CHAP.
XII.

tion to the body, the wise call cshétrajnya, or jívátman, the vital spirit; and that body, which thence ' derives active functions, they name bhútátman, or composed of elements:

13. Another internal spirit, called mahat, or the

great soul, attends the birth of all creatures imbo

died, and thence in all mortal forms is conveyed

' a perception either pleasing or painful.

6

6

14. Those two, the vital spirit and reasonable soul, are closely united with five elements, but connected with the supreme spirit, or divine essence, which pervades all beings high and low:

" 15. From the substance of that supreme spirit are diffused, like sparks from fire, innumerable vital spirits, which perpetually give motion to creatures exalted and base.

16. By the vital souls of those men, who have 'committed sins in the body reduced to ashes, another body, composed of nerves with five sensations, in 'order to be susceptible of torment, shall certainly 'be assumed after death;

6

17. And, being intimately united with those minute 'nervous particles, according to their distribution, they shall feel, in that new body, the pangs inflict'ed in each case by the sentence of YAMA.

6

18. When the vital soul has gathered the fruit of

sins, which arise from a love of sensual pleasure, • but

S

XII.

but must produce misery, and, when its taint ha CHAP. 'thus been removed, it approaches again those two 'most effulgent essences, the intellectual soul and the • divine spirit:

19. They two, closely conjoined, examine without ' remission the virtues and vices of that sensitive soul, ' according to its union with which it acquires pleasure or pain in the present and future worlds.

6

20. 6

If the vital spirit had practised virtue for the most part, and vice in a small degree, it enjoys delight in celestial abodes, clothed with a body 'formed of pure elementary particles;

21. But, if it had generally been addicted to vice, ' and seldom attended to virtue, then shall it be de'serted by those pure elements, and, having a coarser body of sensible nerves, it feels the pains to which 'YAMA shall doom it:

22. Having endured those torments according to 'the sentence of YAMA, and its taint being almost ' removed, it again reaches those five pure elements ' in the order of their natural distribution.

23. Let each man, considering with his intellec'tual powers these migrations of the soul according to its virtue or vice, into a region of bliss or pain, 'continually fix his heart on virtue.

24. BE it known, that the three qualities of the ' rational soul are a tendency to goodness, to passion, and to darkness; and, endued with one or more of • them,

3 G

CHAP. them, it remains incessantly attached to all these 'created substances:

XII.

25. When any one of the three qualities predomi'nates in a mortal frame, it renders the imbodied spirit eminently distinguished for that quality.

6

26. Goodness is declared to be true knowledge; 'darkness, gross ignorance; passion, an emotion of desire or aversion: such is the compendious descrip'tion of those qualities, which attend all souls.

27. When a man perceives in the reasonable soul a disposition tending to virtuous love, unclouded ' with any malignant passion, clear as the purest light, let him recognise it as the quality of good

" ness:

6

28. A temper of mind, which gives uneasiness and produces disaffection, let him consider as the adverse quality of passion, ever agitating imbodied spirits:

29. That indistinct, inconceivable, unaccountable disposition of a mind naturally sensual, and clouded ' with infatuation, let him know to be the quality of ⚫ darkness.

30. Now will I declare at large the various acts, in the highest, middle, and lowest degrees, which proceed from those three dispositions of mind.

31. Study of scripture, austere devotion, sacred knowledge, corporeal purity, command over the or

6 gans,

gans, performances of duties, and meditation on the CHAP. 'divine spirit, accompany the good quality of the soul:

32. Interested motives for acts of religion or morality, perturbation of mind on slight occasions, com'mission of acts forbidden by law, and habitual indulgence in selfish gratifications, are attendant on the quality of passion:

6

33.

Covetousness, indolence, avarice, detraction, atheism, omission of prescribed acts, a habit of soliciting favours, and inattention to necessary business, belong to the dark quality.

34. Of those three qualities, as they appear in the three times, past, present, and future, the following ' in order from the lowest may be considered as a 'short but certain criterion.

35. Let the wise consider, as belonging to the quality of darkness, every act, which a man is ' ashamed of having done, of doing, or of going to • do:

36. Let them consider, as proceeding from the quality of passion, every act, by which a man seeks 'exaltation and celebrity in this world, though he may not be much afflicted, if he fail of attaining • his object :

37.

To the quality of goodness belongs every act, by which he hopes to acquire divine knowledge, 3 G 2 ' which

XII.

CHAP.
XII.

which he is never ashamed of doing, and which brings placid joy to his conscience.

38. Of the dark quality, as described, the principal object is pleasure; of the passionate, worldly prosperity; but of the good quality, the chief object is virtue the last mentioned objects are superiour ' in dignity.

39. SUCH transmigrations, as the soul procures in this universe by each of those qualities, I now will ⚫ declare in order succinctly.

40. Souls, endued with goodness, attain always the 'state of deities; those filled with ambitious passions, 'the condition of men; and those immersed in darkness, the nature of beasts: this is the triple order of transmigration.

6.

6

41. Each of those three transmigrations, caused by the several qualities, must also be considered as three-fold, the lowest, the mean, and the highest, according to as many distinctions of acts and of ' knowledge.

42. Vegetable and mineral substances, worms, in'sects, and reptiles, some very minute, some rather larger, fish, snakes, tortoises, cattle, shakals, are 'the lowest forms, to which the dark quality leads :

43. Elephants, horses, men of the servile class, ' and contemptible Mléch'has, or barbarians, lions, tigers, and boars, are the mean states procured by "the quality of darkness:

44. Dancers.