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348
ANUGÍTA.
piety; and Brahmanas are the bridges' of piety. Therefore a king should always endeavour to pro tect the twice-born?. Those kings in whose dominions good men lie low, lose all their qualifications, and go into wrong paths after death. But those high-souled kings in whose dominions good men are protected, rejoice in this world, and attain the infinite (seat) after death. Understand this, O chiefs of the twice-born! I shall now proceed to state the invariable characteristics of piety. Non-destruction is the highest piety', and destruction is of the nature of impiety. Enlightenment is the characteristic of gods; action the characteristic of men ; sound is the characteristic of space; (the sensation of) touch is the characteristic of air ; colour is the characteristic of light; taste is the characteristic of water; the characteristic of earth, the supporter of all beings, is smell; words are the characteristic of speech' refined into vowels and consonants; the characteristic of mind is thought. Likewise as to what is described here as understanding, a deter
'I. e. instrumental in piety, or guides to piety. Cf. Svelásvalara, p. 370; Mundaka, p. 297. . So literally, doubtless Brahmanas only are intended here.
I. e., I presume, they lose all their merits, their good points are destroyed by this dereliction of duty.
• Cf. p. 291 supra. Arguna Misra begins a fresh chapter with · 1 shall now,' &c. Knowledge of the truth, Arguna Misri.
I.e. action performed for the purpose of obtaining the front of it. The next five items refer to the five elements and their cheracteristic properties. Nilakantha's explanation, that all these are merely parallels not stated for their own relevancy here, bat as iHustrations, seems to be the only available onc.
' I.e. the learning of other people, Nflakantha. The meaning seems to be that we know speech only in its manifestation in the form of words.
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