The Bhagavadgîtâ, with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ — SBE Vol. 8 (trans. K. T. Telang, 1882)
The translator’s English as printed (K. T. Telang). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
CHAPTER V1
Grief and wrath, and avarice, desire, delusion, laziness, want of forgiveness, vanity, craving, friendship, censoriousness, and reviling others—these twelve great enormities are destructive of a man’s life. These, O king of kings! attend on each and every man. Beset by these, a man, deluded in his understanding, acts sinfully. A man full of attachments, merciless, harsh (of speech), talkative, cherishing wrath in his heart, and boastful—these are the men of cruel qualities; (such) persons, even obtaining wealth, do not always enjoy (it) One whose thoughts are fixed on enjoyments, who is partial’, proud’, boastful when he makes a gift, miserly, and devoid of power*, who esteems the group (of the senses), and who hates (his) wife— thus have been stated the seven (classes of) cruel persons of sinful dispositions. Piety, and truthfulness, and penance, and self-restraint, freedom from animosity, modesty, endurance, freedom from censoriousness, liberality, sacred learning, courage, forgiveness—these are the twelve great observances of a Brâhmaṇa. Whoever does not swerve from these twelve may govern this whole world. And one who is possessed of three, two, or even one, of these, must be understood to have nothing of his own. Self-restraint, abandonment, freedom from delusion, on these immortality depends *. These are possessed by those talented Brâhmaṇas to whom the Brahman is the principal * (thing). A Brâhmaṇa’s speaking ill of others, whether true or false, is not commended.
! The whole of this chapter is wanting in one of our copies of Sankara’s commentary. In the copy published in the Mahabhârata (Madras edition) there is, however, this passage: ‘Wrath &c. have been already explained, still there are some differences here and there, and those only are now explained.’ The chapter is for the most part a repetition of what we have already had. For such repetitions cf. Bṛihadâraṇyaka, pp. 317-1016; 444-930. The same copy of Sankara’s commentary gives this general statement of the object of this and the next chapter: ‘The course of study of the science of the Brahman, in which knowledge is the principal thing, and concentration of mind &c. are subsidiary, has been described. Now is described the course of study in which concentration of mind is principal, and knowledge subsidiary. The first mode consists in understanding the meaning of the word “you” by means of concentration of mind, and then identifying it with the Brahman by means of a study of the Upanishads ; the second, in first intellectually understanding the identity of the individual self and Brahman, by such study of the Upanishads, and then realising the identity to consciousness by contemplation, &c. In both modes the fruit is the same, and the means are the same; and to show this, the merits and defects already stated are here again declared.’ This explanation is verbatim the same in Nîlakaṇṭha¢ha’s commentary.
2 The original is ‘pity,’ which is explained to mean ‘friendship’ by Sankara and Nîlakaṇṭha.
8 ‘ Owing to there being in it no enjoyment for the self,’ says one
CHAPTER V1
Grief and wrath, avarice, desire, delusion, laziness, want of forgiveness, vanity, craving, friendship, censoriousness, and reviling others—these twelve great enormities destroy a man's life. These, O king of kings, attend every man. Beset by them, a man loses his understanding and acts sinfully. A man full of attachments, merciless, harsh of speech, talkative, cherishing wrath in his heart, and boastful—these are men of cruel qualities; such persons, even when they obtain wealth, do not always enjoy it. One whose thoughts are fixed on enjoyments, who is partial, proud, boastful when he makes a gift, miserly, and devoid of power, who esteems the group of the senses and hates his wife—thus have been described the seven classes of cruel persons of sinful dispositions. Piety, truthfulness, penance, self-restraint, freedom from animosity, modesty, endurance, freedom from censoriousness, liberality, sacred learning, courage, forgiveness—these are the twelve great observances of a Brâhmaṇa. Whoever does not swerve from these twelve may govern this whole world. And one who possesses three, two, or even one of these must be understood to have nothing of his own. Self-restraint, abandonment, freedom from delusion—on these immortality depends. These are possessed by those talented Brâhmaṇas to whom the Brahman is the principal thing. A Brâhmaṇa's speaking ill of others, whether true or false, is not commended.
! The whole of this chapter is missing in one of our copies of Sankara's commentary. The copy published in the Mahabhârata (Madras edition) does, however, contain this passage: 'Wrath &c. have already been explained; still there are some differences here and there, and those only are now explained.' The chapter is for the most part a repetition of what we have already had. For such repetitions cf. Bṛihadâraṇyaka, pp. 317-1016; 444-930. The same copy of Sankara's commentary gives this general account of the purpose of this and the next chapter: 'The course of study of the science of the Brahman, in which knowledge is the principal thing and concentration of mind &c. are subsidiary, has been described. Now is described the course of study in which concentration of mind is principal and knowledge subsidiary. The first mode consists in understanding the meaning of the word "you" by means of concentration of mind, and then identifying it with the Brahman by means of a study of the Upanishads; the second, in first intellectually understanding the identity of the individual self and Brahman through such study of the Upanishads, and then realising that identity to consciousness by contemplation, &c. In both modes the fruit is the same and the means are the same; and to show this, the merits and defects already stated are here declared again.' This explanation is verbatim the same in Nîlakaṇṭha¢ha's commentary.
2 The original is 'pity,' which is explained to mean 'friendship' by Sankara and Nîlakaṇṭha.
8 'Owing to there being in it no enjoyment for the self,' says one