Brahmana Asks Hunter About Righteous Conduct

The brahmana asked the hunter directly: "How will I know righteous conduct? Tell me this exactly." The hunter answered. "Sacrifices, donations, austerities, study of the Vedas and truthfulness — these are the five sacred things that always characterize good conduct. Having controlled desire and anger, having discarded arrogance, greed and deceit, those who are satisfied with dharma are righteous and are praised by the righteous. Those who perform sacrifices and are engaged in studying will never lack a means of livelihood. They observe good conduct and this is the second characteristic of those who are righteous. "Serving seniors, truthfulness, lack of anger and generosity — these four are always present in those who are righteous. One can always obtain success by fixing one's mind on good conduct. This can be obtained by practising these, and not through any other means. The Vedas are established in truth. Truth is established in self-control. Self-control is established in detachment. These always constitute righteous conduct. "Men with deluded intelligence hate dharma. They follow a path that should not be traversed and descend into misery. Those who are good, well controlled, devoted to the shrutis (sacred scriptures) and detachment, climb the path of dharma and are always devoted to truth and dharma. They control the supreme intelligence. These are people who follow virtuous conduct. They are obedient to their preceptors. They are knowledgeable and are established in the objective of dharma. "Avoid atheists. They transgress limits. They are cruel and are established in evil intelligence. Seek knowledge and worship those who follow dharma. Using the boat of steadfastness, one can cross the river that has the five senses as its waters and is infested with the crocodiles of desire and avarice, and overcome birth. "Dharma is gradually accumulated, through practising the great intelligence of yoga. It adorns righteous conduct, like a good colour on a white garment. Non-violence and truthfulness in speech ensure the greatest welfare for all beings. Non-violence is supreme dharma and it is established in truth. Deeds flourish when inclinations are established in truth. Truth is supreme and is cherished by those who have righteous conduct. Dharma is the conduct of the righteous and the righteous are characterized by their conduct. "Every being is bound by its own nature, whatever it might be. The evil-minded one has no control over himself and has the sins of anger, desire and so on. It has been said that dharma is that which has been begun with justice. The virtuous have instructed that evil conduct constitutes sin. Those who are not prone to anger, those who do not hate, those who are not vain, those who are not selfish and those who are simple and serene are characterized by good conduct. "Those who have grown old with the three Vedas are pure and intelligent and have conduct. Those who serve their preceptors and have self-control possess good conduct. It is a difficult task to achieve the deeds of those great ones. Through their own good deeds, they destroy any evil that they may have done. That good conduct is extraordinary, ancient, eternal and fixed. This is dharma. Learned ones who see dharma in this way, go to heaven. They are theists. They are humble. They are people who honour brahmanas. They conduct themselves in accordance with the rituals of the shrutis and go to heaven. "The dharma stated in the Vedas is supreme. The Dharmashastras (law books) are the second. Virtuous conduct of righteous ones is another. These are the three notions of dharma. The characteristics of good conduct are accomplishing knowledge, bathing in tirthas (sacred waters), forbearance, truthfulness, simplicity and purity. "Those who are compassionate towards all beings and always practise non-violence and never utter harsh words are loved by the brahmanas. Those who are familiar with the fruits of good and evil deeds are good and are honoured by those who are good. They are just, have all the qualities and desire the welfare of all the worlds. These virtuous ones attain sacred heaven. They are firmly established in the path of the righteous. "Those who give, those who share and those who are compassionate towards the distressed are righteous and are honoured by the righteous. They are worshipped by everyone. They have the knowledge of the shrutis. They are ascetics. Those who show virtue in giving obtain happiness in this world and prosperity in the next. Even if their wives and servants suffer, righteous ones give in excess, when virtuous ones arrive. While their eyes are on their livelihood, they have dharma in their souls. Such virtuous ones prosper for an eternal period. "Non-violence, truthfulness in speech, mildness, sincerity, the absence of enmity, humility, modesty, forbearance, self-control, serenity, wisdom, fortitude, compassion towards all beings and the absence of desire and hatred characterize the righteous, and they are honoured by the world. It is said that three things single out the supreme vows of the righteous — non-injury, generosity and truthfulness in every speech. "The virtuous are those who are compassionate towards everything. They feel pity. They obtain the greatest satisfaction and traverse the supreme path of dharma. Those great-souled ones have good conduct and have firmly established themselves in dharma. They have no envy. They pardon. They are serene. They are satisfied. They speak pleasantly. They have discarded desire and anger. They follow the conduct of the righteous. Their deeds are in accordance with the shrutis. They follow the supreme path of the virtuous. They follow good conduct and are always devoted to dharma, never wavering. They ascend to the palace of wisdom and see the great masses who are deluded. "O supreme among brahmanas! They observe the world in all its different pursuits, the extremely good deeds, as well as the evil ones. O foremost among the best of brahmanas! This is the entire account, as I have learnt it and as I have heard it, about the foremost qualities and conduct of the righteous."