never go to my wife except in her season; I always
fast during the day, and eat, O regenerate one, in
the night. Even though the behaviour of his order
is bad, a person may yet be himself of good behaviour.
So also a person may become virtuous, although he may
be slayer of animals by profession. It is in
consequence of the sinful acts of kings that virtue
decreaseth greatly, and sin beginneth to prosper.
And when all this taketh place the subjects of the
kingdom begin to decay. And it is then, O Brahmana,
that ill-looking monsters, and dwarfs, and hunch-backed
and large-headed wights, and men that are blind or
deaf or those that have paralysed eyes or are destitute
of the power of procreation, begin to take their birth.
It is from the sinfulness of kings that their subjects
suffer numerous mischiefs. But this our king
Janaka casteth his eyes upon all his subjects virtuously,
and he is always kind unto them who, on their part,
ever adhere to their respective duties. Regarding
myself, I always with good deeds please those that
speak well, as also those that speak ill of me.
Those kings that live in the observance of their own
proper duties, who are always engaged in the practice
of acts that are good and honest, who are of souls
under complete control and who are endued with readiness
and alacrity, may not depend upon anything else for
supporting their power. Gift of food to the best
of one’s power, endurance of heat and cold, firmness
in virtue, and a regard and tenderness for all creatures,—these
attributes can never find place in a person, without
an innate desire being present in him of separating
himself from the world. One should avoid falsehood
in speech, and should do good without solicitation.
One should never cast off virtue from lust, from wrath,
or from malice. One should never joy immoderately
at a good turn or grieve immoderately at a bad one.
One should never feel depressed when overtaken by
poverty, nor when so overtaken abandon the path of
virtue. If at any time one doth what is wrong,
he should never do its like again. One should
always urge his soul to the doing of that which he
regardeth as beneficial. One should never return
wrong for wrong, but should act honestly by those
that have wronged him. That wretched man who
desireth to do what is sinful, slayeth himself.
By doing what is sinful, one only imitates them that
are wicked and sinful, Disbelieving in virtue they
that mock the good and the pure saying, ‘There
is no virtue’ undoubtedly meet with destruction.
A sinful man swelleth up like a leather bag puffed
up with wind. The thoughts of these wretches
filled with pride and folly are feeble and unprofitable.
It is the heart, the inner soul, that discovereth
the fool like the sun that discovereth forms during
the day. The food cannot always shine in the
world by means of self-praise. The learned man,
however, even if he be destitute of beauty, displayeth
his lustre by refraining from speaking ill of others