Listen now to the ancient teaching on dharma as it has been preserved through tradition. There are two main streams: one rooted in revelation, known through attentive hearing, and another based on memory, which is recalled through reflection. The heart of the revealed tradition lies in ritual worship, while the tradition of memory forms the foundation for understanding caste and the stages of life. Let me explain to you now the subsidiary signs by which dharma is recognized. A person who, when questioned, does not conceal what has been seen or experienced, and speaks only as things truly are, displays the mark of truthfulness. Celibacy, austerity, silence, and fasting are the forms of ascetic practice—severe disciplines, difficult to attain but highly valued. Sacrifice is the union of many elements: animals, materials, offerings, hymns, chants, sacred formulas, priests, and the gifts offered. Compassion is remembered as the highest action: it is shown by one who always acts joyfully for the welfare and good of all beings, just as for oneself. Forgiveness is found in those who, even when insulted or struck, do not retaliate in word or deed, whose speech, mind, and body remain harmless, and who endure without resentment. Non-covetousness is marked by refraining from taking what belongs to others, whether it is carefully guarded or simply left behind in confusion. Purity is seen in abstaining from sexual intercourse, as well as from talking or even thinking about it, and in maintaining celibacy. Self-restraint is present in one whose senses do not engage with their objects, neither for their own sake nor for another’s. Self-control grows in those who, even when obstructed in matters concerning the fivefold self or the eightfold causes, do not become angry. Generosity is shown by giving to the worthy whatever most desired possession is obtained rightfully. Dharma, as prescribed by the Veda and Smṛti, consists of the duties proper to one’s caste and stage of life, and is established by the conduct of the virtuous. This is approved by the good. Detachment means not harboring enmity toward the undesirable, nor delighting in the desirable, and withdrawing from both pleasure and pain. Renunciation is the abandonment of actions, both performed and unperformed; to give up both good and bad deeds is true renunciation. Wisdom lies in knowing the distinction between the unmanifest and the particular, between the conscious and the unconscious, and withdrawing from change. These, then, are the characteristics of the limbs of dharma, as remembered from the ancient seers who knew the essence of dharma in the age of Svāyambhuva. Now, let me describe to you the rule for the age of Manu, and for the fourfold sacrifice and the fourfold caste. In every age of Manu, a different Veda is established: Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma, each according to its presiding deity. The prescribed hymns and sacrificial formulas proceed as before, with hymns devoted to substances, qualities, and actions likewise. There are also hymns to lineage, making four kinds of hymns, which vary in each age of Manu according to their distinctions. Among them, the Brahma-hymn is repeatedly established, and thus the origin of the qualities of mantras is fourfold. In the Atharva, Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, separately, the sages perform austerities—most difficult to accomplish. At the beginning of each age of Manu, mantras arise in five ways: from dissatisfaction, fear, sorrow, delusion, and grief. Now I will tell you how the stars of the sages and the nature of the sages themselves are determined by chance. The fivefold ṛṣi tradition is remembered for past and future times; let me explain its origin. At the time of dissolution, all exist in equality of qualities, undifferentiated among the gods, in that which is indefinable and filled with darkness. From there, without prior intellect, for the sake of consciousness, the ṛṣi tradition is established—born with intellect and governed by consciousness. They proceed just as fish move in water; all, governed by consciousness, unfold as qualities in the relation of cause and effect. Thus, the process continues. Object and subject are based on meaning and word; through time, which brings attainment, distinctions arise from the nature of cause. Then, the natural evolutes arise in sequence, beginning with the great principle: from the great principle comes ego, and from that, the elements and senses. The distinctions of the elements arise from the elements themselves, mutually, and the natural cause and effect manifest instantly. Just as branches spring from a firebrand all at once, so do the field-knowers proceed, in one time, from the cause. As a firefly is suddenly seen in darkness, so, when withdrawn, the unmanifest shines forth like a firefly. That great soul, abiding in the body, acts therein; beyond the darkness of the great principle, it is distinguished by its difference. There, established, the wise one is said to reach the end of austerity; as his intellect grows, fourfold arises: knowledge, detachment, sovereignty, and righteousness. These four are natural, though not otherwise recognized by him. From the consciousness of the great soul’s body, attainment is declared; he lies in the city, as previously the field-knower did. Because the person lies in the city, he is called the field-knower through knowledge; since righteousness is produced from him, he is therefore righteous. In the natural body, the unmanifest is conscious through intellect, and thus the field-knower unfolds, the field itself being without intention. At the time of withdrawal, the ancient one is unconscious; recognized by the field-knower, this object is for my enjoyment.