I wish, O sire, to hear of ignorance in
detail.'
"Bhishma said, 'The person who commits sin through ignorance, who does
not know that his end is at hand, and who always hates those that are of
good behaviour, soon incurs infamy in the world. In consequence of
ignorance one sinks into hell. Ignorance is the spring of misery. Through
ignorance one' suffers afflictions and incurs great danger.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'I desire, O king, to hear in detail the origin, the
place, the growth, the decay, the rise, the root, the inseparable
attribute, the course, the time, the cause, and the consequence, of
ignorance. The misery that is felt here is all born of ignorance.'[456]
"Bhishma said, 'Attachment, hate, loss of judgment, joy, sorrow, vanity,
lust, anger, pride, procrastination, idleness, desire, aversion,
jealousy, and all other sinful acts are all known by the common name of
ignorance.[457] Hear now, O king, in detail, about its tendency, growth
and other features after which thou enquirest. These two viz., ignorance
and covetousness, know, O king, are the same (in substance). Both are
productive of the same fruits and same faults, O Bharata! Ignorance has
its origin in covetousness. As covetousness grows, ignorance also grows.
Ignorance exists there where covetousness exists. As covetousness
decreases, ignorance also decreases. It rises with the rise of
covetousness. Manifold again is the course that it takes. The root of
covetousness is loss of judgment.
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