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 Véda : 82. Whoever shall repeat, day by day, for three 6 years, without negligence, that sacred text, shall hereafter approach the divine essence, move as freely as air, and assume an ethereal form. 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 gayatri: a declaration of truth is more excellent than silence. 6 84. All rites ordained in the Vida, oblatio ns to fire, and solemn sacrifices pass away; but that ' which passes not away, is declared to be the syllable om, thence called acshara: since it is a symbol of GOD, the Lord of created beings. 85. The act of repeating his Holy Name is ten times better than the appointed sacrifice; an hundred times better when it is heard by no man; and a thousand times better when it is purely mental: 86. The four domestick sacraments which are 'companied 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: ac 87. By the sole repetition of the giyatrì, 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. 6 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: 6 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, 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. 6 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. 6 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 fe•licity. 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 repines: 99. But, when one among all his organs fails, by that single failure his knowledge of GoD passes away, as water flows through one hole in a leathern bottle. 100. Having kept all his members of sense and action under control, and obtained also command over his heart, he will enjoy every advantage, even though 'he reduce not his body by religious austerities. 101. AT the morning twilight let him stand repeat II. CHAP. II. 6 ing the gayatri until he see the sun; and at evening twilight, let him repeat it sitting, until the stars distinctly appear; 102. He who stands repeating it at the morning twilight, removes all unknown nocturnal sin; and he 'who repeats it sitting at evening twilight, disperses the taint, that has unknowingly been contracted in • the day; 103. But he who stands not repeating it in the 'morning, and sits not repeating it in the evening, 'must be precluded, like a Súdra, from every sacred 'observance of the twice born classes. 104. Near pure water, with his organs holden under 'control, and retiring from circumspection to some unfrequented place, let him pronounce the gayatrì, performing daily ceremonies. 105. In reading the Védángas, or grammar, prosody, mathematicks, and so forth, or even such parts of the Veda as ought constantly to be read, there is no prohibition on particular days; nor in pronounc ing the texts appointed for oblations to fire: 106. Of that, which must constantly be read, and is 'therefore called Brahmasatra, there can be no such prohibition; and the oblation to fire, according to the Vida, produces good fruit, though accompanied with the text vashat, which on other occasions must be intermitted on certain days. 107. For II. 107. For him, who shall persist a whole year in CHAP. reading the Vida, his organs being kept in subjection, and his body pure, there will always rise good fruit 'from his offerings of milk and curds, of clarified butter ⚫ and honey. 6 108. LET the twice born youth, who has been girt with the sacrificial cord, collect wood for the holy fire, beg food of his relations, sleep on a low bed, and perform such offices as may please his preceptor, until his return to the house of his natural father. 109 Ten persons may legally be instructed in the Véda; the son of a spiritual teacher; a boy who is assiduous; one who can impart other knowledge; one who is just; one who is pure; one who is friendly; one who is powerful; one who can bestow 'wealth; one who is honest; and one who is related by blood. 110. Let not a sensible teacher tell any other what he is not asked, nor what he is asked improperly; but let him, however intelligent, act in the multi'tude as if he were dumb: 111. Of the two persons, him, who illegally asks, • and him, who illegally answers, one will die, or incur odium. 112. Where virtue, and wealth sufficient to secure it, portioned to the holiness of the subject, in that soil • divine |