Possessed as thou art of wisdom, thou shalt be gratified
with the knowledge. I will impart to thee, like a person gratified with
having quaffed nectar. The rules of duty that have been uttered by the
great Rishis, each relying upon his own wisdom, are many. The highest
among them all is self-restraint. Those amongst the ancients that were
acquainted with truth said that self-restraint leads to the highest
merit. As regards the Brahmana in particular, self-restraint is his
eternal duty. It is from self-restraint that he obtains the due fruition
of his acts. Self-restraint, in his case, surpasses (in merit) charity
and sacrifice and study of the Vedas. Self-restraint enhances (his)
energy. Self-restraint is highly sacred. Through self-restraint a man
becomes cleansed of all his sins and endued with energy, and as a
consequence, attains to the highest blessedness. We have not heard that
there is any other duty in all the worlds that can equal self-restraint.
Self-restraint, according to all virtuous persons, is the highest of
virtues in this world. Through self-restraint, O foremost of men, a
person acquires the highest happiness both here and hereafter. Endued
with self-restraint, one acquires great virtue. The self-restrained man
sleeps in felicity and awakes in felicity, and moves through the world in
felicity. His mind is always cheerful. The man who is without
self-restraint always suffers misery. Such a man brings upon himself many
calamities all born of his own faults.
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