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Mahābhārata • Parva 12 (Śāntiparva) • Adhyāya 306

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 306

शान्तिपर्व • अध्यायः 306

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 306 of the classical Mahābhārata with 109 verses.

Total: 109 Verses • Citations: MBh 12.306.1–109 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 2 of 4 (Verses 30 shown)
अथोक्तश्च मया राजन्राजा गन्धर्वसत्तमः । पृष्टवाननुपूर्वेण प्रश्नमुत्तममर्थवत् ॥
English Translation
After king Vishvavasu, that foremost of Gandharvas, had asked me these questions one after another, I answered them duly.
मुहूर्तं मृष्यतां तावद्यावदेनं विचिन्तये । बाढमित्येव कृत्वा स तूष्णीं गन्धर्व आस्थितः ॥
English Translation
At first, however, I told him,-Wait for a short time, till I reflect on your questions!—the Gandharva agreed to it, and sat in silence.
ततोऽन्वचिन्तयमहं भूयो देवीं सरस्वतीम् । मनसा स च मे प्रश्नो दध्नो घृतमिवोद्धृतम् ॥
English Translation
I then thought once again of the goddess Sarasvati in my mind. The replies then to those questions naturally originated in my mind like butter from curds.
तत्रोपनिषदं चैव परिशेषं च पार्थिव । मथ्नामि मनसा तात दृष्ट्वा चान्वीक्षिकीं पराम् ॥
English Translation
Keeping in view the high science of inferential ratioscination, I churned with my mind, O Monarch, the Upanishads and the supplementary works relating to the Vedas.
चतुर्थी राजशार्दूल विद्यैषा सांपरायिकी । उदीरिता मया तुभ्यं पञ्चविंशेऽधि धिष्ठिता ॥
English Translation
I then expounded to him the fourth science that deals with Liberation, O foremost of kings, and on which I have already discoursed to thee, and which is based upon the twenty-fifth, viz., Individual Soul.
अथोक्तस्तु मया राजन्राजा विश्वावसुस्तदा । श्रूयतां यद्भवानस्मान्प्रश्नं संपृष्टवानिह ॥
English Translation
Having said all this, O king, to king Vishvavasu, I then addressed him, saying, Listen now to the answers that I give to your several questions.
विश्वाविश्वेति यदिदं गन्धर्वेन्द्रानुपृच्छसि । विश्वाव्यक्तं परं विद्याद्भूतभव्यभयंकरम् ॥
English Translation
I now dealt with the question which, O Gandharva, you ask, viz.,-what is Universe and what is Not-universe?—The Universe is Unmanifest and original Nature endued with the principles of birth and death which are terrible.
त्रिगुणं गुणकर्तृत्वादविश्वो निष्कलस्तथा । अश्वस्तथैव मिथुनमेवमेवानुदृश्यते ॥
अव्यक्तं प्रकृतिं प्राहुः पुरुषेति च निर्गुणम् । तथैव मित्रं पुरुषं वरुणं प्रकृतिं तथा ॥
English Translation
It is, besides, possessed of the three qualities on account of its producing principles all of which are fraught with those attributes. That which is Not-universe is Purusha shorn of all attributes. By Ashva and Ashva are meant the female and the male. Similarly, Mitra is Soul, the Varuna is Nature.
ज्ञानं तु प्रकृतिं प्राहुर्ज्ञेयं निष्कलमेव च । अज्ञश्च ज्ञश्च पुरुषस्तस्मान्निष्कल उच्यते ॥
English Translation
Knowledge, again, is said to be Nature, while the object to be know is called Soul. The Ignorant and the Knowing or Intelligent and both Soul without attributes.
कस्तपा अतपाः प्रोक्तः कोऽसौ पुरुष उच्यते । तपाः प्रकृतिरित्याहुरतपा निष्कलः स्मृतः ॥
English Translation
You have asked what is Kah, who is endued with change, and who is unendued therewith. I answer, Kah is Soul. That which is endued with change is Nature. He who is not endued therewith is Soul.
तथैवावेद्यमव्यक्तं वेद्यः पुरुष उच्यते । चलाचलमिति प्रोक्तं त्वया तदपि मे शृणु ॥
English Translation
Likewise is called the unknowable is Nature; and that which is called Knowable is Soul.
चलां तु प्रकृतिं प्राहुः कारणं क्षेपसर्गयोः । अक्षेपसर्गयोःकर्ता निश्चलः पुरुषः स्मृतः ॥
English Translation
You have asked me about the Mobile and the Immobile. Hear my answer That which is mobile is Nature, which, undergoing changes, forms the cause of Creation and Destruction, The Immobile is Soul, for without himself undergoing changes he assists at Creation and Destruction.
अजावुभावप्रजौ च अक्षयौ चाप्युभावपि । अजौ नित्यावुभौ प्राहुरध्यात्मगतिनिश्चयाः ॥
English Translation
What is Knowable is Nature; while what is Unknowable is Soul. Both Nature and Soul are said to be unintelligent, stable, indestructible, unborn and eternal, according to the decision of the philosophers who know the spiritual science.
अक्षयत्वात्प्रजनने अजमत्राहुरव्ययम् । अक्षयं पुरुषं प्राहुः क्षयो ह्यस्य न विद्यते ॥
English Translation
On account of the indestructibility of Nature in the matter of Creation, Prakriti, which is unborn, is considered as not subject to decay destruction. Soul, again, is indestructible and unchangeable.
गुणक्षयत्वात्प्रकृतिः कर्तृत्वादक्षयं बुधाः । एषा तेऽऽन्वीक्षिकी विद्या चतुर्थी सांपरायिकी ॥
English Translation
The qualities of Nature are destructible, but not Nature herself. The learned, therefore, call Nature indestructible. By undergoing changes Nature works as the cause of Creation. The results appear and disappear, but not original Nature. Hence also is Nature called indestructible. Thus have I told you the conclusions of the fourth Science based on the principles of inference and having Liberation for its end.
विद्योपेतं धनं कृत्वा कर्मणा नित्यकर्मणि । एकान्तदर्शना वेदाः सर्वे विश्वावसो स्मृताः ॥
English Translation
Having acquired by the science of inference and by serving preceptors, the Richs, the Samans, and the Yajushes, all the or obligatory rites should be observed and all the Vedas read with reverence, O Vishvavasu,
जायन्ते च म्रियन्ते च यस्मिन्नेते यतश्च्युताः । वेदार्थं ये न जानन्ति वेद्यं गन्धर्वसत्तम ॥
English Translation
O foremost of Gandharvas, they who study the Vedas with all their branches from which all things originate and into which all things merge when destruction sets in, and which is the one object whose knowledge the Vedas seek to preach,-indeed, they who have no acquaintance with what the Vedas seek to establish,-study the Vedas uselessly and carry their burthen of such study in vain.
साङ्गोपाङ्गानपि यदि पञ्च वेदानधीयते । वेदवेद्यं न जानीते वेदभारवहो हि सः ॥
यो घृतार्थी खरीक्षीरं मथेद्गन्धर्वसत्तम । विष्ठां तत्रानुपश्येत न मण्डं नापि वा घृतम् ॥
English Translation
If a person seeking butter churns the milk of the she-ass, without finding what he seeks he simply finds a substance of foul smell like ordure.
तथा वेद्यमवेद्यं च वेदविद्यो न विन्दति । स केवलं मूढमतिर्ज्ञानभारवहः स्मृतः ॥
English Translation
Similarly if one, having read the Vedas, fails to know what is Nature and what is Soul, one only proves his own foolishness of understanding and carries a useless load.
द्रष्टव्यौ नित्यमेवैतौ तत्परेणान्तरात्मना । यथास्य जन्मनिधने न भवेतां पुनः पुनः ॥
English Translation
One should, with devoted attention, think on both Nature and Soul, so that he may avoid repeated birth and death.
अजस्रं जन्मनिधनं चिन्तयित्वा त्रयीमिमाम् । परित्यज्य क्षयमिह अक्षयं धर्ममास्थितः ॥
English Translation
Thinking upon the incident of one's repeated births and deaths and avoiding the religion of acts which merely yield destructible results, one should follow the eternal religion of Yoga.
यदा तु पश्यतेऽत्यन्तमहन्यहनि काश्यप । तदा स केवलीभूतः षड्विंशमनुपश्यति ॥
English Translation
O Kashyapa, if one continuously reflects on the nature of the Individual Soul and its connection with the Supreme Soul, he then succeeds in divesting him of all attributes and in seeing the Supreme Soul.
अन्यश्च शश्वदव्यक्तस्तथान्यः पञ्चविंशकः । तस्य द्वावनुपश्येत तमेकमिति साधवः ॥
English Translation
The Eternal and Unmanifest Supreme Soul is considered by men of foolish understandings as distinct from the Individual Soul. They are really wise who see both these as truly one and the same.
तेनैतन्नाभिजानन्ति पञ्चविंशकमच्युतम् । जन्ममृत्युभयाद्योगाः सांख्याश्च परमैषिणः ॥
English Translation
Frightened at repeated births and deaths, the Sankhyas and Yogins consider the Individual Soul and the Supreme Soul to be one and the same.
पञ्चविंशं यदेतत्ते प्रोक्तं ब्राह्मणसत्तम । तथा तन्न तथा वेति तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥
English Translation
Vishvavasu then said You have, O foremost of Brahmanas, said that Individual Soul is indestructible and truly undistinguished from the Supreme Soul. This, however, is difficult to understand. You should once more explain this subject to me.
जैगीषव्यस्यासितस्य देवलस्य च मे श्रुतम् । पराशरस्य विप्रर्षेर्वार्षगण्यस्य धीमतः ॥
भिक्षोः पञ्चशिखस्याथ कपिलस्य शुकस्य च । गौतमस्यार्ष्टिषेणस्य गर्गस्य च महात्मनः ॥
नारदस्यासुरेश्चैव पुलस्त्यस्य च धीमतः । सनत्कुमारस्य ततः शुक्रस्य च महात्मनः ॥
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