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Mahābhārata • Parva 12 (Śāntiparva) • Adhyāya 224

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 224

शान्तिपर्व • अध्यायः 224

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 224 of the classical Mahābhārata with 76 verses.

Total: 76 Verses • Citations: MBh 12.224.1–76 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 1 of 3 (Verses 30 shown)
आद्यन्तं सर्वभूतानां श्रोतुमिच्छामि कौरव । ध्यानं कर्म च कालं च तथैवायुर्युगे युगे ॥
English Translation
I wish, O Kuru hero, to know what origin and what the end is of all creatures; what the nature of their meditation is and what their acts; what the divisions of time are, and what is the spare of human existence in the respective cycles.
लोकतत्त्वं च कार्त्स्न्येन भूतानामागतिं गतिम् । सर्गश्च निधनं चैव कुत एतत्प्रवर्तते ॥
English Translation
I wish also to know fully the truth about the genesis and the conduct of the world; the you. coming of creatures into the world and their exit. Indeed; whence their creation and destruction?
यदि तेऽनुग्रहे बुद्धिरस्मास्विह सतां वर । एतद्भवन्तं पृच्छामि तद्भवान्प्रब्रवीतु मे ॥
English Translation
O best of virtuous persons, if you wish to favour us, do tell this about which I ask
पूर्वं हि कथितं श्रुत्वा भृगुभाषितमुत्तमम् । भरद्वाजस्य विप्रर्षेस्ततो मे बुद्धिरुत्तमा ॥
English Translation
Having heard before this the excellent discourse of Bhrigu to the twice-born sage Bharadvaja, which you did recite, my understanding, shorn of ignorance, has become greatly attached to yoga, and withdrawn from worldly objects rests upon heavenly purity. I ask you about the subject, therefore, once more. You should describe it to me fully.
जाता परमधर्मिष्ठा दिव्यसंस्थानसंस्थिता । ततो भूयस्तु पृच्छामि तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥
English Translation
Having heard before this the excellent discourse of Bhrigu to the twice-born sage Bharadvaja, which you did recite, my understanding, shorn of ignorance, has become greatly attached to yoga, and withdrawn from worldly objects rests upon heavenly purity. I ask you about the subject, therefore, once more. You should describe it to me fully.
अत्र ते वर्तयिष्येऽहमितिहासं पुरातनम् । जगौ यद्भगवान्व्यासः पुत्राय परिपृच्छते ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said Regarding it I shall recite to you an old narrative of what the divine Vyasa said to his son Shuka when the latter had asked the former.
अधीत्य वेदानखिलान्साङ्गोपनिषदस्तथा । अन्विच्छन्नैष्ठिकं कर्म धर्मनैपुणदर्शनात् ॥
English Translation
Having studied the measureless Vedas with all their branches and the Upanishads, and desirous of leading a life of celibacy on account of his having acquired excellence of religious merit, Shuka put these very questions, about which his doubts had not been removed, to his father Dvipayana, who had removed (by study and contemplation) all doubt regarding true duties.
कृष्णद्वैपायनं व्यासं पुत्रो वैयासकिः शुकः । पप्रच्छ संदेहमिमं छिन्नधर्मार्थसंशयम् ॥
English Translation
Having studied the measureless Vedas with all their branches and the Upanishads, and desirous of leading a life of celibacy on account of his having acquired excellence of religious merit, Shuka put these very questions, about which his doubts had not been removed, to his father Dvipayana, who had removed (by study and contemplation) all doubt regarding true duties.
भूतग्रामस्य कर्तारं कालज्ञाने च निश्चयम् । ब्राह्मणस्य च यत्कृत्यं तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥
English Translation
Shuka said You should tell me who the Creator is of all beings, as fixed by a knowledge of time, and what the duties are of a Brahmana!
तस्मै प्रोवाच तत्सर्वं पिता पुत्राय पृच्छते । अतीतानागते विद्वान्सर्वज्ञः सर्वधर्मवित् ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said The father, having a knowledge of both the past and the future, conversant with all duties and gifted with omniscience, thus described the subject to his son, who had questioned him.
अनाद्यन्तमजं दिव्यमजरं ध्रुवमव्ययम् । अप्रतर्क्यमविज्ञेयं ब्रह्माग्रे समवर्तत ॥
English Translation
Vyasa said Only Brahma, who is without beginning without end, unborn, effulgent, above decay, immutable, indestructible, inconceivable and transcending knowledge, exists before the Creation.
काष्ठा निमेषा दश पञ्च चैव; त्रिंशत्तु काष्ठा गणयेत्कलां ताम् । त्रिंशत्कलाश्चापि भवेन्मुहूर्तो; भागः कलाया दशमश्च यः स्यात् ॥
त्रिंशन्मुहूर्तश्च भवेदहश्च; रात्रिश्च संख्या मुनिभिः प्रणीता । मासः स्मृतो रात्र्यहनी च त्रिंश;त्संवत्सरो द्वादशमास उक्तः । संवत्सरं द्वे अयने वदन्ति; संख्याविदो दक्षिणमुत्तरं च ॥
अहोरात्रे विभजते सूर्यो मानुषलौकिके । रात्रिः स्वप्नाय भूतानां चेष्टायै कर्मणामहः ॥
English Translation
The sun makes the day and the night for men. The night is for the sleep of all living creatures, and the day is for work.
पित्र्ये रात्र्यहनी मासः प्रविभागस्तयोः पुनः । कृष्णोऽहः कर्मचेष्टायां शुक्लः स्वप्नाय शर्वरी ॥
English Translation
A month of human beings is equal to a day and night of the departed manes. That division consists in this: the light half of the month is their day which is for work; and the dark fortnight is their night for sleep.
दैवे रात्र्यहनी वर्षं प्रविभागस्तयोः पुनः । अहस्तत्रोदगयनं रात्रिः स्याद्दक्षिणायनम् ॥
English Translation
A year (of men) is equal to a day and night to the gods. This division consists in this: the half year for which the sun travels from the vernal to the autumnal equinox is the day of the gods, and the half year for which the sun moves from the latter to the former is their night.
ये ते रात्र्यहनी पूर्वे कीर्तिते दैवलौकिके । तयोः संख्याय वर्षाग्रं ब्राह्मे वक्ष्याम्यहःक्षपे ॥
English Translation
Calculating by the days and nights of human beings about which I have told you, I shall speak of the day and night of Brahman and his years also.
तेषां संवत्सराग्राणि प्रवक्ष्याम्यनुपूर्वशः । कृते त्रेतायुगे चैव द्वापरे च कलौ तथा ॥
English Translation
I shall, in their order, tell you the number of years, that are for different purposes calculated differently, in the Krita, the Treta, the Dvapara, and the Kali Yugas.
चत्वार्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्कृतं युगम् । तस्य तावच्छती संध्या संध्यांशश्च तथाविधः ॥
English Translation
Four thousand celestial years is the duration of the first or Krita age. The morning of that cycle consists of four hundred years and its evening is of four hundred years.
इतरेषु ससंध्येषु ससंध्यांशेषु च त्रिषु । एकापायेन संयान्ति सहस्राणि शतानि च ॥
English Translation
Regarding the other cycles, the duration of each gradually decreases by a quarter in respect of both the principal period with the minor portion and the conjoining portion itself.
एतानि शाश्वताँल्लोकान्धारयन्ति सनातनान् । एतद्ब्रह्मविदां तात विदितं ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् ॥
English Translation
These periods always keep up the neverending and eternal worlds. They who know Brahma, O child, regard this as Immutable Brahma.
चतुष्पात्सकलो धर्मः सत्यं चैव कृते युगे । नाधर्मेणागमः कश्चित्परस्तस्य प्रवर्तते ॥
English Translation
In the Krita age all the duties exist in full, along with Truth. Men of that age never acquired knowledge or object through unrighteous or forbidden means.
इतरेष्वागमाद्धर्मः पादशस्त्ववरोप्यते । चौरिकानृतमायाभिरधर्मश्चोपचीयते ॥
English Translation
In the other cycles duty, as laid down in the Vedas, is seen to gradually decline by a quarter in each. Sinfulness multiplies by theft, untruth, and deception.
अरोगाः सर्वसिद्धार्थाश्चतुर्वर्षशतायुषः । कृते त्रेतादिष्वेतेषां पादशो ह्रसते वयः ॥
English Translation
In the Krita age, all persons are free from disease and achieve their objects, and all live for four hundred years. In the Treta, the period of life decreases by a quarter.
वेदवादाश्चानुयुगं ह्रसन्तीति च नः श्रुतम् । आयूंषि चाशिषश्चैव वेदस्यैव च यत्फलम् ॥
English Translation
We have heard that, in the succeeding Yugas, the words of the Vedas, the periods of life, the blessings and the fruits of Vedic rites, all decrease gradually.
अन्ये कृतयुगे धर्मास्त्रेतायां द्वापरेऽपरे । अन्ये कलियुगे धर्मा यथाशक्तिकृता इव ॥
English Translation
The duties set down for the Krita Yuga are of one kind. Those for the Treta are otherwise. Those for the Dwapara are different. And those for the Kali are otherwise. This is in accordance with the decline which marks every succeeding cycle.
तपः परं कृतयुगे त्रेतायां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् । द्वापरे यज्ञमेवाहुर्दानमेव कलौ युगे ॥
English Translation
In the Krita, Penance is the foremost. In the Treta, Knowledge is foremost. In Dvapara, Sacrifice has been said to be the foremost. In the Kali Yuga, only gift is sanctioned.
एतां द्वादशसाहस्रीं युगाख्यां कवयो विदुः । सहस्रं परिवृत्तं तद्ब्राह्मं दिवसमुच्यते ॥
English Translation
The learned say that these twelve thousand celestial years from what is celled a cycle. A thousand such cycles form a single day of Brahman.
रात्रिस्तावत्तिथी ब्राह्मी तदादौ विश्वमीश्वरः । प्रलयेऽध्यात्ममाविश्य सुप्त्वा सोऽन्ते विबुध्यते ॥
English Translation
The same is the duration of Brahman's night. With the beginning of Brahman's day the universe begins to come into being. During the period of universal dissolution the Creator sleeps, in Yoga-meditation. When the period of sleep expires, He awakes.
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