The conclusions with regard to the past, present, and future, etc, and religion, pleasure and wealth, which are all well known to conclaves of Siddhas, which appertain to remote cycles, and which are, indeed, eternal, I shall declare to thee, O thou of great wisdom. These constitute what is called Good. Men of wisdom, understanding them in this world, attain to success. In days of old, the Rishis Vrihaspati and Bharadwaja, and Gautama and Bhargava, and Vasishtha and Kasyapa, and Viswamitra, and Atri, assembled together for the purpose of asking one another. They thus assembled together after having travelled over all paths and after they had got tired with the acts each of them had done. Those regenerate persons, placing the sage son of Angiras at their head, proceeded to the region of the Grandsire. There they beheld Brahma perfectly cleansed of all sin. Bowing their heads unto that high-souled one who was seated at his ease, the great Rishis, endued with humility, asked him this grave question regarding the highest good. "How should a good man act? How would one be released from sin? What paths are auspicious for us? What is truth, and what is sin? By what action are the two paths, northern and southern, obtained? What is destruction? What is Emancipation? What is birth and what is death of all existent objects?" I shall tell thee, O disciple, what the Grandsire, thus addressed, said unto them, conformably to the scriptures. Do thou listen.Mbh 14.35.5b · Mahabharata · ASWAMEDHA PARVA
Mbh 14.35.5b
Mahabharata · translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Themes in this passage
SinWisdomDeathChildrenThe DivineHumilityKarmaLiberation
Sin in other traditions
The same theme, as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hellenism address it.
If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.Leviticus 4:3 · Bible · Leviticus
They said: O our father! Ask forgiveness of our sins for us, for lo! we were sinful.Quran 12:97 · Quran · Joseph
If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him not delight in sin: pain is the outcome of evil.Dhp 9.117 · Dhammapada · Evil
“May heaven,” answered Ulysses, “requite to them the wickedness with which they deal high-handedly in another man’s house without any sense of shame.”Odyssey 20.15 · Odyssey · 20
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