Do not kill living beings, do not take what is not freely given, do not talk false, treacherous speech! This is the Law of him who is rich in control. (19)

Do not desire by words or thoughts what is a transgression (of the Law); guarding yourself in all ways, and subduing (the senses), practise control. (20)

A man who guards his self and subdues his senses, abhors all sins, past, present, and future ones. (21)

Benighted men of wrong faith, (though) they be renowned as heroes, exert themselves in a bad way, which will have, in all respects, evil consequences for them. (22)

Wise men of right faith, who are renowned heroes, exert themselves in a good way which will have no (evil) consequences whatever for them. (23)

Penance is of no good if performed by noble men who have turned monks (for the sake of fame); but that penance of which nobody else knows anything (is meritorious). Do not spread your own fame ! (24)

A pious man should eat little, drink little, talk little; he should always exert himself, being calm, indifferent, a subduer (of his senses), and free from greed. (25)

Meditating and performing religious practices,

abandoning his body, regarding forbearance as the paramount duty, a monk should wander about till he obtains liberation. (26)

Thus I say.

Footnotes

^297:2 Virya; it is the power or virtue of a thing.

^298:1 Sattha = sastra or sastra. On the latter alternative we must translate '(practice of) arms.'

^298:2 Veri = vairin, givopamardakarin.

^298:3 Karma is of two kinds, airyapathika, arising from 'walking,' i.e. from those actions which are indispensable to a virtuous life or the conduct of monks, and samparayika, arising from the passions.

^299:1 Savvadhammamagoviyam. According to the commentator the meaning of this phrase is: which is not blamed or shown to be wrong by all (heretical) Laws.

^299:2 See Uttaradhyayana, Fifth Lecture.

^299:3 Silanka quotes and comments upon four different readings of the first line of this verse, the last of which is rendered above as it is the textus receptus of the Dipika. (1) Abstaining from even small pride and from deceit, one, &c. (2) 'Great' for 'even small.' (3) I have heard from some men: This is the valour of the virtuous man, that, &c. After this verse Silanka quotes another which, he says, is not found in MSS. of the text, but is found in the Tika. It is, however, the identical verse I, 3, 4, 20, see above, <page 271>, which occurs again I, 11, 11.

^300:1 Compare Matthew vi. i-6.