here is no harm in thy doing this, provided thou behavest
in the way pointed out. Is it Emancipation that thou wouldst pursue (in
the usual way), i.e., by retiring into solitude and betaking thyself to
Sannyasa? Thou mayst then behave in the way pointed out, and, indeed,
that is the way of Sannyasa which leads to Emancipation.

1489. The planet Venus is supposed to be the sage Usanas or Sukra.

1490. The commentator explains the allusion by saying that formerly
Vishnu, induced by the deities, used his discus for striking off the head
of Usanas' mother. Hence the wrath of Usanas against the deities and his
desire to succour their foes, the Danavas.

1491. The construction of this verse is very difficult. The order of the
words, is--Indrotha jagatah prabhuh. Dhanada, etc., tasya kosasaya
prabhavishnuh.

1492. Persons crowned with Yoga-success are competent to enter the bodies
of others and deprive the latter of the power of will. Indeed, the belief
is that the latter then become mere automata incapable of acting in any
other way except as directed by the enlivening possessor.

1493. The etymology of Pinaka is panina anamayat. The initial and final
letter of pani (pi) and the middle letter of anamayat (na), with the
suffix ka make Pinaka.

1494. The last half of the last line may be taken as applying to Usanas.

1495. The vriddhim that Mahadeva saw could not be his own, for the
greatest cannot be greater. The commentator, therefore, is right in
holding that vriddhim refers to the greatness of Usanas within Mahadeva's
stomach.

1496. The sa refers to Usanas and not to Mahadeva, as the commentator
rightly points out.

1497. i.e., the religions of all the orders and all the modes of life.

1498. The scriptural injunctions are that one should sacrifice in honour
of the gods, pour libations on the sacred fire, make gifts etc. In these
exists Righteousness.

1499. The grammar of the third line is a little involved. Tasmin refers
to Dharme. Supply nisthavantah after tasmin. The sense, of course, is
that believing in the efficacy of righteousness, people of all modes of
life accomplish the duties of their respective modes.

1500. The sinful become intermediate animals. The virtuous attain to
heaven. They that are both virtuous and sinful attain to the status of
humanity. They that acquire Knowledge become Emancipated.

1501. Destiny here means the result of the acts of past lives.

1502. The reading I adopt is jati