Listen, O noble one, to the wisdom passed down through the ages, as the teachings unfold like a garland of truths. The strength of those without power lies in the king who protects them. A child’s greatest force is his own crying, a fool’s is his silence, and a thief’s is his falsehood. As a person delves ever deeper into the study of sacred scriptures, his intellect expands, and knowledge becomes a source of delight. When a person turns his mind toward what is good, he becomes dear to all people, wherever he may go. Yet, beware: a person is undone by three things—greed, carelessness, and misplaced trust. Therefore, one should avoid greed, remain vigilant, and place trust only where it is truly deserved. Danger should be feared as long as it has not come; but once it arrives in full force, one must stand unshaken and courageous. Just as a lingering debt, an unfinished fire, or an unresolved illness grows ever greater if left unattended, so too should nothing be left incomplete. One should repay what is due, and return harm for harm; there is no fault in dealing with the wicked as they deserve. Beware also the friend who, in private, hinders your work but, in person, speaks sweetly; such a one is false, an enemy in disguise. Even a good person is corrupted by the company of the wicked, just as clear water becomes muddied by dirt. Among men, the twice-born Brahmin is to be honored above all, for in his partaking, he partakes of all things; thus, a Brahmin should be shown the highest respect. He who eats the remnants of a Brahmin’s food gains wisdom and is freed from sin. True friendship is shown in secret, and righteous acts are those performed without deceit. An assembly without elders is no true assembly; elders who do not speak of dharma are not truly elders; dharma without truth is not dharma, and truth tainted by deceit is not truth at all. Among men, the Brahmin is foremost; among lights, the sun is supreme; among limbs, the head is chief; and among vows, truth stands highest. Auspiciousness dwells where the mind is serene; true life is where one serves no master; true wealth is that which is enjoyed by one’s own kin; and true glory is that which is won over one’s enemies in battle. Happiness belongs to the one who is not intoxicated by women, who is free from craving. Trust is the foundation of true friendship, and self-control marks the man who has mastered his senses. That is truly praiseworthy where there is no attachment to pearls or gold, and where lost friendship is not mourned; but most praiseworthy is the person who finds praise within himself. Seek not the origins of rivers, sacrificial fires, the Bharata lineage, or the age of time itself, for the faults of the root do not lessen. Rivers end in salt water, the pleasure of union ends in separation, youth fades into old age, and wealth brings three kinds of sorrow. Royal fortune ends with a Brahmin’s curse, sin is destroyed by the splendor of the Brahmin, ritual ends with the sounding of the conch, and a family is ended by a woman, O lord. All houses fall to decay, all heights suffer a fall; all unions end in separation, and life itself ends in death. If one wishes to return again, he should not go too far; he should turn back from the edge of water and from trees with glossy leaves. One should not reside where there is no leader, nor where there are too many leaders; nor where a woman is the leader, but rather where a child leads. The father protects a woman in her childhood, her husband in youth, and her son in old age; a woman is not to be left independent. A barren woman is to be abandoned in her eighth year, one whose children have died in her ninth, one who bears only daughters in her eleventh, and one who speaks unpleasantly is to be abandoned at once. Some women, though lacking propriety due to wealth, remain with their husbands out of fear for the household and because they bring no benefit to others. A wise person avoids from afar a tired horse, a mad elephant, cows in their first calving, and frogs when the waters have dried. For those afflicted by poverty, there are neither friends nor relatives; for those consumed by desire, there is neither fear nor shame; for those troubled by anxiety, there is neither happiness nor sleep; and for those afflicted by hunger, there is neither strength nor vigor. How can there be sleep for the poor, for one who serves another, for one attached to another’s wife, or for one who steals another’s wealth? A man free from debt and disease sleeps peacefully, but one separated from his wife eats without joy. When water is plentiful, the lotus rises high; likewise, a servant grows proud when his master is powerful. Yet, for the lotus that remains rooted in its place, the sun and Varuna are its friends; but once uprooted, those very forces cause its withering and decay. So too, those who are friends to one established in his place become enemies when he is cast out; the sun delights in the lotus in water, but dries it up when it is taken to land. Those who remain in their rightful place are honored, as are those who abide by their station; but those who have fallen—whether hair, teeth, nails, or people—are no longer respected. A person’s conduct reveals his family, his speech reveals his homeland, his attentiveness reveals his affection, and his body reveals his food. Rain falling over the ocean is wasted, as is food given to one already satisfied, gifts to the wealthy, and good deeds done for a base person. Even if far away, one who dwells in the heart is near; but one who has departed from the heart is distant, even if physically close. A fallen face, a weak voice, sweating limbs, and great fear are signs of impending death—and also of a beggar. For a hunchback, a killer of insects, one driven out by the wind, or one living atop a peak, it is better to die than to beg. Yet, even Vishnu, the Lord of the world, when he begged, assumed the humble form of Vamana. What greater purpose could there be than his, for which humility is not required? Finally, parents who do not educate their children become their enemies; such children, unlearned, do not shine in an assembly, like a crane among swans. Thus, O wise one, is the ancient wisdom revealed, guiding all toward righteousness and understanding.