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Bhīṣma said.
While hunting in the forest, the son of Janaka, wandering alone, saw the foremost Brāhmaṇa sage, a descendant of Bhṛgu's lineage.
Vasumān, after approaching and bowing with his head to the seated sage, and having received his permission, asked him this.
O revered one, what is truly the highest good—after death or even here—for a person whose body is impermanent and who is subject to the sway of desire?
After duly honouring and being questioned, the great-souled ascetic then spoke these beneficial words to him.
If you wish for what is agreeable to the mind, both in this world and after death, O self-controlled one, desist from hostility towards living beings.
Righteousness benefits the virtuous and all people; it is also the refuge of the good. O dear one, from righteousness, the three worlds, with all their moving and unmoving beings, have come into existence.
O dull-minded one, desiring the sweetness of desires, why do you not seek freedom from craving? You see the honey, but you do not see the precipice.
Just as one who desires the fruit should become acquainted with knowledge, so too, one who desires the fruit should become acquainted with dharma.
For one who is not virtuous, even pure actions performed with a desire for righteousness are difficult; but for the virtuous who desire righteousness, even difficult actions become easy.
A person who seeks village comforts while living in the forest is no different from a villager; similarly, one who seeks forest comforts while living in the village is just like a forest-dweller.
Be steadfast in faith in the righteousness of mind, speech, and actions. Whether withdrawing or engaging, act after thoroughly considering both qualities and faults.
One should always give generously to the virtuous without envy; what is requested should be given with purity and observance of vows, and honored according to place and time.
One should give what is obtained by virtuous means to the deserving, abandoning anger; having given, one should neither regret nor boast about it.
A twice-born who knows the Veda should be compassionate, pure, self-controlled, truthful, established in honesty, purified in birth and actions, and worthy.
One who is respected, has only one wife, is of good birth, whose origin is considered here, who knows the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, is learned, and performs the six duties, is called worthy.
What is righteous or unrighteous depends on the individual, determined by the specific recipient and act, and by considering place and time.
Just as a man easily wipes a little dust from his body, but the removal of great sin requires much effort, so too is the effort needed to remove great sin.
Just as ghee, when properly administered, becomes medicine for one who has been cleansed, so too the law of the hereafter brings happiness to one whose faults have been removed.
The mind dwells in all beings, engaging with both good and evil. Withdrawing it from evil, one should direct it solely towards the good.
Honor everything done by everyone everywhere. In your own dharma, wherever you have attachment, let dharma be established as you desire.
O unsteady one, stand firm; O dull-minded, become wise. If you are restless, become calm; though unwise, act as the wise do.
With brilliance and the right means, one can attain the highest good both here and after death; the root of this is supreme steadfastness.
The royal sage Adhṛti and Mahābhiṣa fell from heaven; but Yayāti, whose merit was exhausted, attained the worlds by his steadfastness.
By associating with ascetics, the righteous, and the learned, you will gain great intellect and thereby attain excellence.
But he, endowed with his natural disposition, having heard the words spoken by the sage, withdrew his mind from desire and fixed his intellect on dharma.
