753.  “Freeing oneself from the attributes of Passion and Darkness”, i.e., by practising the religion of abstention from acts.

754.  Adatte from da meaning to cut or destroy.  Manasam volam as explained by the commentator, is sankalpam, i.e., desires or purposes.  The man of ripe understanding, by doing this, attains to that knowledge which is not subject to decay with age.  Hence, such knowledge is superior to knowledge acquired in the ordinary way.

755.  Compassion may sometimes lead to excess of attachment, as in the case of Bharata towards his little deer.  The universe is the result of acts because acts determine the character of the life the soul assumes.  In the case of Bharata, he was obliged to take birth as a deer in his next life in consequence of all his thoughts in the previous life having been centred on a deer.

756.  K.P.  Singha wrongly translates this verse.  Tat should be supplied before asnute; there is redundant va in the first line.  The Burdwan translator renders it correctly.

757.  The buddhi here referred to is intelligence cleansed by scriptures.  Samahitam manak is, as explained by the commentator, mind freed from anger and malice, etc., i.e., properly trained.

758.  One should not covet, etc., like kingdoms and thrones in the case of ordinary men.  “Non-existent objects,” such as sons and wives that are dead or that are unborn or unwed.

759.  Samsara, as explained by the commentator, means both this and the other world.  It is bound in speech in this sense, viz., that whatever is spoken is never destroyed and affects permanently both the speaker and the listener, so that not only in one life, but in the infinite course of lives, the speaker will be affected for good or for evil by the words that escape his lips.  This fully accords with the discovery of modern science, so eloquently and poetically enunciated by Babbage, of the indestructibility of force or energy when once applied.  How appalling is the sanction (which is not a myth) under which evil speaking is forbidden.

760.  Such self-disclosure destroys the effects of those acts and prevents their recurrence.

761.  Robbers laden with booty are always in danger of seizure.  Even so unintelligent men bearing the burdens of life are always liable to destruction.

762.  Nishpraiharena means Niruddhena as explained by the commentator.

763.  I adopt the reading prakasela and the interpretation that Nilakantha puts upon it.

764.  K.P.  Singha translates these words very carelessly.  The Burdwan translator, by following the commentator closely, has produced a correct version.  Kulmasha means ripe grains or seeds of the Phaselous radiatus.  Pinyaka is the cake of mustard seed or sesamum after the oil has been pressed out.  Yavaka means unripe barley, or, as the commentator explains, raw barley powdered and boiled in hot water.