12.261
Kapila said.
Those ascetics who perceive thus and follow the path proceed, and for them, in all worlds, there is no transgression whatsoever.
The wise, who are free from dualities, do not perform salutations or seek blessings, and are liberated from all sins, move about in the world pure and stainless.
Those who are firmly resolved in liberation, renunciation, and intellect; who are absorbed in Brahman, have become Brahman, and have made their abode only in Brahman.
Those who are free from sorrow and whose impurities have been destroyed attain eternal worlds; having reached their supreme state, what purpose does household life serve for them?
Syūmaraśmi said.
If this is the highest state and the highest goal, then, having resorted to the householder's life, no other āśrama is followed.
Just as all beings depend on their mother for life, so too do the other āśramas exist depending on the householder.
It is the householder who performs sacrifices and austerities; householdership is the root of this dharma; whatever is performed, anything at all, is rooted in this.
O sage, all living beings are born from procreation; and procreation does not exist in any other way.
O twice-born, those which are outside are herbs, and likewise many forests. Because there is no living being outside of herbs. If this speech is true for anyone, then liberation does not exist from the house, thus. 12-261-9.
For those who lack faith, wisdom, subtle insight, hope, energy, or are weary and afflicted by their own actions, the wise call the cessation of toil 'renunciation.'
The eternal and unchanging boundary is the cause of the three worlds; the brāhmaṇa, known as 'the venerable', is honored from birth.
Among the twice-born, mantras are indeed used before conception; they are present where there is no trust, and without doubt, even where there is trust.
Burning, again, when established in shelter, eating from a vessel; giving cows, animals, or balls of food, and immersion in water.
The ancestors are remembered as those possessing flames, those seated on sacrificial grass, and flesh-eaters. Even for the dead, mantras are approved; indeed, mantras are the cause.
Thus, when the Vedas are being loudly recited, how can there be liberation for anyone? When mortals are indebted to ancestors, gods, and the twice-born.
When lazy scholars lacking prosperity misrepresent, ignorance of Vedic doctrine appears as a semblance of truth, but is actually falsehood.
A brāhmaṇa who performs sacrifices according to the Vedic scriptures is not carried away or dragged down by sins. The sacrifice, along with the animals, ascends upwards; once satisfied, he also satisfies desires.
A person does not attain the Supreme by disrespecting the Vedas, by deceit, or by illusion; only by greatness does one find Brahman in Brahman.
Kapila said.
Among the wise, the new moon and full moon sacrifices, the Agnihotra, and the four-monthly rites were established; among these, the sacrifice is eternal.
Those who do not initiate new undertakings, who are firm in resolve, pure in conduct, devoted to Brahman, by Brahman alone, indeed, they satisfy the gods—these are the seekers of immortality.
Even the gods become bewildered on the path of one who has realized the Self of all beings and sees all beings as his own Self; for those seeking a path, the pathless one is perplexing.
A person is described as having four doors and four faces; blame comes to him in four ways. Through the two arms, through speech, from the belly, and through the organs of generation; of these, the gatekeeper should guard each door.
One should not play with dice, nor take another's wealth; nor should one accept food cooked by someone of the wind-born class. When angry, the wise should not strike; thus, his hands and feet should be well-guarded.
One should not abuse, nor speak falsely; one should not engage in slander or gossip. He who is truthful in his vows, restrained in speech, and vigilant, thus his speech is well-guarded.
One should partake of various foods, but not be a glutton; one should not be greedy for delicacies, and should accept what is obtained from the virtuous. Food should be taken here only for the purpose of travel; thus, there should be control over the intake, guarding the gates of the stomach.
One should not associate with the wife of a hero, nor should one invite a woman to falsehood. One should uphold the vow of fidelity to one's wife within oneself; thus, one should guard the gateway of sensuality.
He whose sense-organs are all well-guarded, who controls the organ of generation, the belly, the arms, and speech as the fourth—he indeed is a twice-born (dvija).
All acts are fruitless for one whose senses are unguarded; what can be achieved by austerity, by sacrifice, or by oneself for such a person?
The gods recognized him, lying with his upper garment as clothing, spread beneath him, using his arm as a pillow and resting, as the brāhmaṇa.
The gods recognize as a knower of Brahman that sage who, remaining alone, delights in all the pleasures of duality without contemplating others.
The gods know him as the Brāhmaṇa, by whom all this—both primordial nature and its modifications—is known, and who understands the movement of all beings.
He from whom all beings are free from fear, and who is the source of fearlessness for all; who has become the self of all beings—him the gods recognize as the Brāhmaṇa.
They do not allow the results of Vedic actions without permission; and once permitted, everything else is regarded as fruitless.
They see actions that are fruitful, clear, constant, defective, and likewise uncertain.
The qualities here are very hard to know, and even if known, very hard to accomplish; and those that are performed are perishable—this is how you see it.
Syumarashmi said.
O revered one, please explain to me in what manner both the authority of the Veda and fruitful renunciation are clearly established as two distinct paths.
Kapila said.
You, standing on the righteous path, see direct perception here; but what is there here as direct perception that you worship?
Syumarashmi said.
O Brahman, I, Syūmaraśmi, have come here to inquire. Desiring the highest good, I answered sincerely, not out of a wish to speak. May the revered one resolve this terrible doubt for me.
You, seeing directly here, stand on the righteous path. What is it that you worship here as the most direct perception? Elsewhere, it is according to the treatises on logic and scripture.
Scripture, Vedic doctrine, and logic treatises are all important, but one should follow the scripture as authority; where scripture is followed, it is established. Success, which is directly perceptible, is seen as arising from certainty in scripture.
Just as a boat, even if fastened, is swept away by the current and cannot carry those with poor judgment across, so too, O brāhmaṇa, how can such a mind save them? Please speak this, O venerable one; I am ready, instruct me, O sir.
There is no one who is entirely a renouncer, content, free from sorrow, free from disease, without desire to possess, returned, or turned away.
You too rejoice and grieve just as we do. The objects of the senses are the same for you as for all beings.
Thus, regarding the activities of the four classes and stages of life, what is free from defect in the decision for those who adopt only one path?
Kapila said.
Whatever is practiced by the scripture, in all undertakings, wherever and by whomever that performance is done, there it is always free from affliction.
Knowledge purifies everything; whoever truly follows knowledge. Any conduct that departs from knowledge destroys people.
You, the wise, are always free from all doctrines everywhere; oneness, so called, is attained by someone indeed at some time.
Some people, strong in argument, without truly understanding the treatise, being overpowered by desire and hatred, have gone under the sway of ego.
Those who do not understand the true essence of the scriptures are like thieves of Brahman—idle, immature in intellect, and inauspicious.
They see only faults and do not pursue virtues; for those whose bodies are of darkness, darkness alone is their ultimate destination.
Every creature acts according to its own nature and is subject to its influence; hatred, desire, anger, hypocrisy, falsehood, and pride—these qualities, born of nature, always arise in him.
Those ascetics who, perceiving this with their intellect, are devoted to restraint and seek the highest goal, should abandon both good and evil.
Syumarashmi said.
O Brahman, I have declared all this to you according to the śāstra. For, without understanding the meaning of the śāstra, actions do not proceed.
Any conduct that is just is considered as scripture, according to the Vedic statement. Whatever is unjust is not scripture; this is what the Vedic statement declares.
It is certain that no activity exists apart from śāstra. Whatever is other than the Vedic statements, that is not śāstra—so declares the śruti.
Many who consider themselves wise see what is apart from śāstra, but do not see the faults of śāstra, here or in the next world; others, whose wisdom is destroyed by ignorance, whose wisdom is deficient, are enveloped in darkness.
But it is possible for a liberated person, who has fulfilled all duties, to move freely in all directions, relying only on the body. Resorting to the doctrine of the Vedas, one may declare: 'Liberation exists.' 12-261-57.
But this is a difficult task: undertaking family life, along with charity, study, sacrifice, progeny, and uprightness.
If, even after doing all this, there is no liberation for anyone, then both the doer and the act are to be condemned, and all this effort is in vain.
O Lord, I wish to hear directly about the endlessness of the ritual that follows the Vedas, for otherwise there would be atheism.
O Brāhmaṇa, please speak the truth to me; I have come to you for instruction. As you know liberation, so I wish to be taught about it.
