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Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O Bhārata, I wish to hear, as is proper, the means to liberation spoken by the grandsire, not from non-means.
Bhīṣma said.
O greatly wise one, it is indeed fitting in you, endowed with keen insight, that by whatever means you always seek all objectives, O sinless one.
O sinless one, just as the understanding present in the making of a pot is not found elsewhere in the arising of the pot, so too, in the means to dharma, there is no other cause found in other dharmas.
The path that lies in the eastern ocean does not lead to the west. There is only one path to liberation; listen to it from me in detail.
One should overcome anger through forgiveness, desire by abandoning resolve, and the steadfast person can conquer sleep by cultivating purity.
By being vigilant, one should guard against fear and regulate the breath through the discipline of self-knowledge; desire, aversion, and passion should be overcome with courage.
The knower of truth should dispel delusion, great confusion, and the cycle of ignorance through practice; and through the practice of knowledge, should overcome both sleep and brilliance.
Disturbances and diseases are removed by wholesome, well-digested, moderate eating; greed and delusion by contentment; and sense-objects by realization of truth.
One should overcome unrighteousness with compassion, and even righteousness with indifference; one should conquer desire with foresight, and wealth by avoiding attachment.
The wise person overcomes affection through awareness of impermanence, hunger through union (with discipline), pride of oneself through compassion, and desire through contentment.
One should overcome laziness with effort, doubt with determination, excessive speech with silence, and fear with courage.
Restrain speech within the mind; restrain the mind with the intellect; restrain the intellect with the eye of knowledge; restrain knowledge, the great self, and restrain that with tranquillity of the self.
This, having cut off the five faults of yoga, is to be known by the tranquil and pure-acting person, as understood by the wise.
Having abandoned desire, anger, greed, fear, and sleep as the fifth, one should thus practice these means of yoga.
Meditation, study, charity, truthfulness, modesty, straightforwardness, forbearance, purity, purity of food, and control of the senses.
By these means, his splendor increases, sin is destroyed, his intentions are fulfilled, and knowledge arises.
He whose sins are cleansed, who is brilliant, eats lightly, has conquered his senses, and has brought desire and anger under control, should seek to attain the state of Brahman.
Freedom from delusion, non-attachment, absence of desire and anger, absence of wretchedness, calmness, absence of agitation, and steadiness.
This is indeed the clear, pure, and clean path to liberation. Likewise, restraint of speech, body, and mind must be practiced, not motivated by desire.
