II. tion, in good customs, in the management of the CHAP. consecrated fire, and in the holy rites of morning, noon, and evening. 70. When the student is going to read the Véda, he must perform an ablution, as the law ordains, with his face to the north, and, having paid scriptural homage, he must receive instruction, wearing a clean vest, his members being duly composed : 71. At the beginning and end of the lecture, he 'must always clasp both the feet of his preceptor; and he must read with both his hands closed: (this is 'called scriptural homage.) 72. With crossed hands let him clasp the feet of his tutor, touching the left foot with his left, and 'the right, with his right hand. 73. When he is prepared for the lecture, the preceptor, constantly attentive, must say: "hoa! read;" and at the close of the lesson he must say : "take "rest." 74. A Bráhmen, beginning and ending a lecture on the Veda, must always pronounce to himself the syl'lable om; for, unless the syllable om precede, his learning will slip away from him; and, unless it follow, nothing will be long retained. 6 75. If he have sitten on culms of cusa with their points toward the east, and be purified by rubbing • that CHAP. II. 6 that holy grass on both his hands, and be further prepared by three suppressions of breath each equal in time to five short vowels, he then may fitly pro6 nounce om. 76. BRAHMA' milked out, as it were, from the 'three Vedas, the letter A, the letter U, and the letter M, which form by their coalition the triliteral monosyllable, together with three mysterious words, bhur, bhuvah, swer, or earth, sky, heaven : 77. From the three Vedas, also, the Lord of creatures, incomprehensibly exalted, successively milked out the three measures of that ineffable text, beginning with the word tad, and entitled sávitrì or gayatrì. 78. A priest who shall know the Veda, and shall pronounce to himself, both morning and evening, 'that syllable, and that holy text preceded by the three words, shall attain the sanctity which the Veda 'confers; 79. And a twice born man, who shall a thousand times repeat those three (or óm, the vyáhritis, and 'the gayatri,) apart from the multitude, shall be released in a month even from a great offence, as a snake from his slough. 80. The priest, the soldier, and the merchant, who 'shall neglect this mysterious text, and fail to perform ' in due season his peculiar acts of piety, shall meet 'with contempt among the virtuous. 81. The II. 81. The three great immutable words, preceded by CHAP. 'the triliteral syllable, and followed by the gayatrì 'which consists of three measures, must be consider'ed as the mouth, or principal part of the Veda: 6 6 82. Whoever shall repeat, day by day, for three years, without negligence, that sacred text, shall hereafter approach the divine essence, move as freeIly as air, and assume an ethereal form. 6 6 83. The triliteral monosyllable is an emblem of the Supreme, the suppressions of breath with a mind fixed on GoD are the highest devotion; but nothing is more exalted than the gayatrì: a declaration of truth is more excellent than silence. 84. All rites ordained in the Vida, oblatio ns to 85. The act of repeating his Holy Name is ten 6 86. The four domestick sacraments which are accompanied with the appointed sacrifice, are not equal, though all be united, to a sixteenth part of the sacrifice performed by a repetition of the gaya6 trì: 87. 6 By the sole repetition of the gayatrì, a priest may indubitably attain beatitude, let him perform, or not perform, any other religious act; if he be Maitra, or a friend to all creatures, he is justly named Brahmena, or united to the Great One. 88. In restraining the organs which run wild among ' ravishing sensualities, a wise man will apply diligent care, like a charioteer in managing restive horses. 89. Those eleven organs, to which the first sages gave names, I will comprehensively enumerate as the law considers them in due order. 90. The nose is the fifth after the ears, the skin, 'the eyes, and the tongue; and the organs of speech are reckoned the tenth, after those of excretion and generation, and the hands and feet: 91. Five of them, the ear and the rest in succession, learned men have called organs of sense; and the others, organs of action : 92. The heart must be considered as the eleventh; which, by its natural property, comprises both sense ' and action; and which being subdued, the two other sets, with five in each, are also controlled. 93. A man, by the attachment of his organs to 'sensual pleasure, incurs certain guilt; but, having wholly subdued them, them, he thence attains heavenly ' bliss. 94. Desire is never satisfied with the enjoyment of • desired 6 ' desired objects; as the fire is not appeased with CHAP. clarified butter; it only blazes more vehemently. 95. Whatever man may obtain all those gratifica tions, or whatever man may resign them completely, 'the resignation of all pleasures is far better than the ' attainment of them. 96. The organs being strongly attached to sensual ' delights cannot so effectually be restrained by avoiding incentives to pleasure, as by a constant pursuit of 'divine knowledge. 97. To a man contaminated by sensuality neither 'the Védas, nor liberality, nor sacrifices, nor strict observances, nor pious austerities, ever procure felicity. 6 98. He must be considered as really triumphant ' over his organs, who, on hearing and touching, on seeing and tasting and smelling, what may please or offend the senses, neither greatly rejoices nor greatly 99. 101. Ar the morning twilight let him stand repeat II. |