listen to me.  Abstention from injury, truthfulness of speech, benevolence, compassion,—­these are regarded as penances by the wise and not the emaciation of the body.  Disregard of the Vedas, disobedience to the dictates of the scriptures, and violation of all wholesome restraints, are productive of self-destruction.  Listen, O son of Pritha, to what has been laid down by those that pour ten libations upon the fire at ten times of the day.—­For them that perform the sacrifice of penance, the Yoga they endeavour to effect with Brahma is their ladle; the heart is their clarified butter; and high knowledge constitutes their Pavitra.[241] All kinds of crookedness mean death, and all kinds of sincerity are called Brahma.  This constitutes the subject of knowledge.  The rhapsodies of system-builders cannot affect this.—­’”

SECTION LXXX

“Yudhishthira said, ’The most trifling act, O grandsire, cannot be accomplished by any man if unaided.  What then need be said of the king (who has to govern a kingdom)?  What should be the behaviour and what the acts of the king’s minister?  Upon whom should the king repose confidence and upon whom should he not?’

“Bhishma said, ’Kings, O monarch, have four kinds of friends.  They are he that has the same object, he that is devoted, he that is related by birth, and he that has been won over (by gifts and kindness).  A person of righteous soul, who would serve one and not both sides, is the fifth in the enumeration of the king’s friends.  Such a person adopts that side on which righteousness is, and accordingly acts righteously.  With respect to such a person, the king should never disclose such purposes of his as would not enlist his sympathy.  Kings desirous of success are obliged to adopt both kinds of paths, righteous and unrighteous.  Of the four kinds of friends, the second and the third are superior, while the first and the fourth should ever be regarded with suspicion.  In view, however, of those acts which the king should do in person, he should always regard with suspicion all the four.  The king should never act heedlessly in the matter of watching his friends.  A king that is heedless is always overpowered by others.  A wicked man assumes the garb of honesty, and he that is honest becomes otherwise.  A foe may become a friend and a friend may become a foe.  A man cannot always be of the same mind.  Who is there that would trust him completely?  All the chief acts, therefore, of a king he should accomplish in his own presence.  A complete reliance (on his ministers) is destructive of both morality and profit.  A want of trust again in respect of all is worse than death.  Trustfulness is premature death.  One incurs danger by truthfulness.  If one trusts another completely, he is said to live by the sufferance of the trusted person.  For this reason every one should be trusted as also mistrusted.  This eternal rule of policy, O sire, should be kept