Verse 201 Wicked men do not fear, but worthy men dread, The arrogance of
sinful deeds.
Verse 202 From evil springs forth more evil. Therefore, evil is to be feared
even more than fire.
Verse 203 To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies, Is said to be
supreme wisdom.
Verse 204 Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember That virtue
itself devises a plotter's downfall.
Verse 205 Do not commit wrongful deeds, claiming to be poor. For such deeds
only cause one to be poorer still.
Verse 206 Let him who wishes to be free from afflictions' pain Avoid
inflicting harm on others.
Verse 207 One can escape from hate-filled enemies, But one's own hateful acts
will relentlessly pursue and destroy hi
Verse 208 As a man's shadow follows his footsteps wherever he goes, Even so
will destruction pursue those who commit sinful deeds.
Verse 209 If a man feels fond affection for himself, Let him not indulge in
immoral deeds, however insignificant.
Verse 210 Know that a man will be defended against destruction If he does not
deviate from Right and act iniquitously.
Understanding One's Duty to Society
Verse 211 The benevolent expect no return for their dutiful giving. How can
the world ever repay the rain cloud?
Verse 212 It is to meet the needs of the deserving That the worthy labor
arduously to acquire wealth.
Verse 213 Of all duties, benevolence is unequaled in this world, And even in
celestial realms.
Verse 214 He who understands his duty to society truly lives. All others
shall be counted among the dead.
Verse 215 The wealth of the world-loving wise man May be likened to a
well-stocked village water tank.
Verse 216 Riches retained by generous men Resemble a fruit tree ripening in
the heart of a village.
Verse 217 In the hands of a benevolent man, Wealth is like a medicinal tree
whose healing gifts help all.
Verse 218 Those who deeply know duty do not neglect giving, Even in their own
unprosperous season.
Verse 219 The benevolent man considers himself poor only When he is unable to
render is accustomed service to humanity.
Verse 220 Were it said that loss of wealth is the price of benevolence, Such
loss is worth selling one's self to procure.
Charity
Verse 221 Giving to the poor is true charity. All other giving expects a
recompense.
Verse 222 Though men may declare it a good path, gathering gifts is bad.
Though they decree it denies one heaven, giving gifts is good.
Verse 223 Men of good birth graciously give, Never uttering the wretched
excuse, "I have nothing."
Verse 224 How unpleasant a beggar's pleading can become, Until one sees his
face, so sweetly pleased.
Verse 225 Great indeed is the power acquired through austerity to endure
hunger. But greater still is the power of those who relieve the hunger of
others.
Verse 226 Relieving the ravaging hunger of the poor Is the most secure use of
a rich man's wealth.
Verse 227 The fiery scourge called hunger never touches The man who shares
his daily meal with others.
Verse 228 Is it because they are unaware of the joys of giving That
hard-hearted men waste their wealth by hoarding it?
Verse 229 More bitter than even a beggar's bread is the Meal of the miser who
hoards wealth and eats alone.
Verse 230 There is nothing more bitter than death; Yet even death is sweet
when charitable giving is impossible.
Glory
Verse 231 Give to the poor, and life will be richly graced. There is no
greater profit for a man than this.
Verse 232 All who speak will proclaim abiding praise For those who give alms
to the poor.
Verse 233 Except for exalted glory which endures forever, Everything on earth
perishes.
Verse 234 So great is glory gained by men in this world That celestials cease
praising ascended sages.]
Verse 235 The loss that is gain and the death that is life of immortal glory
Are attained only by the wise.
Verse 236 If you are born, be born for glory, For those born without it would
be better off without birth.
Verse 237 Why do those whose life is devoid of renown Blame despising rivals,
when they have themselves to blame?
Verse 238 Just as it is disgraceful to bear no children, All men on earth
deem it disgraceful to not beget fame.
Verse 239 When forced to bear the body of a man without eminence, Even
faultless, fruitful lands will lessen their yields.
Verse 240 Those who live without blame truly live. Those who live without
glory live not.
Possession of Compassion
Verse 241 Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth, For
material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.
Verse 242 Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion. For if
the Various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.
Verse 243 Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassion Will never be drawn
into the dark and woeful world.
Verse 244 Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict The compassionate
who foster and protect all life.
Verse 245 This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth That
misery is not for men who keep compassion.
Verse 246 They say those who act cruelly by forsaking compassion Must have
forgotten what it means to forsake morality.
Verse 247 As this world is not for the penniless, So is that world not for
the pitiless!
Verse 248 Those without wealth may one day prosper, but those without
Kindness are utterly destitute, and their fortunes never change.
Verse 249 Practicing charity without compassion is as inconceivable As
realizing Truth without clarity of mind.
Verse 250 Before advancing against men weaker than yourself, Ponder when you
stood before those more powerful.
Abstaining from Eating Meat
Verse 251 How can he practice true compassion Who eats the flesh of an animal
to fatten his own flesh?
Verse 252 Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless, Nor can
compassion be found in the hearts of those who eat meat.
Verse 253 Goodness is never one with the minds of these two: One who wields a
weapon ad one who feasts on a creatures' flesh.
Verse 254 If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkind?" It is not
killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous.
Verse 255 Life is perpetuated by not eating meat. The clenched jaws of hell
hold those who do.
Verse 256 If the world did not purchase and consume meat, There would be none
to slaughter and offer meat for sale.
Verse 257 When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh Of another
creature, he must abstain from eating it.
Verse 258 Perceptive souls who have abandoned passion Will not feed on flesh
abandoned by life.
Verse 259 Greater then a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial
fires Do not do sacrifice and consume any living creature.
Verse 260 All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration Of
those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat.
Austerity
Verse 261 It is the nature of asceticism to patiently endure Hardship and not
to harm living creatures.
Verse 262 Austerity belongs to the naturally austere. Others may attempt it,
but to no avail.
Verse 263 Is it because they must provide for renunciates That others forget
to do penance?
Verse 264 Should he but wish it, an ascetics' austerities Will ruin his foes
and reward his friends.
Verse 265 In this world men do austerities assiduously, Assured of the
fulfillment of desired desires.
Verse 266 Those who perform austerities are fulfilling their destiny. All
others Are ensnared by desire and unknowingly work their own destruction.
Verse 267 As the intense fire of the furnace refines gold to brilliancy, so
does The burning suffering of austerity purify the soul to resplendence.
Verse 268 He who has realized by himself his souls' Self Will be worshipped
by all other souls.
Verse 269 So potent is the power acquired through austerity That those who
attain it may even stay the moment of death.
Verse 270 Few people perform penance, while the majority do not. For this
reason the needy multitudes suffer deprivation.
Ascetic
Pretence
Verse 271 Undeceived by a deceiver's duplicity, His own five elements
silently mock him.
Verse 272 Of what avail is an outer appearance of saintliness, If the mind
suffers inwardly from knowledge of its iniquity?
Verse 273 He who has not attained the power yet wears the garb of saints Is
like a cow that grazes about wearing a tiger's skin.
Verse 274 He who conceals himself beneath saintly robes and commits sins Is
like the hunter who hides in the bushes to snare unwary birds.
Verse 275 When those who claim dispassion act deceitfully, The day will come
when they exclaim,"Alas! Alas! What have I done?"
Verse 276 None is so heartless as he who, without renunciation in his heart,
Poses as a renunciate and lives fraudulently.
Verse 277 Like the poisonous jequirity seed, with its bright and black sides,
There are outwardly dazzling men whose insides are dark.
Verse 278 Many are the men who piously bath in purifying waters, While in
their dark hearts impure conduct lies concealed.
Verse 279 The arrow is straight but cruel; the lute is crooked but sweet.
Therefore, judge men by their acts, not their appearance.
Verse 280 Neither shaven head nor long locks are required, Provided one
refrains from conduct condemned by the world.
Avoidance of Fraud
Verse 281 If a man wishes not to be scorned by others, He will secure his own
mind against the merest thought of fraud.
Verse 282 The mere thought of sin is sin. Therefore, Avoid even the thought
of stealing from another.
Verse 283 The fortune that is amassed by fraud may appear to prosper But it
will soon perish altogether.
Verse 284 Finding delight in defrauding others yields the fruit Of undying
suffering when those delights ripen.
Verse 285 Benevolent thoughts and affectionate feelings flee from those Who
watch for another's' unwatchfulness to swindle his property.
Verse 286 They who follow deceit's desirous path Cannot hope to work wisdom's
measured way.
Verse 287 The dark deceits of fraud cannot be found In the hearts of those
who desire the greatness called virtue.
Verse 288 As righteousness resides in the hearts of the virtuous, So does
deceit dwell in the hearts of thieves.
Verse 289 Knowing nothing but deviousness, Men die each time they contrive
their corrupt deeds.
Verse 290 Even the life in his body will abandon him who defrauds others, But
heaven itself never forsakes those who are honest.
Truthfulness
Verse 291 What is truthfulness? It is the speaking of words Which are
entirely free from harmful effects.
Verse 292 Even falsehood is of the nature of truth, If it gives good results
free from fault.
Verse 293 Let a man not speak as truth what he knows to be false, For his
conscience will scorch him when he has lied.
Verse 294 He who lives truly in his own heart, Truly lives in the hearts of
all people.
Verse 295 Those who speak only truth from the heart Surpass even penitents
and philanthropists.
Verse 296 No prestige surpasses the absence of falsehood; All other virtues
flow from it effortlessly.
Verse 297 Not lying, and merely not lying, is beneficial For those who can't
practice and won't practice other virtues.
Verse 298 Water is sufficient to cleanse the body, But only truthfulness will
purify the mind.
Verse 299 Not all lamps are effective lamps. The lamp of nonlying is the wise
man's lamp.
Verse 300 Among all great truths which we have ever beheld, Not one can equal
the goodness of veracity.
Avoidance of Anger
Verse 301 It is restraint that restrains anger when it can injure. If it
cannot harm, what does restraint really matter?
Verse 302 Anger is wrong even when it cannot cause injury, But when it can,
there is nothing more iniquitous.
Verse 303 Forget anger toward all who have offended you, For from anger
springs a multitude of wrongs.
Verse 304 The face's smile and the heart's joy are slain by anger. Does there
exist a greater enemy than one's own anger?
Verse 305 If a man would be his own guard, let him guard against anger. Left
unguarded, his own wrath will slay him.
Verse 306 Drawing near it, men are engulfed in fury's' fire, Which burns even
rescuing friends and family.
Verse 307 As a man trying to touch the ground with his hand cannot fail, So
one who treasures his temper will doubtlessly be destroyed.
Verse 308 Even when others inflict wrongs as painful as the touch of blazing
Torches, it is good if a man can refrain from anger.
Verse 309 If angry thoughts never invoke his mind, A man's other thoughts may
instantly manifest.
Verse 310 As men who have died resemble the dead, So men who have renounced
anger resemble renunciates.
Avoidance of Injuring Others
Verse 311 If hurting others would bring princely riches, The pure in heart
would still refuse.
Verse 312 It is the principle of the pure in heart never to injure others,
Even when they themselves have been hatefully injured.
Verse 313 Having others, even enemies who harmed you unprovoked, Assures
incessant sorrow.
Verse 314 If you return kindness for injuries received and forget both, Those
who harmed you will be punished by their own shame.
Verse 315 What good is a man's knowledge unless it prompts him to Prevent the
pain of others as if it were his own pain?
Verse 316 Any actions which a man knows would harm himself He should not
inflict on others.
Verse 317 The supreme principle is this: Never knowingly Harm anyone at any
time in any way
Verse 318 Why does he who knows what injury to his own life is like Inflict
injury on other living human beings?
Verse 319 If a man inflicts sorrow on another in the morning, Sorrow will
come to him unbidden in the afternoon.
Verse 320 All suffering recoils on the wrongdoer himself. Therefore, those
who Desire not to suffer refrain from causing others pain.
Avoidance of Killing
Verse 321 What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life, For killing
leads to every other sin.
Verse 322 Of all the virtues summed by ancient sages the foremost are these:
To partake of food one has shared and to protect all living creatures.
Verse 323 Not killing is the first and foremost good. The virtue of not lying
comes next.
Verse 324 What is the good way? It is the path that reflects on How it may
avoid killing any living creature.
Verse 325 Among all who disown the world out of dismay, the foremost are They
who, dismayed with death-dealing, embrace non-killing.
Verse 326 Life-devouring death will not assail the living days Of one whose
code of conduct is to never kill.
Verse 327 Refrain from taking precious life from any living being, Even to
save your own life.
Verse 328 By sacrifice of life some gain great wealth and good, But sagacious
men scorn such gains.
Verse 329 Those whose trade is killing creatures are deemed defiled By men
who know the defiling nature of being mean.
Verse 330 They say the beggar who suffers a sore ridden body and deprived
life Once deprived another's body of life
Impermanence of All Things
Verse 331 There is no baser folly than the infatuation That looks upon the
transient as if it were everlasting.
Verse 332 Amassing great wealth is gradual, like the gathering of a theater
Crowd. Its dispersal is sudden, like that same crowd departing.
Verse 333 Wealth's nature is to be unenduring. Upon acquiring it, do that
which is enduring right away.
Verse 334 Though it seems a harmless gauge of time, a day, To those who
fathom its form, is a saw steadily cutting the tree of life.
Verse 335 Do good deeds with urgency, Before death's approaching rattle
strangles the tongue.
Verse 336 What wondrous greatness this world possesses- That yesterday a man
was, and today he is not.
Verse 337 Man does not know if he will live another moment, Yet his thoughts
are ten million and more.
Verse 338 The soul's attachment to the body resembles a fledgling Which
forsakes its empty shell and flies away.
Verse 339 Death is like falling asleep, And birth is like waking from that
sleep.
Verse 340 Not yet having a permanent home, The soul takes temporary shelter
in the body.
Renunciation
Verse 341 Whatsoever a man has renounced, From the sorrow born of that he has
freed himself.
Verse 342 After a man has renounced, he enjoys the many true things in this
World. Let men desiring that renounce in time.
Verse 343 The five senses must be subdued And every desire simultaneously
surrendered.
Verse 344 The mendicant's poverty permits not a single possession, For
possessions draws him back into delusion.
Verse 345 What are life's petty attachments to the man who seeks severance
From future births, when even his body is a burden?
Verse 346 He who slays the conceit which clamors "I" and "mine" Will enter a
realm above the celestials' world.
Verse 347 If one clings to his attachments, refusing to let go, Sorrows will
not let go their grip on him.
Verse 348 Those who renounce totally reach the highest peak; The rest remain
ensnared in delusions net.
Verse 349 Birth ceases when all attachments are severed; Otherwise, one
beholds unceasingly the transitoriness of life.
Verse 350 Attach yourself to Him who is free from all attachments. Bind
yourself to that bond in order that all other bonds may be broken.
Knowledge of Truth
Verse 351 The delusion which mistakes the unreal for the Real Is the genesis
of woeful births.
Verse 352 For those of undimmed perception, free from delusion, Darkness
departs and rapture rushes in.
Verse 353 To those who have dispelled all doubt and perceive Truth, Heaven is
nearer than earth.
Verse 354 All knowledge acquired through the five senses is worthless To
those without knowledge of truth.
Verse 355 In everything of every kind whatsoever, Wisdom perceives Truth in
that thing.
Verse 356 Those who find Divine Truth in this world Follow a path which never
comes back to this world.
Verse 357 Those who think with certitude and ponder well that which is, Need
never think of being born again.
Verse 358 Banishing the folly of rebirth and thus beholding Perfections True
Being-that is wisdom.
Verse 359 The ruinous griefs that he is yet to suffer will not cleave to him
who, Renouncing other supports, realizes life's true Support.
Verse 360 Desire, detesting and delusion-the annihilation of these three
names Is the annihilation of suffering endured.
Eradication of Desire
Verse 361 At all times and to all creatures The seed of ceaseless births is
desire.
Verse 362 If you must desire, desire freedom from birth. That will only come
by desiring desirelessness.
Verse 363 Here no fortune is as dear as desirelessness; And even there
nothing like it can be found.
Verse 364 Purity is but freedom from desire, And that is achieved by desiring
to know Truth.
Verse 365 They say only those who have renounced desire are renunciates.
Others do not share the same attainment
Verse 366 As it is desire, above all else, which deceives a man, Ascetics
dread it judiciously.
Verse 367 When a renunciate ceases the deeds of desire, Deliverance from life
and death will come when he desires.
Verse 368 He who has no desires has no sorrow, but where there is desire
There will be ever-increasing sorrows.
Verse 369 When desire, sorrow's sorrow, dies away, Undying bliss prevails
even here on earth.
Verse 370 It is the nature of desire never to be fulfilled, but he who
utterly Gives it up realizes eternal fulfillment at that very moment.
Destiny
Verse 371 Industriousness comes to men whom Fortune favors, But laziness
approaches those whom Misfortune has chosen.
Verse 372 That destiny which decreases prosperity, increases ignorance. That
destiny which diminishes loss, expands knowledge.
Verse 373 However subtle the texts studied, The native knowing destined one
prevails.
Verse 374 Two natural ways are ordained in this world. Acquiring wealth is
one. Attaining wisdom is quite another.
Verse 375 When fate is against a man, his assured success in gathering wealth
will Fail; and when fate is with him, even certain failure will succeed.
Verse 376 Though you guard it well, what destiny does not decree disappears.
Though you cast it aside, what fate calls yours will not depart.
Verse 377 A man may amass millions, but its enjoyment, Will never exceed the
allotment allotted by him.
Verse 378 The destitute are almost ascetics and would renounce if only
Approaching fate, carrying experiences yet to be, would pass them by.
Verse 379 Why should those who rejoice when Destiny brings good Moan when
that same Destiny decrees misfortune?
Verse 380 What is there that is mightier than Destiny? For it is there ahead
of us even in the plans we devise to overcome it.
The
Merits of the King
Verse 381 He is lion among kings who is well-endowed with these six
possessions: Army, citizens, wealth, ministers, allies and fortresses.
Verse 382 Four are the characteristics which a king cannot lack:
Fearlessness, generosity, wisdom and industriousness.
Verse 383 In those who rule the land these three must never lapse: Vigilance,
valiance and virtuous learning.
Verse 384 He is a true king who, unswerving in virtue, Restrains wrongdoing,
and, steadfast in courage, maintains his honor.
Verse 385 A king is he who can amass a treasury of wealth, Store it, guard it
and expend it wisely.
Verse 386 All peoples praise that nation whose sovereign Is always accessible
and never speaks severely.
Verse 387 Behold the King who speaks sweetly, gives generously and Protects
powerfully- the world, esteems his word its command.
Verse 388 Ruling righteously himself and safeguarding subjects from others, A
monarch may be deemed divine by his people.
Verse 389 The world abides protected beneath the umbrella Of a virtuous king
who can abide words bitter to the ear.
Verse 390 He is a light ruler who is endowed with the four merits Of
generosity, graciousness, justice and care for the people.
Learning
Verse 391 Learn perfectly all that you learn, and Thereafter keep your
conduct worthy of that learning.
Verse 392 Two are the eyes of those who truly live- One is called numbers and
the other letters.
Verse 393 The learned have eyes that see, they say. The unlearned have but
two sores on their face.
Verse 394 It is the learned mans prowess that meetings Bring delight and
departures leave pleasant thoughts.
Verse 395 Amidst the learned be humble, as those possessing nothing are
before The prosperous. Those who fail thus to learn are the lowest of men.
Verse 396 The deeper a sand-well is dug the freer is its flow of water. Even
so, the deeper a man's learning the greater is his wisdom.
Verse 397 When every country our village could be his own, How can a man
dwell unlearned to his death?
Verse 398 Learning a man secures in one birth Will secure his well-being in
seven.
Verse 399 When the learned see that the learning that delights them Delights
the world as well, they love learning even more.
Verse 400 A man's learning is an imperishable and precious wealth. All other
possessions are less golden.
