“Bhishma said, ’The followers of Sankhya praise the Sankhya system and those regenerate persons that are Yogins praise the Yoga system.  For establishing the superiority of their respective systems, each calls his own system to be the better.  Men of wisdom devoted to Yoga assign proper and very good reasons, O crusher of foes, for showing that one that does not believe in the existence of God cannot attain to Emancipation.  Those regenerate persons, again, that are believers in the Sankhya doctrines advance good reasons for showing that one, by acquiring true knowledge of all ends, becomes dissociated from all worldly objects, and, after departing from this body, it is plain, becomes emancipated and that it cannot be otherwise.  Men of great wisdom have thus expounded the Sankhya philosophy of Emancipation.  When reasons are thus balanced on both sides, those that are assigned on that side which one is otherwise inclined to adopt as one’s own, should be accepted.  Indeed, those words that are said on that side should be regarded as beneficial.  Good men may be found on both sides.  Persons like thee may adopt either opinion.  The evidences of Yoga are addressed to the direct ken of the senses; those of Sankhya are based on the scriptures.  Both systems of philosophy are approved by me, O Yudhishthira.  Both those systems of science, O king, have my concurrence and are concurred in by those that are good and wise.  If practised duly according to the instructions laid down, both would, O king, cause a person to attain to the highest end.  In both systems purity is equally recommended as also compassion towards all creatures, O sinless one.  In both, again, the observance of vows has been equally laid down.  Only the scriptures that point out their paths are different.’

“Yudhishthira said, ’If the vows, the purity, the compassion, and the fruits thereof recommended in both systems be the same, tell me, O grandsire, for what reason then are not their scriptures (in respect of the paths recommended) the same?’

“Bhishma said, ’By casting off, through the aid of Yoga, these five faults, viz., attachment, heedlessness, affection, lust, and wrath, one attains to Emancipation.  As large fishes, breaking through the pet, pass into their own element (for ranging in felicity), after the same manner, Yogins (breaking through lust and wrath, etc.) become cleansed of all sins and attain to the felicity of Emancipation.  As powerful animals, breaking through the nets in which hunters enmesh them, escape into the felicity of freedom, after the same manner, Yogins, freed from all bonds, attain to the sinless path that leads to Emancipation.  Truly, O king, breaking through the bonds born of cupidity, Yogins, endued with strength, attain to the sinless and auspicious and high path of Emancipation.  Feeble animals, O monarch, entangled in nets, are without doubt, destroyed.  Even such is the case with persons destitute of the puissance