proud. These two, O tiger among men, can pierce
the orb itself of the sun, viz., a mendicant
accomplished in yoga, and a warrior that hath fallen
in open fight. O bull of the Bharata race, persons
versed in the Vedas have said that men’s means
are good, middling, and bad. Men also, O king,
are good, indifferent, and bad. They should,
therefore, be respectively employed in that kind of
work for which they may be fit. These three, O
king, cannot have wealth of their own, viz.,
the wife, the slave, and the son, and whatever may
be earned by them would be his to whom they belong.
Great fear springeth from these three crimes, viz.,
theft of other’s property, outrage on other’s
wives, and breach with friend. These three, besides,
being destructive to one’s own self, are the
gates of hell, viz., lust, anger, and covetousness.
Therefore, every one should renounce them. These
three should never be forsaken even in imminent danger,
viz., a follower, one who seeks protection, saying,—I
am thine,—and lastly one who hath come
to your abode. Verily, O Bharata, liberating a
foe from distress, alone amounteth in point of merit,
to these three taken together, viz., conferring
a boon, acquiring a kingdom, and obtaining a son.
Learned men have declared that a king, although powerful,
should never consult with these four, viz., men
of small sense, men that are procrastinating, men
that are indolent, and men that are flatterers.
O sire, crowned with prosperity and leading the life
of a householder, let these four dwell with thee,
viz., old consanguineous, relatives, high-born
persons fallen into adversity, poor friends, and issueless
sisters. On being asked by the chief of the celestials,
Vrihaspati, O mighty king declared four things capable
of fructifying or occurring within a single day, viz.,
the resolve of the gods, the comprehensions of intelligent
persons, the humility of learned men, and the destruction
of the sinful. These four that are calculated
to remove fear, bring on fear when they are improperly
performed, viz., the Agni-hotra, the vow of silence,
study, and sacrifice (in general). O bull of
the Bharata race, these five fires, should be worshipped
with regard by a person, viz., father, mother,
fire (proper), soul and preceptor. By serving
these five, men attain great fame in this world, viz.,
the gods, the Pitris, men, beggars, and guests.
These five follow thee wherever thou goest, viz.,
friends, foes, those that are indifferent, dependants,
and those that are entitled to maintenance. Of
the five senses beholding to man, if one springeth
a leak, then from that single hole runneth out all
his intelligence, even like water running out from
a perforated leathern vessel. The six faults
should be avoided by a person who wisheth to attain
prosperity, viz., sleep, drowsiness, fear, anger,
indolence and procrastination. These six should
be renounced like a splitting vessel in the sea, viz.,