable to obey all its dictates in their
entirety. It then became necessary to distribute those duties into four
subdivisions corresponding with the four modes of life.

1265. Both K.P. Singha and the Burdwan translator have completely
misunderstood verse 23 and the first line of 24, which, as the
commentator explains, should be construed together. The construction is
Tam (sadacharam) santah grihebhyah nishkramya eva (sannyasam kritwaiva)
vidhivatprapya paramam gatim gachcchanti. Anye santo vanamasritah tam
vidhivat prapya, etc. Similarly, Grihameva bhisamsritya anye santah,
etc. Jato-anye, etc. Thus, all the four modes, commencing with the last,
are spoken of.

1266. It is impossible for any one to read the Burdwan version of such
verses without pitying the Pandit responsible for its accuracy. Without
understanding the commentary in the least, the words of the great
commentator have been reproduced in the Burdwan version in a strange
order, rejecting some of the connecting links without any excuse, and
making the Collocation utterly unintelligible. K.P. Singha gives the
substance very briefly without endeavouring to translate the words. And
yet the verse presents almost no difficulty. The last line of 29 and the
first line of 30 make one sentence. Chaturthopanishaddharmah is explained
by the commentator as implying paramatma-vishayini vidya, tadartham
dharmah. There are four states of consciousness: 1st, wakefulness; 2nd,
dream; 3rd, dreamless slumber (sushupti); and 4th, Turiya, which is
reached by Samadhi (abstraction of Yoga-meditation), and in which Brahma
becomes realisable. What is said in these