1.3.7 The not being Angry
301 Where thou hast power thy angry will to work, thy wrath restrain; Where power is none, what matter if thou check or give it rein? He restrains his anger who restrains it when it can injure; when it cannot injure, what does it matter whether he restrain it, or not ?
302 Where power is none to wreak thy wrath, wrath importent is ill; Where thou hast power thy will to work, ’tis greater, evil still. Anger is bad, even when it cannot injure; when it can injure; there is no greater evil.
303 If any rouse thy wrath, the trespass straight forget; For wrath an endless train of evils will beget. Forget anger towards every one, as fountains of evil spring from it.
304 Wrath robs the face of smiles, the heart of joy, 38 What other foe to man works such annoy? Is there a greater enemy than anger, which kills both laughter and joy ?
305 If thou would’st guard thyself, guard against wrath alway; ‘Gainst wrath who guards not, him his wrath shall slay. If a man would guard himself, let him guard against anger; if he do not guard it, anger will kill him.
306 Wrath, the fire that slayeth whose draweth near, Will burn the helpful ‘raft’ of kindred dear. The fire of anger will burn up even the pleasant raft of friendship.
307 The hand that smites the earth unfailing feels the sting; So perish they who nurse their wrath as noble thing. Destruction will come upon him who ragards anger as a good thing, as surely as the hand of him who strikes the ground will not fail.
308 Though men should work thee woe, like touch of tongues of fire. ‘Tis well if thou canst save thy soul from burning ire. Though one commit things against you as painful (to bear) as if a bundle of fire had been thrust upon you, it will be well, to refrain, if possible, from anger.
309 If man his soul preserve from wrathful fires, He gains with that whate’er his soul desires. If a man never indulges anger in his heart, he will at once obtain whatever he has thought of.
310 Men of surpassing wrath are like the men who’ve passed away; Who wrath renounce, equals of all-renouncing sages they. Those, who give way to excessive anger, are no better than dead men; but those, who are freed from it, are equal to those who are freed (from death).
1.3.8 Not doing Evil
311 Though ill to neighbour wrought should glorious pride of wealth secure, No ill to do is fixed decree of men in spirit pure. It is the determination of the spotless not to cause sorrow to others, although they could (by so causing) obtain the wealth which confers greatness.
312 Though malice work its worst, planning no ill return, to endure, And work no ill, is fixed decree of men in spirit pure. It is the determination of the spotless not to do evil, even in return, to those who have cherished enmity and done them evil.
313 Though unprovoked thy soul malicious foes should sting, Retaliation wrought inevitable woes will bring. In an ascetic inflict suffering even on those who hate him, when he has not done them any evil, it will afterwards give him irretrievable sorrow.
314 To punish wrong, with kindly benefits the doers ply; Thus shame their souls; but pass the ill unheeded by. The (proper) punishment to those who have done evil (to you), is to put them to shame by showing them kindness, in return and to forget both the evil and the good done on both sides.
315 From wisdom’s vaunted lore what doth the learner gain, If as his own he guard not others’ souls from pain? What benefit has he derived from his knowledge, who does not endeavour to keep off pain from another as much as from himself ?
316 What his own soul has felt as bitter pain, From making others feel should man abstain. Let not a man consent to do those things to another which, he knows, will cause sorrow.
317 To work no wilful woe, in any wise, through all the days, To any living soul, is virtue’s highest praise. It is the chief of all virtues not knowingly to do any person evil, even in the lowest degree, and at any time.
318 Whose soul has felt the bitter smart of wrong, how can He wrongs inflict on ever-living soul of man? Why does a man inflict upon other creatures those sufferings, which he has found by experience are sufferings to himself ?
319 If, ere the noontide, you to others evil do, Before the eventide will evil visit you. If a man inflict sorrow upon others in the morning, it will come upon him unsought in the very evening.
320 O’er every evil-doer evil broodeth still; He evil shuns who freedom seeks from ill. Sorrow will come upon those who cause pain to others; therfore those, who desire to be free from sorrow, give no pain to others.
1.3.9 Not killing
321 What is the work of virtue? ‘Not to kill’; For ‘killing’ leads to every work of ill. Never to destroy life is the sum of all virtuous conduct. The destruction of life leads to every evil.
322 Let those that need partake your meal; guard every-thing that lives; This the chief and sum of lore that hoarded wisdom gives. The chief of all (the virtues) which authors have summed up, is the partaking of food that has been shared with others, and the preservation of the mainfold life of other creatures.
323 Alone, first of goods things, is ‘not to slay’; The second is, no untrue word to say. Not to destroy life is an incomparably (great) good next to it in goodness ranks freedom from falsehood.
324 You ask, What is the good and perfect way? ‘Tis path of him who studies nought to slay. Good path is that which considers how it may avoid killing any creature.
325 Of those who ‘being’ dread, and all renounce, the chief are they, Who dreading crime of slaughter, study nought to slay. Of all those who, fearing the permanence of earthly births, have abandoned desire, he is the chief who, fearing (the guilt of) murder, considers how he may avoid the destruction of life.
326 Ev’n death that life devours, their happy days shall spare, Who law, ‘Thou shall not kill’, uphold with reverent care. Yama, the destroyer of life, will not attack the life of him, who acts under the determination of never destroying life.
327 Though thine own life for that spared life the price must pay, Take not from aught that lives gift of sweet life away. Let no one do that which would destroy the life of another, although he should by so doing, lose his own life.
328 Though great the gain of good should seem, the wise Will any gain by slaughter won despise. The advantage which might flow from destroying life in sacrifice, is dishonourable to the wise (who renounced the world), even although it should be said to be productive of great good.
329 Whose trade is ‘killing’, always vile they show, 4 1 To minds of them who what is vileness know. Men who destroy life are base men, in the estimation of those who know the nature of meanness.
330 Who lead a loathed life in bodies sorely pained, Are men, the wise declare, by guilt of slaughter stained. (The wise) will say that men of diseased bodies, who live in degradation and in poverty, are those who separated the life from the body of animals (in a former birth).