831. The reading I adopt is Vrataluvdhah. If, however, the Bengal reading
vrataluplah be adopted, the meaning would be "such men are deceived by
their vows," the sense being that though acquiring heaven and the other
objects of their desire, yet they fall down upon exhaustion of their
merit and never attain to what is permanent, viz., emancipation, which is
attainable by following the religion of nivritti only.
832. The object of Bhishma's two answers is to show that the giving of
pain to others (sacrificing animals) is censurable, and the giving of
pain to one's own self is equally censurable.
833. Existence comes into being and ceases. Non-existence also comes into
being and ceases. This is the grammatical construction. The words, of
course, imply only the appearance and disappearance of all kinds of
phenomena.
834. This refers to the theory set forth in the previous sections about
the Soul's real inactivity amidst its seeming activity in respect of all
acts.
835. The Burdwan translator renders the second line as "six thousand
Gandharvas used to dance before thee seven kinds of dance."
836. Both the vernacular translators have misunderstood this verse. A
samya is explained as a little wooden cane measuring about six and thirty
fingers breadth in altitude. What Vali did was to go round the Earth
(anuparyagah, i.e., parihrityagatavan) throwing or hurling a samya. When
thrown from a particular point by a strong man, the samya clears a
certain distance.
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