Verses 420–429

420. You let your son eat off the same plate of whatever he be a son, you swallow his leavings--you cannot even see the least of true knowledge.

421. The comatees fall down at the gate of him that gives interest--he suffers the pains of hell. They will give you a penny or a farthing but nothing respectable.

422. Brahmins go on calling food and water defiled and throw them away ignorant of their nature. Food and drink are in truth Hari, Ha: a and Brahma indefilable by touch. They defile him alone who calls them defiled.

423. First by plunging in water Brahmin loses sight; by roaming he gains nothing but giddiness, by howling out the Vedas he turns into a dog.

424. If we take no food, the fire within the belly feeds on its own impurity. Then how shall he become pure who fasts and thus devours foulness.

425. One may wear a longoti, and wish to have himself a mini but cannot cease from the cupidity of his heart; the semblance indeed is one way and the heart otherwise.

426. He who seeing men dying and who knoweth the divine nature as removed equally from the death and birth, who thinketh deeply in his mind and gazette in abstraction he shall attain beatitude.

427. Like when a frog when beholdeth a snake that snake swalloweth the frog with great eagerness. Thus is the soul absorbed in worldly pursuits--who can extricate the frog? Vemana knoweth how to free it--are thou involved in worldly pursuits? This book shall release thee.

428. The verses of Vemana well considered admit of a thousand interpretations. If thou think on these, this shall produce refined wisdom in thee.

429. Let us look upon the fair assemblage of eighty four lakhs of animals as clearly the sons of Brahma; if thou attain wisdom thou hast the divinity.