Chapter 152

“Saunaka said, ‘I shall for these reasons discourse to thee ofrighteousness, to thee whose heart has been exceedingly agitated.Possessed of knowledge and great strength, and with a contented heart,thou seekest righteousness of thy own will. A king, first becomingexceedingly stern, then shows compassion and does good to all creaturesby his acts. This is certainly very wonderful. People say that that kingwho commences with sternness burns the whole world. Thou wert sternbefore. But thou turnest thy eyes on righteousness now. Forsakingluxurious food and all articles of enjoyment, thou hast betaken thyselffor a long time to rigid penances. All this, O Janamejaya, is certain toappear wonderful to those kings that are sunk in sin. That he who hasaffluence should become liberal, or that he who is endued with wealth ofasceticism should become reluctant to spend it, is not at all wonderful.It has been said that the one does not live at a distance from theother.[443] That which is ill-judged produces misery in abundance. Thaton the other hand, which is accomplished with the aid of sound judgmentleads to excellent results.[444] Sacrifice, gift, compassions, the Vedas,and truth, O lord of the earth–these five–are cleansing. The sixth ispenance well-performed. This last, O Janamejaya, is highly cleansing forkings. By betaking thyself to it properly, thou art certain to earn greatmerit and blessedness. Visiting sacred spots has also been said to behighly cleansing. In this connection are cited the following verses sungby Yayati: ‘That mortal who would earn life and longevity should, afterhaving performed sacrifices with devotion, renounce them (in old age) andpractise penances.’ The field of Kuru has been said to be sacred. Theriver Saraswati has been said to be more so. The tirthas of the Saraswatiare more sacred than the Saraswati herself; and the tirtha calledPrithudaka is more sacred than all the tirthas of the Saraswati. One thathas bathed in Prithudaka. and drunk its waters will not have to grievefor a premature death. Thou shouldst go to Mahasaras, to all the tirthasdesignated by the name of Pushkara, to Prabhasa, to the northern lakeManasa, and to Kalodaka. Thou shalt then regain life and acquirelongevity. Lake Manasa is on the spot where the Saraswati and theDrisadwati mingle with each other. A person possessed of Vedic knowledgeshould bathe in these places. Manu has said that liberality is the bestof all duties and that renunciation is better than liberality. In thisconnection is cited the following verse composed by Satyavat. (One shouldact) as a child full of simplicity and destitute of either merit or sin.As regards all creatures there is in this would neither misery norhappiness. (That which is called misery and that which is calledhappiness are the results of a distraught imagination.) Even this is thetrue nature of all living creatures. Of all creatures, their lives aresuperior who have betaken themselves to renunciation and abstained fromacts both meritorious and sinful. I shall now tell thee those acts whichare best for a king. By putting forth thy might and liberality do thouconquer heaven, O king! That man who possesses the attributes of mightand energy succeeds in attaining to righteousness.[445] Do thou rule theearth, O king, for the sake of the Brahmanas and for the sake ofhappiness. Thou usedst formerly to condemn the Brahmanas. Do thou gratifythem now. Though they have cried fie on thee and though they havedeserted thee, do thou still, guided by knowledge of self, solemnlypledge thyself never to injure them. Engaged in acts proper for thee,seek what is for thy highest good. Amongst rulers some one becomes ascool as snow; some one, as fierce as fire; some one becomes like a plough(uprooting all enemies); and some one, again, becomes like a thunder-bolt(suddenly scorching his foes). He who wishes to prevent self-destructionshould never mix with wicked wights for general or special reasons. Froma sinful act committed only once, one may cleanse one’s self by repentingof it. From a sinful act committed twice, one may cleanse one’s self byvowing never to commit it again. From such an act committed thrice, onemay cleanse one’s self by the resolution to bear one’s self righteouslyever afterwards. By committing such an act repeatedly, one may cleanseone’s self by a trip to sacred places. One who is desirous of obtainingprosperity should do all that results in blessedness. They who liveamidst fragrant odours themselves become fragrant in consequence. They,on the other hand, who live in the midst of foul stench themselves becomefoul. One devoted to the practice of ascetic penances is soon cleansed ofall one’s sins. By worshipping the (homa) fire for a year, one stained bydiverse sins becomes purified. One guilty of foeticide is cleansed byworshipping the fire for three years. One guilty of foeticide becomescleansed at even a hundred Yojanas from Mahasaras, or the tirthas calledPushkara, or Prabhasa, or Manasa on the north, if only one gets out forany of them.[446] A slayer of creatures is cleansed of his sins by sayingfrom imminent peril as many creatures of that particular species as havebeen slain by him. Manu has said that by diving in water after thricereciting the Aghamarshana mantras, one reaps the fruits of the final bathin a Horse-sacrifice.[447] Such an act very soon cleanses one of allone’s sins, and one regains in consequence the esteem of the world. Allcreatures become obedient to such a person like helpless idiots (obedientto those that surround them). The gods and Asuras, in days of yore,approaching the celestial preceptor Vrihaspati, O king, humbly enquiredof him, saying, ‘Thou knowest, O great Rishi, the fruits of virtue, asalso the fruits of those other acts that lead to hell in the next world.Does not that person succeed in liberating himself from both merit andsin with whom the two (weal and woe) are equal? Tell us, O great Rishi,what the fruits of righteousness are, and how does a righteous persondispels his sins.’

“Vrihaspati answered, ‘If having committed sin through folly, one doesmeritorious acts understanding their nature, one succeeds, by suchrighteousness, in cleansing one’s self from sin even as a piece of dirtycloth is washed clean by means of some saline substance. One should notboast after having committed sin. By having recourse to faith and byfreeing one’s self from malice, one succeeds in obtaining blessedness.That person who covers the faults, even when exposed, of good men,obtains blessedness even after committing faults. As the sun rising atmorn dispels darkness, one dispels all ones sins by acting righteously.’

“Bhishma continued, ‘Indrota, the son of Sunaka, having said these wordsunto king Janamejaya, assisted him, by his ministrations, in theperformance of the horse-sacrifice. The king, cleansed of his sins andregaining blessedness, shone with splendour like a blazing fire, and thatslayer of foes then entered his kingdom like Soma in his full formentering heaven.'”