"'Yudhishthira said, "O grandsire, learned men praise truth,
self-restraint, forgiveness, and wisdom. What is thy opinion of these
virtues?"
"'Bhishma said, "In this connection I shall recite to thee an old
narrative, O Yudhishthira, of the discourse between the Sadhyas and a
Swan. Once on a time the Unborn and eternal Lord of all creatures (viz.,
Brahman), assuming the form of a golden Swan, wandered through the three
worlds till in course of his wanderings he came upon the Sadhyas.
"'"The Sadhyas said, 'O lord, we are the deities called Sadhyas. We like to
question thee. Indeed, we would ask thee about the religion of
Emancipation. Thou art well-acquainted with it. We have heard, O bird,
that thou art possessed of great learning, and eloquent and wise of
speech. O bird, what dost thou think is the highest of all objects? O
high-souled one, in what does thy mind find pleasure? Do thou, therefore,
O foremost of birds, instruct us as to what that one act is which thou
regardest as the foremost of all acts, and by doing which, O chief of the
feathery creation, one may soon be freed from all bonds.'
"'"The Swan said, 'Ye who have drunk Amrita, I have heard that one should
have recourse to these, viz., penances, self-restraint, truth, and
subjugation of the mind. Untying all the knots of the heart, one should
also bring under one's control both what is agreeable and what is
disagreeable.[1576] One should not wound the vitals of others. One should
not be an utterer of cruel speeches. One should never take scriptural
lectures from a person that is mean. One should never utter such words as
inflict pain on others, as cause others to burn (with misery), and as
lead to hell. Wordy shafts fall from the lips. Pierced therewith one (to
whom they are directed) burns incessantly. Those shafts do not strike any
part other than the very vitals of the person aimed. Hence he that is
possessed of learning should never aim them at others. If a person deeply
pierces a man of wisdom with wordy shafts, the wise man should then
adopt peace (without giving way to wrath). The man who, though sought to
be angered, rejoices without yielding to anger, taketh away from the
provoker all his merits. That man of righteous soul, who, full of joy and
freed from malice, subdues his blazing wrath which, if indulged, would
lead him to speak ill of others and verily become his foe, takes away the
merits of others. As regards myself, I never answer when another speaks
ill of me. If assailed, I always forgive the assault. The righteous are
of opinion that forgiveness and truth and sincerity and compassion are
the foremost (of all virtues). Truth is the arcanum of the Vedas. The
arcanum of Truth is self-restraint. The arcanum of self-restraint is
Emancipation. This is the teaching of all the scriptures. I regard that
person to be Brahmana and Muni who subjugates the rising impulse of
speech, the impulse of wrath appearing in the mind, the impulse of thirst
(after unworthy things), and the impulses of the stomach and the organ of
pleasure. One who does not yield to wrath is superior to one who does.
One who practises renunciation is superior to one who does not. One who
possesses the virtues of manhood is superior to one who has them not. One
who is endued with knowledge is superior to one who is destitute of it.
Assailed with harsh speeches one should not assail in return. Indeed, one
who, under such circumstances, renounces wrath, succeeds in burning the
assailant and taking away all his merits.[1577] That person who when
assailed with harsh speeches does not utter a harsh word in reply, who
when praised does not utter what is agreeable to him that praises, who is
endued with such fortitude as not to strike in return when struck and not
to even wish evil to the striker, finds his companionship always coveted
by the gods. He that is sinful should be forgiven as if he were
righteous, by one that is insulted, struck, and calumniated. By acting in
this way one attains to success. Though all my objects have been
fulfilled, yet I always wait reverentially on those that are righteous. I
have no thirst. My wrath hath been suppressed. Seduced by covetousness I
do not fall away from the path of righteousness. I do not also approach
any one (with solicitations) for wealth.[1578] If cursed, I do not curse
in return. I know that self-restraint is the door of immortality. I
disclose unto you a great mystery. There is no status that is superior to
that of humanity. Freed from sin like the Moon from murky clouds, the man
of wisdom, shining in resplendence, attains to success by patiently
waiting for his time. A person of restrained soul, who becomes the object
of adoration with all by becoming the foremost of the supporting pillars
of the universe, and towards whom only agreeable words are spoken by all,
attains to the companionship of the deities. Revilers never come forward
to speak of the merits of a person as they speak of his demerits. That
person whose speech and mind are properly restrained and always devoted
to the Supreme, succeeds in attaining to the fruits of the Vedas,
Penances, and Renunciation. The man of wisdom should never revile (in
return) those that are destitute of merit, by uttering their dispraise
and by insults. He should not extol others (being extolled by them) and
should never injure themselves. The man endued with wisdom and learning
regards revilement as nectar. Reviled, he sleeps without anxiety. The
reviler, on the other hand, meets with destruction. The sacrifices that
one performs in anger, the gifts one makes in anger, the penances one
undergoes in anger, and the offerings and libations one makes to the
sacred fire in anger, are such that their merits are robbed by Yama. The
toil of an angry man becomes entirely fruitless. Ye foremost of
immortals, that person is said to be conversant with righteousness whose
four doors, viz., the organ of pleasure, the stomach, the two arms, and
speech, are well-restrained. That person who, always practising truth and
self-restraint and sincerity and compassion and patience and
renunciation, becomes devoted to the study of the Vedas, does not covet
what belongs to others, and pursues what is good with a singleness of
purpose, succeeds in attaining to heaven. Like a calf sucking all the
four teats of its dam's udders, one should devote oneself to the practice
of all these virtues. I do not know whether anything exists that is more
sacred than Truth. Having roved among both human beings and the deities,
I declare it that Truth is the only means for reaching heaven even as a
ship is the only means for crossing the ocean. A person becomes like
those with whom he dwells, and like those whom he reverences, and like to
what he wishes to be. If a person waits with reverence on him who is good
or him who is otherwise, if he waits with reverence on a sage possessed
of ascetic merit or on a thief, passes under his way and catches his hue
like a piece of cloth catching the dye in which it is steeped. The
deities always converse with those that are possessed of wisdom and
goodness. They, therefore, never entertain the wish for even seeing the
enjoyments in which men take pleasure. The person who knows that all
objects of enjoyment (which human beings cherish) are characterised by
vicissitudes, has few rivals, and is superior to the very Moon and the
Wind.[1579] When the Purusha that dwells in one's heart is unstained, and
walks in the path of the righteous, the gods take a pleasure in him. The
gods from a distance cast off those that are always devoted to the
gratification of their organs of pleasure and the stomach, that are
addicted to thieving, and that always indulge in harsh speeches, even if
they expiate their offences by performing the proper rites. The gods are
never pleased with one of mean soul, with one who observes no
restrictions in the matter of food, and with one who is of sinful deeds.
On the other hand, the gods associate with those men that are observant
of the vow of truth, that are grateful, and that are engaged in the
practice of righteousness. Silence is better than speech. To speak the
truth is better than silence. Again to speak truth that is connected with
righteousness is better than to speak the truth. To speak that which,
besides being true and righteous, is agreeable, is better than to speak
truth connected with righteousness.'
"'"The Sadhyas said, 'By what is this world covered? For what reason does
one fail to shine? For what cause do people cast off their friends? For
what reason do people fail to attain to heaven?'
"'"The Swan said, 'The world is enveloped by (the darkness of) Ignorance.
Men fail to shine in consequence of malice. People cast off friends,
induced by covetousness. Men fail to attain to heaven in consequence of
attachment.'
"'"The Sadhyas said, 'Who alone among the Brahmanas is always happy? Who
alone amongst them can observe the vow of silence though dwelling in the
midst of many? Who alone amongst them, though weak, is still regarded as
strong? And who alone amongst them does not quarrel?'
"'"The Swan said, 'He alone amongst the Brahmanas that is possessed of
wisdom is always happy. He alone amongst the Brahmanas that is possessed
of wisdom succeeds in observing the vow of silence, though dwelling in
the midst of many. He alone amongst the Brahmanas who is possessed of
wisdom, though actually weak, is regarded as strong. He alone amongst
them that has wisdom succeeds in avoiding quarrel.'[1580]
"'"The Sadhyas said, 'In what consists the divinity of the Brahmanas? In
what their purity? In what their impurity? And in what their status of
humanity?'
"'"The Swan said, 'In the study of the Vedas is the divinity of the
Brahmanas. In their vows and observances is their purity. In obloquy is
their impurity. In death is their humanity.'"[1581]
"'Bhishma continued, "Thus have I recited to thee excellent narrative of
the discourse between the Sadhyas (and the Swan). The body (both gross
and subtile) is the origin of acts, and existence or Jiva is truth."'"