Mahābhārata

M. N. Dutt: Parashara said I have now described to you the ordained duties of a householder. I shall now describe to you the ordinances about penances. Hear me as I describe that subject.

M. N. Dutt: It is generally seen, O king. that on account of sentiments fraught with Darkness and Ignorance, the senses of mine begotten by attachment, originates in the heart of householder.

M. N. Dutt: Becoming a householder, one acquires kine, fields, wealth of diverse sorts, wives, children, and servants.

M. N. Dutt: One who follows this mode of life continually casts his eye upon these objects. Under these circumstances, one's attachments and aversions multiply, and one ceases to consider unreal possessions as eternal and indestructible.

M. N. Dutt: When a person becomes possessed by attachment and aversion, and gives way to the control of worldly objects, the desire of enjoyment then seizes him, originating from carelessness, O king.

M. N. Dutt: Considering that person as blessed who has the largest share of enjoyments in this world, the man devoted to enjoyment does not, on account of his attachment thereto, see that there is any other happiness save what depends upon the gratification of the senses.

M. N. Dutt: Overwhelmed with cupidity that originates from such attachment, he then tries to multiply the number of his relatives and attendants, and for pleasing these latter he tries to increase his wealth by every means in his power.

M. N. Dutt: Filled with affection for children, such a person then commits, for the sake of acquiring riches, evil deeds, and yields to grief if his wealth belost.

M. N. Dutt: Having acquired honours and always guarding against the defeat of his plans, he follows such means as would satisfy his desire of enjoyment. At last he meets with destruction as the inevitable result of the conduct he follows.

M. N. Dutt: It is well known, however, that true happiness is theirs who are endued with intelligence, who are Brahmavadins, who try to perform only auspicious and beneficial acts, and who abstain from all acts which are optional and originate from desire only.

M. N. Dutt: From loss of all such objects in which are centred our affections, from loss of riches, O king, and from the oppression of physical diseases and mental anguish a person falls into despair.

M. N. Dutt: From this despair originates an awakening of the soul. From such an awakening proceeds study of the Scriptures. From contemplation of the meaning of the Scriptures, O king, one sees the value of penance.

M. N. Dutt: A person endued with the knowledge of what is essential and what accidental, O king, is very rare,-a man who tries to practise penances, under the conviction that the happiness one enjoys from the possession of such agreeable objects as wives and children brings on ultimately misery.

M. N. Dutt: Penances, O child, are for all. They are ordained for even the lowest order of men, Penances lead the self-controlled man who has mastered all his senses to the way to heaven.

M. N. Dutt: It was through penances that the powerful Lord of all creatures, O king, practising vows at particular intervals, created all existent objects.

M. N. Dutt: The Aditya's, the Vasus, the Rudras, Agni, the Ashvins, the Maruts, the Vishvedevas, the Saddhyas, the Pitris, the Maruts, the Yakshas, the Rakshasas, the Gandharvas, the Siddhas and the other Inhabitants of heaven, and indeed, all other celestials whatever, O child, have all become successful through their penances.

M. N. Dutt: Those Brahmanas whom Brahman created at the beginning, succeeded through their penances in honouring not the Earth alone but the heaven also in which they moved about at pleasure.

M. N. Dutt: In this world of men, they who are kings and those others who are householders born in high families, have all become what they are on account of their penances.,

M. N. Dutt: The silken dresses they put on the excellent ornaments that decorate their persons, the animals and vehicles they ride, and the seats they use are all the outcome of their penances.

M. N. Dutt: Thousands of many charming and beautiful damsels, that they enjoy, and their residence in palaces, are all on account of their penances.

M. N. Dutt: The righteous persons enjoy various sorts of costly beds and sweet viands,

M. N. Dutt: There is nothing in the three worlds, O scorcher of enemies, that penances cannot bring in. Even those who are shorn of true knowledge acquire Renunciation through their penances.

M. N. Dutt: Whether in rich circumstances or miserable, a person should renounce cupidity, meditating on the scriptures, with the help of his mind and understanding, O best of kings.

M. N. Dutt: Discontent produces misery. Cupidity brings on stupefaction of the senses. The senses being stupefied, one's wisdom is lost like knowledge not kept up by continued application.

M. N. Dutt: When one's wisdom is lost, he cannot discriminate what is proper from what is improper. Hence, when one's happiness is destroyed he should practise the austerest of penances.

M. N. Dutt: Wheat is agreeable is called happiness. What is disagreeable is called misery. Happiness is the outcome of penances practisted. When they are not practised, the outcome is misery. See the fruits of practising and abstaining from penances.

M. N. Dutt: By practising pure penances, people always enjoy auspicious consequences of every sort, enjoy all good things, and acquire great fame.

M. N. Dutt: He, however, who, by abandoning (pure penances), undertakes penances from desire of fruit, suffers from many disagreeable consequences, and disgrace and sorrow of all sorts, as the fruits thereof, all of which originate from worldly possessions.

M. N. Dutt: Despite the desirability of practising virtue, penances, and gifts, the desire for doing all sorts of forbidden acts originates in his mind. By thus perpetrating various sorts of sinful deeds, he goes to hell.

M. N. Dutt: That person, O best of men, who, in both happiness and misery, does deviate from the duties ordained for him, is said to have the scriptures for his eye.

M. N. Dutt: It is said that the pleasure one gets from the gratification of his senses of touch, tongue, sight, smell, and hearing, O king, lasts only so long as an arrow shot off the bow takes in falling down upon the Earth.

M. N. Dutt: Upon the termination of the pleasure, which is fickle, on suffers the most acute pain. It is only the senseless that do not speak highly of happiness of Liberation which is peerless.

M. N. Dutt: Seeing the misery consequent upon the gratification of the senses, the wise cultivate the virtues of tranquillity and self-control for the purpose of acquiring Liberation. On account of righteous conduct, riches and pleasure can never succeed in afflicting them.

M. N. Dutt: Householders may, without any compunction, enjoy riches and other possessions which are acquired with Exertion. About the duties of their order, I think, they should satisfy them with the help of Exertion.

M. N. Dutt: The practice of those who are honoured, who are born in high families, and who have their eyes always turned towards the meaning of the Scriptures, is incapable of being followed by those who are sinful and who have uncontrolled minds.

M. N. Dutt: All acts that are done by man under the influence of pride, meet with destruction. Therefore, there is no other act, for the respectable and the truly righteous, in this world to do than penance.

M. N. Dutt: As regards, those householders, however, who are addicted to acts, they should, with their whole hearts, perform acts. Following the duties of their order, O king, they should with diligence and assiduity celebrate sacrifices and other religious rites.

M. N. Dutt: Indeed, as all rivers, male and female, go in the end to the Ocean, so men belonging to all the other orders have the householders for their refuge.