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Freedom from fear, purity of heart, perseverance in (pursuit of) knowledge and abstraction of mind, gifts self-restraint 1, and sacrifice, study of the Vedas, penance, straightforwardness, harmlessness, truth 2, freedom from anger, renunciation 3, tranquillity, freedom from the habit of backbiting 4, compassion for (all) beings, freedom from avarice, gentleness, modesty, absence of vain activity, noblemindedness, forgiveness, courage, purity, freedom from a desire to injure others, absence of vanity, (these), O descendant of Bharata! are his who is born to godlike endowments. Ostentatiousness, pride, vanity 5, anger, and also harshness and ignorance (are) his, O son of Prithâ! who is born to demoniac endowments. Godlike endowments are deemed to be (means) for final emancipation, demoniac for bondage 6. Grieve not, O descendant of Bharata! you are born to godlike endowments. (There are) two classes of created beings in this world, the godlike and the demoniac; the godlike (class) has been described at length; now hear from me, O son of Prithâ! about the demoniac. Demoniac persons know not action or inaction 7, neither purity nor yet (correct) conduct nor veracity are in them. They say the universe is devoid of truth 8, devoid of fixed principle 9, and devoid of a ruler, produced by union (of male and female) caused by lust 10, and nothing else. Holding this view, (these) enemies of the world, of ruined 11 selfs, of little knowledge, and of ferocious actions, are born for the destruction (of the world).
Foot Notes :
1. Cf. Sutta Nipâta.
2.. See next chapter.
3. Sutta Nipâta.
4. Ostentatiousness = making a show of piety; pride = scil. of wealth and learning; vanity = esteeming oneself too highly; harshness =mercilessness.
5. Cf. Khândogya-upanishad, and Müller's Hibbert Lectures.
6. Scil, to birth and death in this world.
7. What should be done for the attainment of real good, and what should not be done as productive of mischief.
8. I. e. contains nothing that is entitled to belief, as the Vedas, &c.
9. No principle based on virtue and vice in the government of the world.
10. They do not believe in any unseen cause, out say the lust of mankind is the cause of the universe.
11. I. e. who have none of the means of reaching the next world.
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