iscient and Omnipotent. The commentator cites a
passage from Vasishtha's treatise on yoga which declares the same results
as consequent on the attainment of Knowledge. It is, of course, implied
that in attaining to such a state, the mind as mind must be destroyed or
merged into the Soul and the Soul, with knowledge only for its attribute,
must exist. In the previous verse emancipation after death has been
spoken of. In this jivan-mukti or emancipation in life is referred to.

753. "Freeing oneself from the attributes of Passion and Darkness", i.e.,
by practising the religion of abstention from acts.

754. Adatte from da meaning to cut or destroy. Manasam volam as explained
by the commentator, is sankalpam, i.e., desires or purposes. The man of
ripe understanding, by doing this, attains to that knowledge which is not
subject to decay with age. Hence, such knowledge is superior to knowledge
acquired in the ordinary way.

755. Compassion may sometimes lead to excess of attachment, as in the
case of Bharata towards his little deer. The universe is the result of
acts because acts determine the character of the life the soul assumes.
In the case of Bharata, he was obliged to take birth as a deer in his
next life in consequence of all his thoughts in the previous life having
been centred on a deer.

756. K.P. Singha wrongly translates this verse. Tat should be supplied
before asnute; there is redundant va in the first line. The Burdwan
translator renders it correctly.

757. The buddhi here referred to is intelligence cleansed by scriptures.
Samahitam manak is, as explained by the commentator, mind freed from
anger and malice, etc., i.e., properly trained.

758. One should not covet, etc., like kingdoms and thrones in the case of
ordinary men. "Non-existent objects," such as sons and wives that are
dead or that are unborn or unwed.

759. Samsara, as explained by the commentator, means both this and the
other world. It is bound in speech in this sense, viz., that whatever is
spoken is never destroyed and affects permanently both the speaker and
the listener, so that not only in one life, but in the infinite course of
lives, the speaker will be affected for good or for evil by the words
that escape his lips. This fully accords with the discovery of modern
science, so eloquently and poetically enunciated by Babbage, of the
indestructibility of force or energy when once applied. How appalling is
the sanction (which is not a