Special Call Prof. Jay L. Garfield Commemorative Volume · Submissions Open
Announcements Newsletters About Us Contact
Search
MBh
Mahābhārata • Parva 12 (Śāntiparva) • Adhyāya 196

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 196

शान्तिपर्व • अध्यायः 196

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 196 of the classical Mahābhārata with 24 verses.

Total: 24 Verses • Citations: MBh 12.196.1–24 • 250 Lexicon Terms
यदिन्द्रियैस्तूपकृतान्पुरस्ता;त्प्राप्तान्गुणान्संस्मरते चिराय । तेष्विन्द्रियेषूपहतेषु पश्चा;त्स बुद्धिरूपः परमः स्वभावः ॥
English Translation
Manu said The mind united with the senses, remembers after a long time the impressions of objects received in the past. When the action of the senses is suspended, the Supreme Soul in the form in the Understanding, exists in its own true nature.
यथेन्द्रियार्थान्युगपत्समस्ता;न्नावेक्षते कृत्स्नमतुल्यकालम् । यथाबलं संचरते स विद्वां;स्तस्मात्स एकः परमः शरीरी ॥
English Translation
When the Soul does not in the least regard all those objects for their simultaniety or otherwise in point of time but collecting them from all directions holds them before it together, it necessarily happens that he wanders among all incongruous things. He is, therefore, the Witness. Hence the Soul put in body is something having a distinct and independent existence.
रजस्तमः सत्त्वमथो तृतीयं; गच्छत्यसौ ज्ञानगुणान्विरूपान् । तथेन्द्रियाण्याविशते शरीरी; हुताशनं वायुरिवेन्धनस्थम् ॥
English Translation
There is Rajas, there is Tamas, and there is Satva the third. There arc again three conditions of the understanding, viz., waking, dreaming, and sound sleep. The Soul perceives the pleasures and pains, which are all contradictory, of those states, and which partake of the nature of the three-fold qualities first mentioned. The Soul enters the senses like the wind entering the fire in piece of wood.
न चक्षुषा पश्यति रूपमात्मनो; न पश्यति स्पर्शनमिन्द्रियेन्द्रियम् । न श्रोत्रलिङ्गं श्रवणे निदर्शनं; तथागतं पश्यति तद्विनश्यति ॥
English Translation
One cannot see the forın of the Soul by his eye, nor can the sense of touch, amongst the senses, apprehend it. The Soul, is not, again, perceived by the ear. It may, however, be seen by the help of the Shrutis and the instructions of the wise. As for senses, that particular senses which apprehends it, loses upon such apprehension its existence as a sense.
श्रोत्रादीनि न पश्यन्ति स्वं स्वमात्मानमात्मना । सर्वज्ञः सर्वदर्शी च क्षेत्रज्ञस्तानि पश्यति ॥
English Translation
The senses cannot themselves apprehend their respective forms. The Soul is omniscient. It sees all things. Being omniscient, it is the Soul that sees the senses.
यथा हिमवतः पार्श्वं पृष्ठं चन्द्रमसो यथा । न दृष्टपूर्वं मनुजैर्न च तन्नास्ति तावता ॥
English Translation
Nobody has seen the other side of the Himavat mountains, nor the reverse of the moon's disc. Yet it cannot be said that they do not exist.
तद्वद्भूतेषु भूतात्मा सूक्ष्मो ज्ञानात्मवानसौ । अदृष्टपूर्वश्चक्षुर्भ्यां न चासौ नास्ति तावता ॥
English Translation
Likewise though never apprehended by the senses, yet nobody can say that the Soul, which dwells in all creatures, which is subtile, and which has knowledge for its essence, does not exist.
पश्यन्नपि यथा लक्ष्म जगत्सोमे न विन्दति । एवमस्ति न वेत्येतन्न च तन्न परायणम् ॥
English Translation
People see the world reflected on the inoon's disc in the shape of spots. Though seeing, they do not know that it is the world that is so reflected there. Such is the knowledge of the Soul. That knowledge must come of itself. The Soul depends upon the Soul itself.
रूपवन्तमरूपत्वादुदयास्तमये बुधाः । धिया समनुपश्यन्ति तद्गताः सवितुर्गतिम् ॥
English Translation
Reflecting on the formlessness of visible objects before birth and after destruction, wise men behold by the help of intelligence, the forinlessness of objects that have visible forins. Similarly although the Sun's motion cannot be seen, yet persons, by watching its rising and Setting, conclude that the sun has motion.
तथा बुद्धिप्रदीपेन दूरस्थं सुविपश्चितः । प्रत्यासन्नं निनीषन्ति ज्ञेयं ज्ञानाभिसंहितम् ॥
English Translation
Likewise learned and wise men see the Soul by the help of the lamp of intelligence, though it is at a great distance from them, and seek to merge the fivefold elements, which are near, into Brahma.
न हि खल्वनुपायेन कश्चिदर्थोऽभिसिध्यति । सूत्रजालैर्यथा मत्स्यान्बध्नन्ति जलजीविनः ॥
English Translation
Verily, an object cannot be performed without the application of means. Fishermen catch fish by means of nets made of strings.
मृगैर्मृगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभिर्यथा । गजानां च गजैरेवं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृह्यते ॥
English Translation
Animals are caught by employing animals as the agents. Birds are caught by employing birds as the agents. Elephants are taken by employing elephants. In this way the Soul may be apprehended by the principle of Knowledge.
अहिरेव ह्यहेः पादान्पश्यतीति निदर्शनम् । तद्वन्मूर्तिषु मूर्तिष्ठं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन पश्यति ॥
English Translation
It is heard that only a snake can see a snake's legs. Likewise one sees, through Knowledge, the Soul encased in subtle form and living within the gross body.
नोत्सहन्ते यथा वेत्तुमिन्द्रियैरिन्द्रियाण्यपि । तथैवेह परा बुद्धिः परं बुद्ध्या न पश्यति ॥
English Translation
People cannot, through their senses, know : the senses. Likewisc mere Intelligence at its highest cannot see the Soul which is supreme.
यथा चन्द्रो ह्यमावास्यामलिङ्गत्वान्न दृश्यते । न च नाशोऽस्य भवति तथा विद्धि शरीरिणम् ॥
English Translation
The moon, on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, cannot be seen on account of its form being hidden. It cannot be said, however, that destruction overtakes it. Such is the case with the Soul living in the body.
क्षीणकोशो ह्यमावास्यां चन्द्रमा न प्रकाशते । तद्वन्मूर्तिवियुक्तः सञ्शरीरी नोपलभ्यते ॥
English Translation
On the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, the gross body of the moon is seen. Similarly the Soul, when freed from the body, cannot be apprehended.
यथा कोशान्तरं प्राप्य चन्द्रमा भ्राजते पुनः । तद्वल्लिङ्गान्तरं प्राप्य शरीरी भ्राजते पुनः ॥
English Translation
As gaining another point in the sky, the moon begins to shine once more, similarly the soul, acquiring a new body, begins to manifest itself once more.
जन्मवृद्धिक्षयश्चास्य प्रत्यक्षेणोपलभ्यते । सा तु चन्द्रमसो व्यक्तिर्न तु तस्य शरीरिणः ॥
English Translation
The birth, growth, and disappearance of the moon can all be directly perceived by the eye. These phenomena, however, belong to the gross form of that luminary. The like are not the attributes of the Soul,
उत्पत्तिवृद्धिव्ययतो यथा स इति गृह्यते । चन्द्र एव त्वमावास्यां तथा भवति मूर्तिमान् ॥
English Translation
The moon, when it appears after its disappearance on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, is considered as the same luminary that had become invisible. Similarly despite the changes represented by birth, growth, and age, a person is considered as the same individual without any doubt of his identity.
नाभिसर्पद्विमुञ्चद्वा शशिनं दृश्यते तमः । विसृजंश्चोपसर्पंश्च तद्वत्पश्य शरीरिणम् ॥
English Translation
It is not distinctly seen how Rabu approaches and leaves the moon. Likewise the Soul cannot be seen how it leaves one body and enters another.
यथा चन्द्रार्कसंयुक्तं तमस्तदुपलभ्यते । तद्वच्छरीरसंयुक्तः शरीरीत्युपलभ्यते ॥
English Translation
Rahu becomes visible only when it exists with the sun or the moon. Likewise the Soul is apprehended only when it exists with the body.
यथा चन्द्रार्कनिर्मुक्तः स राहुर्नोपलभ्यते । तद्वच्छरीरनिर्मुक्तः शरीरी नोपलभ्यते ॥
English Translation
Rahu becomes visible only when it exists with the sun or the moon. Likewise the Soul is apprehended only when it exists with the body.
यथा चन्द्रो ह्यमावास्यां नक्षत्रैर्युज्यते गतः । तद्वच्छरीरनिर्मुक्तः फलैर्युज्यति कर्मणः ॥
English Translation
Then again, as the moon, even when it disappears on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, is not left by the constellations and the stars, the Soul also, even though separated from the body, is not deserted by the fruits of the acts it has won in that body.
← Previous (Ch. 1523) Full Table of Contents Next (Ch. 1525) →