12.205
The teacher said.
The characteristic of dharma is activity, as this is accepted. Those who are established in knowledge are not pleased by any other principle.
True knowers of the Veda, firmly established in the teachings of the Veda, are rare. Therefore, here, people seek the praised path for their purpose.
But this conduct, being practiced by the virtuous, is blameless. This is the intellect—other than this—by which one attains the highest state.
One who has a body, due to delusion, acquires all sorts of possessions; being influenced by states like desire, anger, and others, he is associated with qualities of passion and darkness.
Therefore, one should not perform impure acts even for the sake of maintaining the body; by creating a gap in (righteous) action, one may attain auspicious worlds.
Just as gold mixed with iron and unrefined does not shine, so too knowledge tainted by unpurified passions does not become radiant.
Whoever, out of delusion, acts unrighteously, following desire and greed, and transgresses the righteous path, perishes along with his associates.
Therefore, one should remain unattached to sense-objects such as sound. For anger, joy, and sorrow indeed arise in relation to each other.
In this body made of the five elements and governed by sattva, rajas, and tamas, whom does this person praise, to whom does he cry out, and what could he possibly say?
The ignorant become attached to sense objects like touch, form, and taste; but, due to ignorance, they do not understand that these qualities are produced from the self and are of the earth.
Just as a clay shelter is covered with clay, so too this earthly body is covered by the transformations of clay.
Honey, oil, milk, ghee, meats, salt, jaggery, grains, fruits and roots, and soft foods with water.
Just as one living in a forest should not be anxious, and should take food even without relish, simply for the sake of sustaining oneself.
Just as a diseased person takes medicine for recovery, so too, standing in the wilderness of saṃsāra and intent on effort, one should partake of food only for the purpose of the journey.
One attains greatness through truth, purity, straightforwardness, renunciation, fame, valor, forbearance, steadfastness, intelligence, control of mind, and indeed, through austerity.
He should live with all beings according to their conduct and proper order. Wishing for peace, with an undepressed spirit, he should also restrain his senses.
Beings, deluded by sattva, rajas, and tamas, revolve like a wheel, greatly due to ignorance.
Therefore, one should carefully examine faults that arise from ignorance, and always abandon the ego that is born from ignorance.
The great elements, senses, qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas), and the three worlds with their Lord—all are established in ego.
Just as fixed time here reveals the qualities of the seasons, so too, in living beings, one should understand ego as the driving force behind their actions.
Know that darkness is deluding, black, born of ignorance, and bound with both pleasure and pain; now, understand all these three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Delusion arising from joy, affection, absence of doubt, steadfastness, and memory—these are to be known as qualities of sattva, and also as of rajas and tamas.
Desire, anger, negligence, greed, delusion, fear, fatigue, despondency, sorrow, lack of restraint, pride, arrogance, and unworthiness.
After carefully assessing the gravity and subtlety of such faults and others, one should continuously reflect on each of one's own dispositions.
The disciple said.
Which faults are abandoned by the mind, which are loosened by the intellect, which return again and again, and which, due to delusion, are like fruitless efforts?
O master, please tell me completely about the strengths and weaknesses of each, as the wise should consider them by intellect and reasons, so that I may know.
The teacher said.
When faults are severed from their root, the pure self is liberated. Just as something made of iron and pride destroys what arises, so too, one who has controlled himself is destroyed by inherent passionate faults.
The origins of rajas, tamas, and even pure actions arise from the self; all these are the seeds for embodied beings, and for the self-realized, all are equal.
Therefore, one who is self-controlled should avoid both passion and darkness; when goodness is free from passion and darkness, it attains purity.
Alternatively, they should recite as with a mantra that the taking of meat is done with a Vedic formula. The reason for abstaining is precisely in the observance of pure dharma.
One driven by passion may accomplish even righteous deeds, and also those connected with wealth, but he excessively pursues all desires.
One who is influenced by darkness engages in actions driven by greed and anger, delights in violence, and is characterized by sloth and sleep.
One who is established in sattva, perceives pure sattvic states, and has taken refuge in purity—such an embodied being is spotless, prosperous, pure, and endowed with knowledge.
