Yudhishthira said Tell us those duties which persons like ourselves should follow and which are auspicious, yield happiness in the future, benevolent, applauded by all, pleasant, and agreeable.

Bhishma said ‘The four modes of life, O powerful one, have been laid down for the Brahmana. The other three orders do not adopt them, O best of the Bharatas.

Many acts, O king, leading to heaven and especially fit for the Kshatriyas, have already। been mentioned. Those, however, cannot be referred to in reply to your present question for all of them have been duly laid down for such Kshatriyas who are merciless.

That Brahmana, who follows the practices of Kshatriyas and Vaishyas and Shudras, is blamed in this world as a wicked person and goes to hell in the next world.

Those names, which are applied among men to slaves, dogs, wolves and (other) beasts, are given, O son of Pandu, to the Brahmana who does works which do not become him.

That Brahmana, who, in all the four modes of life, performs the sixfold acts (as regulating the breath, contemplation, etc.), who performs all his duties, who is patient, who has his passions under restraint, whose heart is pure and practises penances, who has no desire of bettering his situation and who is charitable, attains to regions of bliss in the next world.

Every one gets his own inclination from the nature of his acts regarding their circumstances, place, means and motives.

You should therefore, o king, consider the study of the Vedas, which is endued with such high merit, the manliness of kingly power, the pursuits of agriculture, trade, and hunting as all equal.

The world is moved on by Time. Its works are settled by the course of Time. Man does all his acts, good, bad, and indifferent, entirely under the influence of Time.

Those good acts of a man's past life which exert the greatest influence on the next, are liable to be exhausted. Men, however, perform always those acts to which their inclination leads. Those propensities again, lead a living being to various directions.