ave succeeded in knowing
an eternal mystery. Tell me now, O Sanat-sujata, about asceticism that is
stained by faults!'
"Sanat-sujata said, 'O king, the twelve, including anger, as also the
thirteen kinds of wickedness, are the faults of asceticism that is
stained. Anger, lust, avarice, ignorance of right and wrong, discontent,
cruelty, malice, vanity, grief, love of pleasure, envy, and speaking ill
of others, are generally the faults of human beings. These twelve should
always be avoided by men. Any one amongst these can singly effect the
destruction of men, O bull among men. Indeed, every one of these wait for
opportunity in respect of men, like a hunter expectant of opportunities
in respect of deer. Assertion of one's own superiority, desire of
enjoying others' wives, humiliating others from excess of pride,
wrathfulness, fickleness, and refusing to maintain those worthy of being
maintained, these six acts of wickedness are always practised by sinful
men defying all dangers here and hereafter. He that regards the
gratification of lust to be one of life's aims, he that is exceedingly
proud, he that grieves having given away, he that never spends money, he
that persecutes his subjects by exacting hateful taxes, he that delights
in the humiliation of others, and he that hates his own wives,--these
seven are others that are also called wicked. Righteousness, truth
(abstention from injury and truthfulness of speech), self-restraint,
asceticism, delight in the happiness of others, modesty, forbearance,
love of others, sacrifices, gifts, perseverance, knowledge of the
scriptures,--these twelve constitute the practices of Brahmanas. He that
succeeds in acquiring these twelve, becomes competent to sway the entire
earth. He that is endued with three, two, or even one, of these, should
be regarded of heavenly prosperity. Self-restraint, renunciation, and
knowledge of Self,--in these are emancipation. Those Brahmanas that are
endued with wisdom, say that these are attributes in which truth
predominates. Self-restraint is constituted by eighteen virtues. Breaches
and non-observance of ordained acts and omissions, falsehood, malice,
lust, wealth, love of (sensual) pleasure, anger, grief, thirst, avarice,
deceit, joy in the misery of others, envy, injuring others, regret,
aversion from pious acts, forgetfulness of duty, calumniating others, and
vanity--he that is freed from these (eighteen) vices is said by the
righteous to be self
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