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296
ANUGITA.
murder, said to those sages, ‘You ought not to keep me back from this.' .
The Pitris said : O best of victors! you ought not to destroy these kinsmen of Kshatriyas. It is not proper for you, being a Brahmana, to slaughter these kings.
CHAPTER XV.
The Pitris said: On this', too, they relate an ancient story; hearing that (story). O best of the twice-born! you should act accordingly. There was (once) a royal sage, named Alarka, whose penance was very great, who understood duty, who was veracious, high-souled, and very firm in his vows. Having with his bow conquered this world as far as the ocean,-having performed very difficult deeds -he turned his mind to subtle: (subjects). While he was sitting at the foot of a tree, O you of great intelligence ! his thoughts, abandoning (those) great deeds, turned to subtle (questions).
Alarka said: My mind is become (too) strong“; that conquest is constant in which the mind is conquered. (Though) surrounded by enemies, I shall direct my arrows elsewhere. As by its unsteadiness, it wishes to
· The impropriety or sinfulness of slaughter. • Such as the subjugation of enemies and so forth. · The Brahman, says Nilakantha. • I.e. too strong to be under control.
• That is to say, elsewhere than towards the external focs with whom he was waging war.
• The text is unsatisfactory here. I adopt Nilakarika's reading.
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