Chapter 273
“Yudhishthira said, ‘By what means doth a man become sinful, by what dothhe achieve virtue, by what doth he attain to Renunciation, and by whatdoth he win Emancipation?’
“Bhishma said, ‘Thou knowest all duties. This question that thou askestis only for confirmation of thy conclusions. Listen now to Emancipation,and Renunciation, and Sin, and Virtue to their very roots. Perceiving anyone of the five objects (viz., form, taste, scent, sound, and touch),desire runs after it at first. Indeed, obtaining them within the purviewof the senses, O chief of Bharata’s race, desire or aversion springsup.[1295] One, then, for the sake of that object (i.e., for acquisitionof what is liked and avoidance of what is disliked) strives and beginsacts that involve much labour. One endeavours one’s best for repeatedlyenjoying those forms and scents (and the three other objects of theremaining three senses) that appear very agreeable. Gradually,attachment, and aversion, and greed, and errors of judgment arise. Themind of one overwhelmed by greed and error and affected by attachment andaversion is never directed to virtue. One then begins with hypocrisy todo acts that are good. Indeed, with hypocrisy one then seeks to acquirevirtue, and with hypocrisy one likes to acquire wealth. When onesucceeds, O son of Kuru’s race, in winning wealth with hypocrisy, onesets one’s heart to such acquisition wholly. It is then that one beginsto do acts that are sinful, notwithstanding the admonitions ofwell-wishers and the wise, unto all which he makes answers plausiblyconsistent with reason and conformable to the injunctions of thescriptures. Born of attachment and error, his sins, of three kinds,rapidly increase, for he thinks sinfully, speaks sinfully, and actssinfully. When he fairly starts on the way of sin, they that are goodmark his wickedness. They, however, that are of a disposition similar tothat of the sinful man, enter into friendship with him. He succeeds notin winning happiness even here. Whence then would he succeed in winninghappiness hereafter? It is thus that one becomes sinful. Listen now to meas I speak to thee of one that is righteous. Such a man, inasmuch as heseeks the good of others, succeeds in winning good for himself. Bypractising duties that are fraught with other people’s good, he attainsat last to a highly agreeable end. He who, aided by his wisdom, succeedsbeforehand in beholding the faults above adverted to, who is skilled injudging of what is happiness and what is sorrow and how each is broughtabout, and who waits with reverence upon those that are good, makesprogress in achieving virtue, both in consequence of his habit and suchcompanionship of the good. The mind of such a person takes delight invirtue, and he lives on, making virtue his support. If he sets his hearton the acquisition of wealth, he desires only such wealth as may beacquired in righteous ways. Indeed, he waters the roots of only thosethings in which he sees merit. In this way, doth one become righteous andacquires friends that are good. In consequence of his acquisition offriends, of wealth, and of children, he sports in happiness both here andhereafter. The mastery (in respect of enjoyment) that a living creatureattains over sound, touch, taste, form, and scent, O Bharata, representsthe fruit of virtue.[1296] Remember this. Having obtained the fruit ofvirtue, O Yudhishthira, such a man does not give himself up to joy.Without being contented with such (visible) fruits of virtue he betakeshimself to Renunciation, led on by the eye of knowledge. When, havingacquired the eye of knowledge, he ceases to take pleasure in thegratification of desire, in taste and in scent, when he does net allowhis mind to run towards sound, touch and form, it is then that hesucceeds in freeing himself from desire.[1297] He does not, however, eventhen cast off virtue or righteous acts. Beholding then all the worlds tobe liable to destruction, he strives to cast off virtue (with its rewardsin the form of heaven and its happiness) and endeavours to attain toEmancipation by the (well-known) means.[1298] Gradually abandoning allsinful acts he betakes himself to Renunciation, and becomingrighteous-souled succeeds at last in attaining to Emancipation. I havenow told thee, O son, of that about which thou hadst asked me, viz., thetopics of Sin, Righteousness, Renunciation, and Emancipation, O Bharata!Thou shouldst, therefore, O Yudhishthira, adhere to virtue in allsituations. Eternal is the success, O son of Kunti, of thee that adherestto righteousness.'”[1299]
