Verse 1 "A" is the first and source of all the letters. Even so is God Primordial the first and source of all the world.

Verse 2 What has learning profited a man, if it has not led him To worship the Good Feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?

Verse 3 The Supreme dwells within the lotus of the heart. Those who reach His Splendid Feet dwell endearingly within unearthly realms.

Verse 4 Draw near the Feet of Him who is free of desire and aversion. And live forever free of suffering.

Verse 5 Good and bad, delusion's dual deeds, do not disturb Those who delight in praising the immutable, worshipful One.

Verse 6 A long and joyous life rewards those is theirs who remain firmly On the faultless path of Him who controls the five senses.

Verse 7 They alone dispel the mind's distress Who take refuge at the Feet of the Incomparable One.

Verse 8 They alone can cross life's other oceans who take refuge at the Feet of the Gracious One, Himself an ocean of virtue.

Verse 9 The head which cannot bow before the Feet of the Possessor Of eight infinite powers resembles eyes which cannot see.

Verse 10 The immense boundless ocean of births can be crossed, but not Without intimate union with Infinity's Holy Feet.

Verse 11 It is the unfailing fall of rain that sustains the world. Therefore, look upon rain as the nectar of life.

Verse 12 Rain produces man's wholesome food; And rain itself forms part of his food besides.

Verse 13 Though oceanic waters surround it, the world will be deluged By hunger's hardships if the billowing clouds betray us.

Verse 14 When clouds withhold their watery wealth, Farmers cease to pull their ploughs.

Verse 15 It is rain that ruins, and it is rain again That raises up those it has ruined.

Verse 16 Unless raindrops fall from the sky, Not even green grass will be seen rising from the earth.

Verse 17 The nature of oceans, though vast, would diminish, If clouds ceased to take up water and give back rain's gifts.

Verse 18 Should the heavens dry up, worship here of the heavenly ones In festivals and daily rites would wither.

Verse 19 Unless the heavens grant their gifts, neither the giver's generosity Nor the ascetic's aloofness will grace this wide world.

Verse 20 No life on earth can exist without water, And the ceaseless flow of that water cannot exist without rain.

Verse 21 The scriptures exalt above every other good The greatness of virtuous renunciates.

Verse 22 Attempting to speak of the renunciate's magnitude Is akin to measuring the human multitudes who have ever died.

Verse 23 Behold those who have weighed the dual nature of things and followed The renunciate's way. Their greatness illumines the world.

Verse 24 He whose firm will, wisdom's goading hook, controls his five senses Is a seed that will flourish in the fields of heaven.

Verse 25 So great is the power of those who subdue the five senses, even Indra, Sovereign of spacious heaven's celestials, suffered their curse.

Verse 26 The great ones are they who can dispatch the most Difficult tasks; the small ones are they who cannot.

Verse 27 Touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing- He who controls these five magically controls the world.

Verse 28 Their own secret sayings reveal to the world The greatness of men whose words prove prophetic.

Verse 29 It is impossible to endure even a moment's wrath of those Who have scaled and stand upon the mountain called virtue.

Verse 30 Renunciates are called the priestly ones For they are clothed in robes of compassion for all life.

Verse 31 Virtue yields heaven's honor and earth's wealth. What is there then that is more fruitful for a man?

Verse 32 There is nothing more rewarding than virtue, Nor anything more ruinous than its neglect.

Verse 33 Be unremitting in the doing of good deeds. Do them with all your might and by every possible means.

Verse 34 Keep the mind free of impurity. That alone is the practice of virtue. All else is nothing but empty display.

Verse 35 Virtue is living in such a way that one does not fall into these four- Envy, anger, greed and unsavory speech.

Verse 36 Don't tell yourself tomorrow you'll be wise enough to practice virtue. Do it now for it will be your deathless companion when you die.

Verse 37 It is decidedly unnecessary to inquire about virtues' benefits, So evident in the difference between the palanquin's rider and bearer.

Verse 38 Allowing not a day to pass without doing some good is a boulder That will block your passage on the path to future benefits.

Verse 39 Virtuous deeds alone yield true joy. All other deeds, deprived of dignity, earn naught and end in sorrow.

Verse 40 Virtue is merely that which should be done, And vice is merely that which men avoid in life.

Verse 41 He alone may be called a householder who supports Those students, elders and renunciates pursuing well their good paths.

Verse 42 The virtuous householder supports the needs Of renunciates, ancestors and the poor.

Verse 43 The foremost duty of the householder is to duly serve these five: God, guests, kindred, ancestors and himself.

Verse 44 Gathering wealth without misdeeds and sharing meals without miserliness, The householder's posterity will never perish.

Verse 45 When family life possesses love and virtue, That is both its essence and fruition. Verse 46 If a man masters the immeasurable myriad householder's duties, What further merits could a monk's duties mission bring?

Verse 47 Among those who strive for liberation, the foremost are they Who live the blessed state of family life as it should be lived.

Verse 48 The householder dedicated to duty and to aiding Ascetics on their path of penance endures withstands more than they.

Verse 49 Domestic life is rightly called virtue. The monastic path, Rightly lived beyond blame, is likewise good.

Verse 50 He who pursues the householder's life well here on earth Will be placed among the Gods there in heaven.

Verse 51 She is the helpful wife who possesses the fullness of Household culture and spends within her husband's means.

Verse 52 The fullest family life remains empty If the wife lacks the lofty culture of the home.

Verse 53 What does a man lack if his wife is worthy? And what does he possess if she is lacking worth?

Verse 54 What is more majestic than a women Who commands the copious prodigious strength of chastity?

Verse 55 Even the rains will fall at the command of the wife Who upon rising worships not God, but her husband.

Verse 56 She who vigilantly guards herself, fondly secures her husband's needs And protects their unblemished reputation is truly a wife.

Verse 57 Why do guardians protect women by confinement? Her own Strong-willed staunch chastity is a women's prime supreme protection.

Verse 58 A women deeply devoted to the man who wed her Will be worthy of great rewards in the world where Gods delight

Verse 59 Unless the wife pursues praiseworthy purity, The husband cannot stride prance like a proud lion before his critics.

Verse 60 A worthy wife is the blessing of a home, And good children are its precious ornament.

Verse 61 Of all a man's blessings we know of none greater than The begetting of children endowed with wisdom.

Verse 62 Those who bear children of blameless character Will themselves be born seven times, untouched by evil.

Verse 63 It is said that children are a man's real wealth, For his enduring blessings derive from deeds they do on his behalf.

Verse 64 Far sweeter than divine nectar is simple boiled rice Stirred by the small hands of one's children.

Verse 65 Being touched by one's children is the body's delight, And listening to their chatters them chatter is joy to the ear.

Verse 66 "Sweet are the sounds of the flute and the lute," say those Who have not heard the prattle of their own children.

Verse 67 The father's duty to his son is to make him Worthy of precedence in the assembly of the wise.

Verse 68 What pleasure it is to human beings everywhere When their children possess knowledge surpassing their own!

Verse 69 When a mother hears her son heralded a good and learned man, Her joy exceeds that of his joyous birth.

Verse 70 The son's duty to his father is to make the world ask, "By what great austerities did he merit such a son?"

Verse 71 Can any lock keep love confined within, When the loving heart's small tears escape and confess it?

Verse 72 The unloving belong only to themselves, But the loving belong to others to their very bones.

Verse 73 They say it is to know union with love That the soul takes union with the body.

Verse 74 Love makes a man affectionate toward all, And affection affords the priceless treasure of friendship.

Verse 75 They say love's greatness is this: it yields to good families Worldly happiness here and heavenly bliss there.

Verse 76 The ignorant declare love only draws us towards virtue, Forgetting love is friend to all immersed in vice.

Verse 77 As the blazing sun dries up a boneless worm, So does virtue scorch a loveless being.

Verse 78 Without love in the heart, Life is like a sapless tree in a barren desert.

Verse 79 What good is a body perfect in outer ways, If inwardly it is impaired by lack of love?

Verse 80 With love enshrined in the heart, one lives. Without it, the body is mere just bone encased in skin.

Verse 81 The consummate purpose of maintaining a home And earning wealth is to provide hospitality to guests.

Verse 82 To hoard one's meal when a guest is in the home Is improper-even if it is the nectar of immortality.

Verse 83 The life of the man who daily cares for those who Come to him will never suffer from poverty's uncaring ruin.

Verse 84 Wealth's goddess dwells in the hospitable home Of one those who hosts guests with a smiling face.

Verse 85 If a man eats only after attending to guests' needs, What further sowing will his fertile fields require?

Verse 86 The host who cares for guests and watches hopefully for more, Will himself be a welcomed guest of those whose home is heaven. Verse

87 Charity's merit cannot be measured by gifts given. It is measured by measuring the receiver's merits.

Verse 88 Those who never sacrifice to care for guests will later lament, "We hoarded wealth, estranged ourselves, now none will care for us."

Verse 89 The poorest penury is having plenty but neglecting guests. Such senselessness is only found in senseless fools.

Verse 90 The delicate anicham flower withers when merely smelled, But an unwelcome look is enough to wither the heart of a guest.

Verse 91 Pleasant words are those which, full of tenderness And free from deceit, fall from the lips of virtuous men.

Verse 92 Better than a gift given with a joyous heart Are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.

Verse 93 A kindly countenance and sweet words Spoken from the heart-these are virtue's way.

Verse 94 Poverty-provoking sorrow will not pursue Those who speak joy-producing words to all they meet.

Verse 95 Humility and pleasant words are the jewels That adorn a man; there are none other.

Verse 96 If a man seeks good works while speaking sweet words, His virtues will wax and his vices wane.

Verse 97 Words yield spiritual rewards and moral excellence When they do not wander far from usefulness and agreeableness

Verse 98 Sweet speech which is stranger to pettiness inparts pleasure Not only in this life, but in the next.

Verse 99 Why would anyone speak cruel words, Having observed the happiness that kind words confer?

Verse 100 To utter harsh words when sweet ones would serve Is like eating unripe fruit when ripe ones are at hand.

Verse 101 Heaven and earth are scant repayment For help rendered where none was received.

Verse 102 A kindness done in the hour of need may itself be small, But in worth it exceeds the whole world.

Verse 103 When help is rendered by weighing the receiver's need and not The donor's return reward, its goodness grows greater than the sea.

Verse 104 While aid may outwardly seem as puny as a mustard seed, The knowing will deem it as imposing as a towering palm.

Verse 105 Help rendered another cannot be measured by the extent of the Assistance imparted. Its true measure is the worth of the recipient.

Verse 106 Never forget your fellowship with unsullied souls, Nor forsake your friendship with those who aided in adversity.

Verse 107 For seven lives in seven bodies the grateful will remember honor in Memory of Friends who annihilated quelled their anguish and affliction.

Verse 108 It is improper to ever forget a kindness. But it is good to forget at once an injury received.

Verse 109 The deadliest injury is effaced the moment The mind recalls a single kindness received from the injurer.

Verse 110 Having slain every kind of goodness, one may yet escape, But there is no escape for those who slay let gratitude die.

Verse 111 Justice may be called good when it acts impartially Toward enemies, strangers and friends.

Verse 112 The wealth of those who possess justice will not perish; Rather it will be posterity's pleasing soothing security.

Verse 113 However prosperous it may seem, all wealth gained By loss of rightness must be relinquished that very day.

Verse 114 In their offspring one may doubtlessly discern Who are the just and who the unjust.

Verse 115 Adversity and prosperity never cease to exist. To keep the Mind unswervingly just under both is the ornament of the wise.

Verse 116 When his heart forsakes fairness and his deeds turn depraved, A man realizes deep within himself, "I am ruined."

Verse 117 Though a man is perilously impoverished ruinously destitute, if he Remains just, the world will not regard him as poor.

Verse 118 To incline to neither side like the poised beam of the balance scale Which rests level and weighs impartially is the ornament of the wise.

Verse 119 Speech uttered without bias is integrity, Provided no unspoken bias hides in the heart.

Verse 120 Those businessmen will prosper whose business Protects as their own the interests of others.

Verse 121 Self-control will place a man among the Gods, But the While lack of it will lead him into deepest darkness.

Verse 122 Guard your self-control as a precious treasure, For there is no greater wealth in life than this.

Verse 123 Comprehending and acquiring self-control Confers upon one the esteem of wise men.

Verse 124 More imposing than a mountain is the greatness of the man he who, Steadfast in domestic life, has attained self-control.

Verse 125 Humility is a precious quality in all people, But it becomes a priceless possession in the wealthy.

Verse 126 Like a tortoise withdrawing five limbs into its shell, those who Restrain the five senses in one life, will find safe shelter for seven.

Verse 127 Whatever you may fail to guard, guard well your tongue, For flawed speech unfailingly invokes anguish and affliction.

Verse 128 By a single word of injury Do all a man's virtues lose their goodness.

Verse 129 The wound caused by fire heals in its time; But the burn seared in by an inflamed tongue will never heal.

Verse 130 Virtue will wait in the streets to meet a man Possessed of learning, self-disciplined and subduing anger.

Verse 131 Virtuous conduct leads a man to eminent greatness, Therefore, it should be guarded as more precious than life itself.

Verse 132 In your striving, strive to preserve good conduct. In your deliberations, discover it is your staunchest ally.

Verse 133 Morality is the birthright of high families, While immoral conduct's legacy is lowly birth.

Verse 134 If a brahmin forgets the Vedas, he can relearn them. But if he falls from virtue, his high birth is forever effaced.

Verse 135 Prosperity is not for the envious, Nor is greatness for men of impure conduct.

Verse 136 The firm-minded never slacken in upholding virtuous conduct, For they know the miseries brought on by such neglect.

Verse 137 By honest conduct one achieves honorable eminence, While corrupt

conduct brings one nothing but blame.

Verse 138 Good conduct is the seed in virtue's field, Wicked conduct's harvest is never-ending pain.

Verse 139 Men who conduct themselves virtuously Are incapable of voicing harmful words, even forgetfully.

Verse 140 Those who cannot live in harmony with the world, Though they have learned many things, are still ignorant.

Verse 141 Those who know well virtue's laws and property's rights Do not Never indulge in the folly of desiring another man's wife.

Verse 142 Among those who stand outside virtue, there is no greater fool Than he who stands with a lustful heart outside another's gate.

Verse 143 No different from the dead are those who Wickedly desire the wife of a friend.

Verse 144 Though a man's measure is mountainous, what good is it If he takes another's wife without the minutest concern? Verse

145 A man who seduces another man's wife, knowing she is easy, Suffers a shame which neither dies nor diminishes.

Verse 146 Hatred, sin, fear and disgrace-these four Will never relinquish the man who commits adultery.

Verse 147 He is decreed a worthy householder Who holds no desire for the womanliness of another's wife.

Verse 148 The noble chivalry that does not look upon another's wife Is not mere virtue-it is saintly conduct.

Verse 149 In a world imperiled by the fearsome sea, to whom will good things Belong? To men never impassioned to caress a married woman.

Verse 150 Though a man deserts virtue and indulges in vice, He keeps some decency by not wanting another's wife's womanliness.

Verse 151 Even as the Earth bears those who dig into her, To bear with those who revile us is the foremost of virtues.

Verse 152 It is always good to endure injuries done to you, But to forget them is even better.

Verse 153 It is impoverished poverty to be inhospitable to guests. It is stalwart strength to be patient with the foolish fools. Verse 154 Desiring that his greatness should never cease, Let a man's conduct foster forbearance.

Verse 155 Worthless are those who injure others vengefully, While those who stoically endure are like stored gold.

Verse 156 The gratification of the vengeful lasts only for a day, But the glory of the forbearing lasts until the end of time.

Verse 157 Though unjustly afflicted, it is best to suffer the suffering And refrain from unrighteous response.

Verse 158 Let a man conquer by forbearance Those who in their arrogance have wronged him.

Verse 159 Those who patiently endure the caustic rude remarks of the insolent Possess the ascetic's remarkable exceptional rare purity.

Verse 160 Great are those who suffer fasting's hardships, But they are surpassed by those who suffer hard words spoken.

Verse 161 Consider the heart that is free from all envy As virtuous conduct itself.

Verse 162 Among the many precious things a man may acquire, None is greater than a nature free from envy toward all.

Verse 163 He who is jealous instead of joyous of another's wealth Must not desire, they say, wealth and virtue of his own.

Verse 164 Envy will never cause him to commit wrongful deeds Who rightly fathoms the painful disgrace which follows such offenses.

Verse 165 A man's own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin, Even though he has no other enemies.

Verse 166 He who begrudges another's bounty, Will behold the death of his naked and starving kindred.

Verse 167 Fortune's Goddess, intolerant of impatient with envious men, Introduces them to her sister Misfortune and goes away.

Verse 168 The wicked one called envy consumes this world's wealth Then consigns men to those worlds of hellish fire.

Verse 169 It is something fascinating to ponder that good men may be poor While the envious-hearted prosper.

Verse 170 There are no envious men who have risen to prosperity. There are no men free from envy who have fallen from it.

Verse 171 In the any attempt to wrongly gain another's wealth, A man loses his family's future and his own faultlessness.

Verse 172 Those who deem injustice shameful never commit Guilt-yielding deeds in their desire for profitable gains.

Verse 173 Those who seek immortal bliss will not succumb To immoral deeds which follow desire for fleeting delights.

Verse 174 Those who have conquered their senses and whose sight is unclouded By baseness will not covet others' wealth even in destitution.

Verse 175 Of what avail is subtle and comprehensive learning, If a man in his covetousness still foolishly exploits others?

Verse 176 He who, desiring wealth, contrives to acquire it wrongly will perish Despite his desire for grace and his steadfastness in duty.

Verse 177 Do not seek the fortune that greed gathers, For its fruit is bitter in the day of enjoyment.

Verse 178 To protect his own prosperity from decline One must not crave the property held by others.

Verse 179 Just as wise men know the goodness of non-coveting, So Fortune herself knows their goodness and draws near.

Verse 180 There is a desire for another's possessions which is thoughtlessly destructive. There is a pride which, refusing to covet, is mindfully triumphant.

181 Silent about virtue and swift to act wrongly, a man may yet still be called declared good who does not slander others.

Verse 182 More vile than violating virtue and committing crime Is slanderously sabotaging a man, then smiling to his face.

Verse 183 Virtue declares dying, not living, will bring better rewards To defamers who dissemble and deceive.

Verse 184 Though you speak unkind words to a man's face, Do not speak words behind his back heedless of consequent harm.

Verse 185 Though his words praise the virtuous life, A man's backbiting will betray his heart's insincerity.

Verse 186 If a man spreads tales of others' faults, His own worst faults will be exposed and spread.

Verse 187 Not knowing the companionable art of cheerful conversation, Men estrange even friends by their divisive discourse.

Verse 188 Fore men inclined to spread the faults of friends, What deadly harm would they not do to strangers?

Verse 189 Only because she weighs duty well does the Earth bear the weights Of those who watch for a man's departure to defame him. Verse

190 If men perceived their own faults as they do the faults of others, Could misfortune ever come to them?

Verse 191 Everyone despises a man who offends the masses With meaningless chatter.

Verse 192 Uttering useless words to the masses even worse Than committing unkindness' toward companions.

Verse 193 A long and pointless discourse Itself declares to all the speaker's lack of worth.

Verse 194 Worthless words are doubly unprofitable. The assembled listeners' Enjoyment is lost, and the speaker's goodness disowned.

Verse 195 Prestige and popularity flee the best of men The moment they speak inane and useless words.

Verse 196 Do not call him a man who enjoys displaying his own empty words. Call him rather the chaff of men.

Verse 197 Let the wise, if they deem it necessary, speak even unpleasant words But it is good for them to refrain from pointless speech.

Verse 198 In search of extraordinary gains, the wise Will never speak trivial or un-gainful words. Verse 199 The wise, faultless and free from ignorance, Never speak pointless words, even forgetfully.

Verse 200 In your speaking, say only that which is purposeful. Do not utter words which lack purpose.

Verse 201 Wicked men do not fear, but worthy men dread, The arrogance of sinful deeds.

Verse 202 From evil springs forth more evil. Therefore, evil is to be feared even more than fire.

Verse 203 To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies, Is said to be supreme wisdom.

Verse 204 Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember That virtue itself devises a plotter's downfall.

Verse 205 Do not commit wrongful deeds, claiming to be poor. For such deeds only cause one to be poorer still.

Verse 206 Let him who wishes to be free from afflictions' pain Avoid inflicting harm on others.

Verse 207 One can escape from hate-filled enemies, But one's own hateful acts will relentlessly pursue and destroy hi

Verse 208 As a man's shadow follows his footsteps wherever he goes, Even so will destruction pursue those who commit sinful deeds.

Verse 209 If a man feels fond affection for himself, Let him not indulge in immoral deeds, however insignificant.

Verse 210 Know that a man will be defended against destruction If he does not deviate from Right and act iniquitously.

Verse 211 The benevolent expect no return for their dutiful giving. How can the world ever repay the rain cloud?

Verse 212 It is to meet the needs of the deserving That the worthy labor arduously to acquire wealth.

Verse 213 Of all duties, benevolence is unequaled in this world, And even in celestial realms.

Verse 214 He who understands his duty to society truly lives. All others shall be counted among the dead.

Verse 215 The wealth of the world-loving wise man May be likened to a well-stocked village water tank.

Verse 216 Riches retained by generous men Resemble a fruit tree ripening in the heart of a village.

Verse 217 In the hands of a benevolent man, Wealth is like a medicinal tree whose healing gifts help all.

Verse 218 Those who deeply know duty do not neglect giving, Even in their own un-prosperous season.

Verse 219 The benevolent man considers himself poor only When he is unable to render is accustomed service to humanity.

Verse 220 Were it said that loss of wealth is the price of benevolence, Such loss is worth selling one's self to procure.

Verse 221 Giving to the poor is true charity. All other giving expects a recompense.

Verse 222 Though men may declare it a good path, gathering gifts is bad. Though they decree it denies one heaven, giving gifts is good.

Verse 223 Men of good birth graciously give, Never uttering the wretched excuse, "I have nothing."

Verse 224 How unpleasant a beggar's pleading can become, Until one sees his face, so sweetly pleased.

Verse 225 Great indeed is the power acquired through austerity to endure hunger. But greater still is the power of those who relieve the hunger of others.

Verse 226 Relieving the ravaging hunger of the poor Is the most secure use of a rich man's wealth.

Verse 227 The fiery scourge called hunger never touches The man who shares his daily meal with others.

Verse 228 Is it because they are unaware of the joys of giving That hard-hearted men waste their wealth by hoarding it?

Verse 229 More bitter than even a beggar's bread is the Meal of the miser who hoards wealth and eats alone.

Verse 230 There is nothing more bitter than death; Yet even death is sweet when charitable giving is impossible.

Verse 231 Give to the poor, and life will be richly graced. There is no greater profit for a man than this.

Verse 232 All who speak will proclaim abiding praise For those who give alms to the poor.

Verse 233 Except for exalted glory which endures forever, Everything on earth perishes.

Verse 234 So great is glory gained by men in this world That celestials cease praising ascended sages.]

Verse 235 The loss that is gain and the death that is life of immortal glory Are attained only by the wise.

Verse 236 If you are born, be born for glory, For those born without it would be better off without birth.

Verse 237 Why do those whose life is devoid of renown Blame despising rivals, when they have themselves to blame?

Verse 238 Just as it is disgraceful to bear no children, All men on earth deem it disgraceful to not beget fame.

Verse 239 When forced to bear the body of a man without eminence, Even faultless, fruitful lands will lessen their yields.

Verse 240 Those who live without blame truly live. Those who live without glory live not.

Verse 241 Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth, For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.

Verse 242 Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion. For if the Various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.

Verse 243 Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassion Will never be drawn into the dark and woeful world.

Verse 244 Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict The compassionate who foster and protect all life.

Verse 245 This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth That misery is not for men who keep compassion.

Verse 246 They say those who act cruelly by forsaking compassion Must have forgotten what it means to forsake morality.

Verse 247 As this world is not for the penniless, So is that world not for the pitiless!

Verse 248 Those without wealth may one day prosper, but those without Kindness are utterly destitute, and their fortunes never change.

Verse 249 Practicing charity without compassion is as inconceivable As realizing Truth without clarity of mind.

Verse 250 Before advancing against men weaker than yourself, Ponder when you stood before those more powerful.

Verse 251 How can he practice true compassion Who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?

Verse 252 Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless, Nor can compassion be found in the hearts of those who eat meat.

Verse 253 Goodness is never one with the minds of these two: One who wields a weapon ad one who feasts on a creatures' flesh.

Verse 254 If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkind?" It is not killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous.

Verse 255 Life is perpetuated by not eating meat. The clenched jaws of hell hold those who do.

Verse 256 If the world did not purchase and consume meat, There would be none to slaughter and offer meat for sale.

Verse 257 When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh Of another creature, he must abstain from eating it.

Verse 258 Perceptive souls who have abandoned passion Will not feed on flesh abandoned by life.

Verse 259 Greater then a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial fires Do not do sacrifice and consume any living creature.

Verse 260 All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration Of those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat.

Verse 261 It is the nature of asceticism to patiently endure Hardship and not to harm living creatures.

Verse 262 Austerity belongs to the naturally austere. Others may attempt it, but to no avail.

Verse 263 Is it because they must provide for renunciates That others forget to do penance?

Verse 264 Should he but wish it, an ascetics' austerities Will ruin his foes and reward his friends.

Verse 265 In this world men do austerities assiduously, Assured of the fulfillment of desired desires.

Verse 266 Those who perform austerities are fulfilling their destiny. All others Are ensnared by desire and unknowingly work their own destruction.

Verse 267 As the intense fire of the furnace refines gold to brilliancy, so does The burning suffering of austerity purify the soul to resplendence.

Verse 268 He who has realized by himself his souls' Self Will be worshipped by all other souls.

Verse 269 So potent is the power acquired through austerity That those who attain it may even stay the moment of death. Verse 270 Few people perform penance, while the majority do not. For this reason the needy multitudes suffer deprivation.