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Mahābhārata • Parva 13 (Anuśāsanaparva) • Adhyāya 6

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 6

अनुशासनपर्व • अध्यायः 6

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 6 of the classical Mahābhārata with 50 verses.

Total: 50 Verses • Citations: MBh 13.6.1–50 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 1 of 2 (Verses 30 shown)
पितामह महाप्राज्ञ सर्वशास्त्रविशारद । दैवे पुरुषकारे च किं स्विच्छ्रेष्ठतरं भवेत् ॥
English Translation
Yudhishthira said Of Exertion and Destiny, tell me O learned sire who are versed in all the scriptures, which is the more potent?
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । वसिष्ठस्य च संवादं ब्रह्मणश्च युधिष्ठिर ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said “Regarding it, this ancient legend, the story of Vasava and the great Shuka, is cited as an illustration.
दैवमानुषयोः किं स्वित्कर्मणोः श्रेष्ठमित्युत । पुरा वसिष्ठो भगवान्पितामहमपृच्छत ॥
English Translation
In days of yore the worshipful Vasishta enquired of Brahman as to which among these two, viz., the Karma of a creature acquired in this life, or that acquired in pristine lives (and called Destiny), is the more powerful in shaping his life.
ततः पद्मोद्भवो राजन्देवदेवः पितामहः । उवाच मधुरं वाक्यमर्थवद्धेतुभूषितम् ॥
English Translation
Then, O king, the great god Brahman, who had originated from the primeval lotus. answered him in these sweet and wellreasoned pregnant words.
नाबीजं जायते किंचिन्न बीजेन विना फलम् । बीजाद्बीजं प्रभवति बीजादेव फलं स्मृतम् ॥
English Translation
Brahmana said Nothing springs into existence without seed. Without seed, fruits do not grow. From seeds originate other seeds. Hence are fruits known to be sprung from seeds.
यादृशं वपते बीजं क्षेत्रमासाद्य कर्षकः । सुकृते दुष्कृते वापि तादृशं लभते फलम् ॥
English Translation
According to the good or bad seed that the husbandman sows in his field, he reaps good or bad fruits.
यथा बीजं विना क्षेत्रमुप्तं भवति निष्फलम् । तथा पुरुषकारेण विना दैवं न सिध्यति ॥
English Translation
As, unsown with seed, the soil, through tilled, becomes fruitless, so, without personal Exertion, Destiny is of no use.
क्षेत्रं पुरुषकारस्तु दैवं बीजमुदाहृतम् । क्षेत्रबीजसमायोगात्ततः सस्यं समृध्यते ॥
English Translation
One's own deeds are like the soil, and Destiny is compared to the seed. The harvest grows from the union of the soil and seed.
कर्मणः फलनिर्वृत्तिं स्वयमश्नाति कारकः । प्रत्यक्षं दृश्यते लोके कृतस्याप्यकृतस्य च ॥
English Translation
It is seen every day in the world that the doer reaps the fruit of his good and evil acts; that happiness results from goods deeds, and pain is the outcome of evil ones; that acts, when done, always fructify; and that, if not done, no fruit arises.
शुभेन कर्मणा सौख्यं दुःखं पापेन कर्मणा । कृतं सर्वत्र लभते नाकृतं भुज्यते क्वचित् ॥
English Translation
It is seen every day in the world that the doer reaps the fruit of his good and evil acts; that happiness results from goods deeds, and pain is the outcome of evil ones; that acts, when done, always fructify; and that, if not done, no fruit arises.
कृती सर्वत्र लभते प्रतिष्ठां भाग्यविक्षतः । अकृती लभते भ्रष्टः क्षते क्षारावसेचनम् ॥
English Translation
A man of (good) act gains merits with good fortune, while and idler loses his estate, and reaps evil like the infusion of alkaline matter injected into a wound.
तपसा रूपसौभाग्यं रत्नानि विविधानि च । प्राप्यते कर्मणा सर्वं न दैवादकृतात्मना ॥
English Translation
By firm application, one acquires beauty, fortune, and all sorts of riches. Everything can be obtained by Exertion: but nothing can be gained through Destiny only, by a man who lacks personal Exertion.
तथा स्वर्गश्च भोगश्च निष्ठा या च मनीषिता । सर्वं पुरुषकारेण कृतेनेहोपपद्यते ॥
English Translation
One attains to heaven, and all the object of enjoyment, as also the fulfilment of his heart's desires, by wellapplied personal Exertion.
ज्योतींषि त्रिदशा नागा यक्षाश्चन्द्रार्कमारुताः । सर्वे पुरुषकारेण मानुष्याद्देवतां गताः ॥
English Translation
All the luminaries in the sky, all the gods, the Nagas, and the Rakshasas, as also the Sun and the Moon and the Winds, have acquired their high status by evolution from man's status, by dint of their own action.
अर्थो वा मित्रवर्गो वा ऐश्वर्यं वा कुलान्वितम् । श्रीश्चापि दुर्लभा भोक्तुं तथैवाकृतकर्मभिः ॥
English Translation
Riches, friends, prosperity coming down from generatica to generation, as also the sweets of life, are difficult of attainment by those who want Exertion.
शौचेन लभते विप्रः क्षत्रियो विक्रमेण च । वैश्यः पुरुषकारेण शूद्रः शुश्रूषया श्रियम् ॥
English Translation
The Brahmana acquires prosperity by holy living, the Kshatriya by prowess, the Vaishya by manly exertion, and the Shudra by service.
नादातारं भजन्त्यर्था न क्लीबं नापि निष्क्रियम् । नाकर्मशीलं नाशूरं तथा नैवातपस्विनम् ॥
English Translation
The stingy, the impotent, or the idler do not acquire riches and other objects of enjoyment. Nor are these ever acquired by the man who is not active or inanly or devoted to the exercise of religious austerities.
येन लोकास्त्रयः सृष्टा दैत्याः सर्वाश्च देवताः । स एष भगवान्विष्णुः समुद्रे तप्यते तपः ॥
English Translation
Even he, the worshipful Vishnu, who created the three worlds with the Daityas and all the gods, even He is engaged in austere penances in the heart of the deep.
स्वं चेत्कर्मफलं न स्यात्सर्वमेवाफलं भवेत् । लोको दैवं समालम्ब्य उदासीनो भवेन्न तु ॥
English Translation
If one's Karma bore no fruit, then all actions would become fruitless and depending on desting men should become idlers.
अकृत्वा मानुषं कर्म यो दैवमनुवर्तते । वृथा श्राम्यति संप्राप्य पतिं क्लीबमिवाङ्गना ॥
English Translation
He who, without following the human modes of action follows Destiny only, acts in vain, like the woman who has an impotent husband.
न तथा मानुषे लोके भयमस्ति शुभाशुभे । यथा त्रिदशलोके हि भयमल्पेन जायते ॥
English Translation
The apprehension of good or evil in this world is not Destiny be unfavourable as his apprehension of the same in the other world if Exertion be wanting while here. SO great if
कृतः पुरुषकारस्तु दैवमेवानुवर्तते । न दैवमकृते किंचित्कस्यचिद्दातुमर्हति ॥
English Translation
Man's powers, if properly applied only follow his Destiny, but Destiny alone cannot produce any good where Exertion is wanting.
यदा स्थानान्यनित्यानि दृश्यन्ते दैवतेष्वपि । कथं कर्म विना दैवं स्थास्यते स्थापयिष्यति ॥
English Translation
When it is seen that even in the celestial regions, the position of the gods themselves is unstable, how would the gods maintain their own position or that of other of others without proper Karma.
न दैवतानि लोकेऽस्मिन्व्यापारं यान्ति कस्यचित् । व्यासङ्गं जनयन्त्युग्रमात्माभिभवशङ्कया ॥
English Translation
The gods do not always approve of the good actions of others in this world, for, fearing their own defeat, they try to thwart the acts of others.
ऋषीणां देवतानां च सदा भवति विग्रहः । कस्य वाचा ह्यदैवं स्याद्यतो दैवं प्रवर्तते ॥
English Translation
There is a constant rivalry between the gods and the Rishis, and if they all have to go through their Karma, still it can never be said that there is no such thing as Destiny, for it is the latter that introduces all Karma.
कथं चास्य समुत्पत्तिर्यथा दैवं प्रवर्तते । एवं त्रिदशलोकेऽपि प्राप्यन्ते बहवश्छलाः ॥
English Translation
How does Karma originate, if Destiny is the principal motive power of human action? By this means, many virtues are accumulated in the celesiial regions.
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः । आत्मैव चात्मनः साक्षी कृतस्याप्यकृतस्य च ॥
English Translation
One's own self is his friend and his enemy too, as also the witness of one's good and evil deeds.
कृतं च विकृतं किंचित्कृते कर्मणि सिध्यति । सुकृते दुष्कृतं कर्म न यथार्थं प्रपद्यते ॥
English Translation
Good and evil appear through Karma. Good and evil acts do not produce sufficient results.
देवानां शरणं पुण्यं सर्वं पुण्यैरवाप्यते । पुण्यशीलं नरं प्राप्य किं दैवं प्रकरिष्यति ॥
English Translation
Virtue is the refuge of the gods, and by virtue everything is acquired. Destiny thwarts not the man who has acquired virtue and righteousness.
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