tors, as indeed, heroes in respect of the reverence they show to
their sires. There are heroes in respect of obedience to mothers, and
heroes in the matter of the life of mendicancy they lead. There are
heroes in the matter of hospitality to guests, whether living as
householders. All these heroes attain to very superior regions of
felicity which are, of course, acquired by them as the rewards of their
own acts. Holding all the Vedas in memory, or ablutions performed in all
the sacred waters, may or may not be equal to telling the Truth every day
in one's life. A thousand horse sacrifices and Truth were once weighed in
the balance. It was seen that Truth weighed heavier than a thousand
horse-sacrifices. It is by Truth that the sun is imparting heat, it is by
Truth that fire blazes up, it is by Truth that the winds blow; verily,
everything rests upon Truth. It is Truth that gratifies the deities, the
Pitris and the Brahmanas. Truth has been said to be the highest duty.
Therefore, no one should ever transgress Truth. The Munis are all devoted
to Truth. Their prowess depends upon Truth. They also swear by Truth.
Hence, Truth is pre-eminent. All truthful men, O chief of Bharata's race,
succeed by their truthfulness in attaining to heaven and sporting there
in felicity. Self-restraint is the attainment of the reward that attaches
to Truth. I have discoursed on it with my whole heart. The man of humble
heart who is possessed of self-restraint, without doubt, attains to great
honours in heaven. Listen now to me, O lord of Earth, as I expound to
thee the merits of Brahmacharya. That man, who practises the vow of
Brahmacharya from his birth to the time of his death, know, O king, has
nothing unattainable! Many millions of Rishis are residing in the region
of Brahma. All of them, while here, were devoted to Truth, and
self-restrained and had their vital seed drawn up. The vow of
Brahmacharya, O king, duly observed by a Brahmana, is sure to burn all
his sins. The Brahmana is said to be a blazing fire. In those Brahmanas
that are devoted to penances, the deity of fire becomes visible. If a
Brahmacharin yields to wrath in consequence of any slight the chief of
the deities himself trembles in fear. Even this is the visible fruit of
the vow of Brahmacharya that is observed by the Rishis. Listen to me, O
Yudhishthira, what the merit is that attaches to the worship of the
father and the mother. He, who dutifully serves his father without e