Verses 600–609

600. The grief of a poor man becomes a great demon, an unuttered (invisible) trouble cannot be spoken (seen); But the anxieties of a rich man are still greater. What can there be beyond this?

601. The writing written by the hand perishes (spoil) not though thou blot it out (spoil it). What is written by fate cannot be done away even with water. The writing of fate in the forehead will not be gone though thou rub it with sorrow.

602. How should this animal life become assimilated with God? Shall we compare a village cur with a sage (or saint, yogee).

603. To the liberal man, the vessels of the mundane egg will fall into his hand. The demigods will become his dependants. Liberality becomes the residence of all modes of knowledge. Through liberality no grief can befall us in the world.

604. Behold, if thou say not, if thou refuse not, if thou oppose not, if thou dislike it not, if thou say it is not thine, that which is thus given is liberality.

605. If thou reproach others (abhor), if thou esteem not strangers as thy relations, ignorant of what of what is right and wrong and lay not hold of heaven (phrase, be puffed up). the liberality thus bestowed is no liberality--it is hoarding up.

606. Those who grind (i.e.; plough) for the good of others, those also that are dependants on princes--these are the men who are like milk and payer of taxes; the farmers are ignorant of language.

607. Though they be greatest of misers and hard and thou full of mischief, an evil doer when he boils over a cupful must be skimmed off. But they should not be called causers of the death of others. (That is, pride should be checked just enough to render it harmless.)

608. A degraded caste is a caste that has set aside all distinctions; the tribe sustains all creatures. Those who are of such a caste both here and in the next world are the Universal prop. (the farmer tribe)

609. The endless cupidity of merchant, the fruitless showers on the rocks, the interminate search made in the sea, the insurpassable light of the moon and to these there is no end. There is no path (to heaven) to the man of impure speech.