The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 13 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth

Section 7 (part 2)

Understand that no dissimulation can be long concealed.

24.

The unjust man suffers greater evil while his soul is tormented with a consciousness of guilt, than when his body is scourged with whips.

25.

It is by no means safe to discourse concerning Divinity with men of false opinions; for the danger is equally great in speaking to such as these, things either fallacious or true.

26.

By everywhere using reason as your guide, you will avoid the commission of crimes.

27.

By being troublesome to others, you will not easily escape molestation yourself.

28.

Consider that as great erudition, through which you are able to bear the want of erudition, in the ignorant.

p.

34 29.

He who is depraved does not listen to the divine law, and on this account lives without law.

30.

A just man who is a stranger, is not only superior to a citizen, but is even more excellent than a relation.

31.

As many passions of the soul, so many fierce and savage despots.

32.

No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself.

33.

Labour, together with continence, precedes the acquisition of every good.

34.

Be persuaded that those things are not your riches which you do not possess in the penetralia of the reasoning powers.

35.

Do that which you judge to be beautiful and honest, though you should acquire no glory from the performance; for the vulgar is a depraved judge of beautiful deeds.

36.

Make trial of a man rather from his deeds than his discourses; for many live badly and speak well.

37.

Perform great things, at the same time promising nothing great.

38.

Since the roots of our nature are established in Divinity, from which also we p.

35 are produced, we should tenaciously adhere to our root; for streams also of water, and other offspring of the earth, when their roots are cut off, become rotten and dry.

39.

The strength of the soul is temperance; for this is the light of a soul destitute of passions; but it is much better to die than to darken the soul through the intemperance of the body.

40.

You cannot easily denominate that man happy who depends either on his friends or children, or on any fleeting and fallen nature; for all these are unstable and uncertain; but to depend on oneself and on Divinity is alone stable and firm.

41.

He is a wise man, and beloved of Divinity, who studies how to labour for the good of his soul, as much as others labour for the sake of the body.

42.

Yield all things to their kindred and ruling nature except liberty.

43.

Learn how to produce eternal children, not such as may supply the wants of the body in old age, but such as may nourish the soul with perpetual food.

44, It is impossible that the same person can be a lover of pleasure, a lover of p.

36 body, a lover of riches, and a lover of Divinity .

For a lover of pleasure is also a lover of body; but a lover of body is entirely a lover of riches; a lover of riches is necessarily unjust; and the unjust is necessarily profane towards Divinity, and lawless with respect to men.

Hence, though he should sacrifice hecatombs, he is only by this means the more impious, unholy, atheistical, and sacrilegious, with respect to his intentions: and on this account it is necessary to avoid every lover of pleasure as an atheist and polluted person.

45.

The Divinity has not a place in the earth more allied to his nature than a pure and holy soul.

Footnotes 31:1 Because virtue is the perfection of life, and the proper perfection of any being is the felicity of that being.

Themes

◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

Verses 39 and 44 describe the body and love of pleasure as sources of intemperance and impurity that darken the soul.

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◆Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

Verse 44 presents a stark opposition between lovers of pleasure/body/riches and the lover of Divinity.

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◆Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

Verse 40 advises depending on oneself and Divinity rather than unstable external things like friends or children.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

Verse 26 advocates using reason as a guide to avoid crimes, prioritizing inner understanding over ritual.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

Verse 25 warns against discussing Divinity with those holding false opinions, implying esoteric caution regarding sacred knowledge.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

Verse 39 describes temperance as the 'light of a soul destitute of passions'.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

Verse 45 suggests the pure soul is the place most allied to the nature of Divinity.

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◆Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

Verse 44 distinguishes the wise man beloved of Divinity from lovers of pleasure and riches.

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◆Poverty Of Spiritanthropology

Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).

Verse 34 defines true riches as internal reasoning powers rather than external possessions.

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◆Renunciation Of Wealthethics

The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.

Verses 34, 40, and 44 contrast material riches with true spiritual wealth and dependence on Divinity.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

Verse 38 commands adhering to the divine root from which human nature is produced.

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◆Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

Verse 45 identifies a 'pure and holy soul' as the true temple of Divinity over external places.

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◆Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

Verse 32 emphasizes obtaining empire over oneself, and Verse 34 locates true riches in the reasoning powers.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

Verse 38 urges adhering to the divine root, and Verse 41 calls for laboring for the good of the soul.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] Verse 45 explicitly states the pure soul is the place most allied to Divinity, locating the divine within.

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◇Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics

Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.

[auto] The passage explicitly critiques empty sacrifices and dissimulation, emphasizing that outward religious acts without inner truth are futile.

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◇Self Examinationpraxis

Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice.

[auto] Verses 24 and 32 emphasize internal consciousness of guilt and the necessity of mastering oneself as the path to freedom.

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Related passages · 12 parallels

◆buddhism|The Dhammapada|Chapter V, Section 1a

“p. 20 CHAPTER V. THE FOOL. 60. Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law. 61. If a traveller does not meet with one who is his better, or his eq…”

Both passages discuss the consequences of foolish or unjust actions and the importance of wisdom and self-control. They emphasize the internal suffering of those who act foolishly or unjustly and the value of understanding the true law or divine principles.

◆buddhism|The Dhammapada|Chapter IX, Section 1

“p. 34 Chapter IX. Evil. 116. If a man would hasten towards the good, he should keep his thought away from evil; if a man does what is good slothfully, his mind delights in evil. 117. If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of moral behavior, the consequences of actions, and the pursuit of a virtuous life. They share themes of avoiding evil, the importance of self-control, and the ultimate happiness or suffering that results from one's actions.

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1|

“Wherefore Its Providential character is shown herein: that It preserves the nature of each individual, and, in making provision for the free and independent, it hath respect unto their state, providing, both in general and in 129 particular…”

Both passages discuss the nature of evil, the importance of virtue and knowledge, and the relationship between human actions and divine principles. They share a focus on the inner state of the individual and the consequences of moral choices.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 16)

“21.) "If there were even a thousand persons well taught by God and regenerated in the Spirit of Christ assembled together, and if each of them had his own particular gift and self-knowledge in God, nevertheless they would all be one in the…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of internal spiritual transformation and the rejection of external rituals or sacrifices. They highlight the unity in divine spirit and the need for self-control and purity of the soul.

◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres|Section 1d

“Thou seem'st, He said, O thou, not to have given heed to what thou heardest. Did I not bid thee think? Yea do I think, and I remember, and therefore give Thee thanks. If thou didst think [thereon], [said He], tell me: Why do they merit d…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of self-knowledge and the purification of the soul. They highlight the contrast between those who are mindful and virtuous, leading to divine connection and immortality, and those who are ignorant and depraved, leading to suffering and darkness.

◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres|Section 1e

“To the first zone he gives the Energy of Growth and Waning; unto the second [zone], Device of Evils [now] de-energized; unto the third, the Guile of the Desires de-energized; unto the fourth, his Domineering Arrogance, [also] de-energized;…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of spiritual awakening and the purification of the soul. They share a common theme of transcending the material world and achieving union with the divine, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 665

“Section 26 26. Any conscious being, if the good come to him, will know the good and affirm his possession of it. But what if one be deceived? In that case there must be some resemblance to account for the error: the good will be the origina…”

Both passages explore the nature of the good and the pursuit of virtue, emphasizing the importance of inner states and the alignment of the soul with divine principles. They share a focus on the inadequacy of mere pleasure and the necessity of temperance and self-mastery.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogued

“Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”

Both passages explore the nature of love and divine connection, emphasizing the transformative power of love and the pursuit of perfection through divine union. They also discuss the role of passion and the soul's relationship with the divine.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialogued

“In this disposition, I believe, was the Nolano when he said: 14. Woe's me! my fury forces me To union with the bad within, And makes it seem a love supreme and good. Wearied, my soul cares nought That I opposing counsels entertain, And w…”

Both passages explore the theme of love and its dual nature, contrasting earthly, flawed love with a higher, divine love. They also discuss the struggle between the soul's desires and its moral compass, though from different cultural and philosophical perspectives.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguei

“"It is not," says he, "gold and silver that makes one like God, because these are not treasure to Him; nor vestments, for God is naked; nor ostentation and fame, for He shows Himself to few, and perhaps not one knows Him, and certainly many…”

Both passages emphasize the transcendence of material desires and the pursuit of divine connection. They advocate for the mastery of the self and the body to achieve a higher spiritual state, though they use different metaphors and cultural contexts.

2 more

◆taoism|The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters)|Book 127 (part 5)

“Though the realisation of this be not manifested in the person, things cannot separate themselves (from its influence).' Some days afterwards duke Âi told this conversation to Min-dze 3 , saying, 'Formerly it seemed to me the work of the so…”

Both passages explore the theme of the ideal person or sage who transcends ordinary human desires and passions. They emphasize the importance of inner virtue and the detachment from worldly concerns, though they do so within different cultural and philosophical contexts.

◆taoism|The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters)|Book 128 (part 3)

“When the springs are dried up, the fishes collect together on the land. Than that they should moisten one another there by the damp about them, and keep one another wet by their slime, it would be better for them to forget one another in t…”

Both passages explore the concept of the Tao (or Divinity) as an eternal, formless, and all-encompassing principle. They emphasize the importance of aligning oneself with this principle for true happiness and wisdom, though they use different cultural and philosophical contexts.