CXXXIX. "Obercome evil with good." (Epistle to the Romans xii. 21.)

Mahabharata iii. 13253; v. 1518; xii. 9972.

With meekness conquer wrath, and ill with ruth,
By giving niggards vanquish, lies with truth.

CXL. "Who when he was reviled, reviled not again." (1st Epistle of Peter ii. 2, 3; iii. 9.)

Mahabharata v. 1270; xii. 11008.

Reviling meet with patience; ne'er
To men malignant malice bear.
Harsh tones and wrathful language greet
With gentle speech and accents sweet.
When struck return not thou the blow.
Even gods their admiration shew

Of men who thus entreat a foe.

CXLI. "Ef thine enemy hunger, feed him." (Proverbs xxv. v. 21 f.; Epistle to the Romans xii. 20.)

Mahabharata xii. 5528.

That foe repel not with a frown
Who claims thy hospitable aid;
A tree refuses not its shade
To him who comes to hew it down.

CXLII. Forgiveness of Enjuries.

Subhāshitārṇava, 274.

A hero hates not even the foe

Whose deadly bow is 'gainst him bent;
The sandal-tree with fragrant scent

Imbues the axe which lays it low.

CXLIII. Suppliants not to be sent empty away.

Mahabharata xiii. 3212.

Let none with scorn a suppliant meet,
Or from the door untended spurn;

A dog, an outcast, kindly treat,

And so shalt thou be blest in turn.

CXLIV. The same.

Hitopadeśa i. 55 (or 33).

The good extend their loving care
To men, however mean or vile;
E'en base Chândâlas' dwellings share
Th' impartial moonbeam's silvery smile.

CXLV. Narrow and large heartedness.
Panchatantra v. 38.

Small souls enquire "belongs this man
To our own race, or class, or clan"?
But larger-hearted men embrace
As brothers all the human race.

CXLVI. Compassion should be shown to all men.
Rāmāyaṇa vi. 115, 41.

To bad as well as good, to all,

A generous man compassion shows.

On earth no mortal lives, he knows,

Who does not oft through weakness fall.

* Chândâla has the same sense as Pariah, a man of the lowest, or of no, caste.

CXLVII. A man may learn from the humblest, &c.

Manu, ii. 238, and Sarngadhara's Paddhati, Niti, 34.

From whomsoever got, the wise
Accept with joy the pearl they prize.
To them the mean may knowledge teach,
The lowliest lofty virtue preach.

Such men will wed, nor view with scorn,
A lovely bride, though humbly born.

When sunlight fails, and all is gloom,
A lamp can well the house illume.

CXLVIII. Good may be gained from everything.

Mahabharata, v. 1125.

From madmen's ravings even, the wise,
And children's prattlings, good may gain:
As workmen skilled extract the vein
Of gold in rocks that bedded lies.

(Compare xii. 11812. (See above, No. lxxviii. p. 65.)

CXLIX. Men are formed by their associates.

Mahabharata, v. 1272; vii. 5961; xii. 11023.

As cloth is tinged by any dye

In which it long time plunged may lie;
So those with whom he loves to live

CL. Ebil men to be avoided.

Mahabharata, v. 1164; xii. 2797.

Let good men ne'er with bad themselves ally;
Whene'er a friendly bond the two unites,

The guiltless share the doom the knaves that smites.
Moist wood takes fire, and burns, when mixed with dry.

CLI. How the wise and foolish respectively are affected

by Society.

Mahabharata, i. 3077.

The fool who listens day by day
To all that men around him say,
Whate'er is worst drinks in with greed,
As pigs on garbage love to feed.
But hearing others talk, the wise
The precious choose, the vile despise;
Just so do swans, with innate tact,
From milk and water, milk extract.

CLII. Effects of good and bad company.
Mahābhārata, iii. 25 (compare ii. 223, 251).
To herd with fools, delusion breeds,
To error, vice, and misery leads;
While those who wait upon the wise
On virtue's ladder ever rise.
Let men who covet calm of mind
The old, the sage, the righteous find;
From such the way of duty learn ;
Thus aided, truth and right discern.
Such men's example, influence, looks,
Teach better far than many books.

CLIII. Undiscerning men's praise worthless.

Mahabharata, xii. 4217.

What boots the censure or applause
Which undiscerning men bestow?
Who ever heeds the senseless crow
That in the forest harshly caws?

CLIV. "The tongue can no man tame." (James iii. 8.)
Mahabharata, v. 1170.

'Tis very hard to curb the tongue,
Yet all this needful power should seek;
For who much useful truth can speak,
Or charm with brilliant converse long?

CLV. "Casting pearls before swine."
Hitopadesa, iv. 10.

He only threshes chaff who schools
With patient kindness thoughtless fools.
He writes on shifting sand who fain
By favours worthless men would gain.

CLVI. Hopelessness of reclaiming the bad.

Bhaminivilāsa, i. 93.

Whoe'er the bad by kindness tries
To gain, but vainly ploughs the skies,
The viewless wind with water laves,
And paints a picture on the waves.