History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.11

v5.c71.s1.11

The conception of ṛta as a moral imperative occurs in several passages Ṛg I. 90 6 (madhu vātā ṛtāyate madhu kṣaranti sindhavaḥ) 'the winds carry sweets, the rivers do the same to him who keeps ṛta', Ṛg V 12 2 'O Agni, that knowest ṛta, know ṛta alone (in me) .I shall not resort to magic either by force or by duplicity, I shall conform to ṛta of the reddish bull (i e of Agni)⁵; Ṛg. X 87 11 'O Agni! may the evil spirit who injures ṛta by anṛta be thrice bound in thy fetters' Yama in rejecting Yamī's advances says (Ṛg X. 10 4) 'What indeed we never did before (shall we do it now?); shall we who have spoken ṛta (so far) now speak anṛta?' (ṛtā vadanto anṛtam rapema)