filth on one’s body,—­a little with a little exertion and a greater quantity when the exertion is greater.  A person, after purging his bowels, should take ghee, which operates most beneficially on his system (as a healthy tonic).  After the same manner, when one has cleansed oneself of all faults and sets oneself to the acquisition of righteousness, that righteousness, in the next world, proves to be productive of the highest happiness.  Good and evil thoughts exist in the minds of all creatures.  Withdrawing the mind from evil thoughts, it should always be directed towards good thoughts.  One should always reverence the practices of one’s own order.  Do thou strive, therefore, to act in such a way that thou mayst have faith in the practices of thy own order.  O thou that art endued with an impatient soul, betake thyself to the practice of patience.  O thou that art of a foolish understanding, seek thou to be possessed of intelligence!  Destitute of tranquillity, seek thou to be tranquil, and bereft of wisdom as thou art, do thou seek to act wisely!  He who moves in the companionship of the righteous succeeds, by his own energy, in acquiring the means of accomplishing what is beneficial for him both in this and the next world.  Verily, the root of the benefit (which thus becomes his here and hereafter) is unwavering firmness.  The royal sage Mahabhisha, through want of this firmness, fell from heaven.  Yayati, also, though his merits had become exhausted (in consequence of his boastfulness and thought was hurled down from heaven) succeeded in regaining regions of felicity through his firmness.  Thou art sure to attain to great intelligence, as also to what is for thy highest good, by paying court to virtuous and learned persons possessed of ascetic merit.’

“Bhishma continued, ’Hearing these words of the sage, king Vasuman, possessed of a good disposition, withdrawing his mind from the pursuits of desire, set it upon the acquisition of Righteousness.’”

SECTION CCCXI

“Yudhishthira said, ’It behoveth thee, O grandsire, to discourse to me on that which is freed from duty and its reverse, which is freed from every doubt, which transcends birth and death, as also virtue and sin, which is auspiciousness, which is eternal fearlessness, which is Eternal and Indestructible, and Immutable, which is always Pure, and which is ever free from the toil of exertion.’

“Bhishma said, ’I shall in this connection recite to thee the old narrative, O Bharata, of the discourse between Yajnavalkya and Janaka.  Once on a time the famous king Daivarati of Janaka’s race, fully conversant with the import of all questions, addressed this question to Yajnavalkya, that foremost of Rishis.

“’Janaka said, ’O regenerate Rishi, how many kinds of senses are there?  How many kinds also are there of Prakriti?  What is the Unmanifest and highest Brahma?  What is higher than Brahma?  What is birth and what is death?  What are the limits of Age?  It behoveth thee, O foremost of Brahmanas, to discourse on all these topics unto me that am solicitous of obtaining thy grace; I am ignorant while thou art an Ocean of knowledge.  Hence, I ask thee!  Verily, I desire to hear thee discourse on all these subjects!