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Mahābhārata • Parva 12 (Śāntiparva) • Adhyāya 327

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 327

शान्तिपर्व • अध्यायः 327

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 327 of the classical Mahābhārata with 108 verses.

Total: 108 Verses • Citations: MBh 12.327.1–108 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 1 of 4 (Verses 30 shown)
कथं स भगवान्देवो यज्ञेष्वग्रहरः प्रभुः । यज्ञधारी च सततं वेदवेदाङ्गवित्तथा ॥
English Translation
Saunaka said is that illustrious god, viz., the powerful Narayana, who is a master of the Vedas and their branches, at once the doer and the enjoyer of sacrifices?
निवृत्तं चास्थितो धर्मं क्षेमी भागवतप्रियः । प्रवृत्तिधर्मान्विदधे स एव भगवान्प्रभुः ॥
English Translation
Endued with forgiveness, he has adopted, again, the Religion of Renunciation. Indeed, it is that holy and powerful one who has himself laid down the duties of Renunciation.
कथं प्रवृत्तिधर्मेषु भागार्हा देवताः कृताः । कथं निवृत्तिधर्माश्च कृता व्यावृत्तबुद्धयः ॥
English Translation
Why then has he made many of the gods the takers of shares in sacrifices which, of course, are all due to the Religion of Action. Why has he again created some with an opposite disposition, for they follow the ordinances of the Religion of Renunciation.
एतं नः संशयं विप्र छिन्धि गुह्यं सनातनम् । त्वया नारायणकथा श्रुता वै धर्मसंहिता ॥
English Translation
Do you, O Suta, remove this doubt of ours. This doubt seems to be eternal and is filled with great mystery. You have heard all discourses on Narayana, which are consistent with the (other) scriptures.
इमे सब्रह्मका लोकाः ससुरासुरमानवाः । क्रियास्वभ्युदयोक्तासु सक्ता दृश्यन्ति सर्वशः । मोक्षश्चोक्तस्त्वया ब्रह्मन्निर्वाणं परमं सुखम् ॥
English Translation
The whole world of Being, with Brahman, the gods, the Asuras, and human beings are seen to be deeply attached to acts which yield prosperity.
ये च मुक्ता भवन्तीह पुण्यपापविवर्जिताः । ते सहस्रार्चिषं देवं प्रविशन्तीति शुश्रुमः ॥
English Translation
Liberation has, O twice-born one, been described by you to be the highest happiness and to consist of the cessation of existence. They who being shorn of both merit and demerit, become liberated, succeed, we hear, in entering the great God of a thousand rays.
अहो हि दुरनुष्ठेयो मोक्षधर्मः सनातनः । यं हित्वा देवताः सर्वा हव्यकव्यभुजोऽभवन् ॥
English Translation
It seems to be, O Brahmana, that the eternal religion of Liberation is highly difficult of observance. Turning away from it, all the gods have become enjoyers of the libations of clarified butter poured with Mantras on sacrificial fires and other offerings presented to them by similar means.
किं नु ब्रह्मा च रुद्रश्च शक्रश्च बलभित्प्रभुः । सूर्यस्ताराधिपो वायुरग्निर्वरुण एव च । आकाशं जगती चैव ये च शेषा दिवौकसः ॥
English Translation
Then, again, Brahman, and Rudra, the powerful Sakra the killer of Vala, the Sun, the Lord of the stars, the Wind-god, the god of fire, the god of the Waters, Infinite Space, the Universe too and the rest of the dwellers of heaven,-these, it seems do not know the way of securing an annihilation of conscious existence that is encompassed by one's own efforts.
प्रलयं न विजानन्ति आत्मनः परिनिर्मितम् । ततस्ते नास्थिता मार्गं ध्रुवमक्षयमव्ययम् ॥
स्मृत्वा कालपरीमाणं प्रवृत्तिं ये समास्थिताः । दोषः कालपरीमाणे महानेष क्रियावताम् ॥
English Translation
Hence, perhaps, they have not followed the path which is certain, indestructible, and immutable. Hence, perhaps turning away from that path, they have adopted the Religion of Action which leads to conscious existence that is measured by time.
एतन्मे संशयं विप्र हृदि शल्यमिवार्पितम् । छिन्धीतिहासकथनात्परं कौतूहलं हि मे ॥
English Translation
This, indeed, is one great defeat of those who are wedded to acts, for all their rewards are for the time being. This doubt, O twiceborn one, exists in my heart like a dagger! Tear it out by recounting to me some discourses of old on this subject. Great is my curiosity to listen to you.
कथं भागहराः प्रोक्ता देवताः क्रतुषु द्विज । किमर्थं चाध्वरे ब्रह्मन्निज्यन्ते त्रिदिवौकसः ॥
English Translation
Why, O twice-born one, have the gods been said to be takers of their respective shares of sacrificial offerings presented to them with the help of Mantras in sacrifices of various kinds? Why, again, are the dwellers of heaven worshipped in sacrifices?
ये च भागं प्रगृह्णन्ति यज्ञेषु द्विजसत्तम । ते यजन्तो महायज्ञैः कस्य भागं ददन्ति वै ॥
English Translation
And, O best of twice-born ones to whom do they, who partake of offerings in sacrifices performed to their honour, themselves make offerings when they perform great sacrifices?
अहो गूढतमः प्रश्नस्त्वया पृष्टो जनेश्वर । नातप्ततपसा ह्येष नावेदविदुषा तथा । नापुराणविदा चापि शक्यो व्याहर्तुमञ्जसा ॥
English Translation
The question you have put to me, O king, relates to a deed mystery. No man can quickly answer it who has not practised penances, and who is not acquainted with the Puranas.
हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि यन्मे पृष्टः पुरा गुरुः । कृष्णद्वैपायनो व्यासो वेदव्यासो महानृषिः ॥
English Translation
I shall, however, answer you by reciting to you what my preceptor the Island-born Krishna, otherwise called Vyasa, the great Rishi who has divided the Vedas, had said to us on a former occasion when questioned by us.
सुमन्तुर्जैमिनिश्चैव पैलश्च सुदृढव्रतः । अहं चतुर्थः शिष्यो वै पञ्चमश्च शुकः स्मृतः ॥
English Translation
Sumanta, and Jaimini, and Paila of firm vows, and myself as the fourth, and Shuka. as the fifth, were disciples of the illustrious Vyasa.
एतान्समागतान्सर्वान्पञ्च शिष्यान्दमान्वितान् । शौचाचारसमायुक्ताञ्जितक्रोधाञ्जितेन्द्रियान् ॥
English Translation
We, five in all, endued with self-control and purity of observances, had completely mastered anger and controlled our senses. Our preceptor used to teach us the Vedas having the Mahabharata for their fifth.
वेदानध्यापयामास महाभारतपञ्चमान् । मेरौ गिरिवरे रम्ये सिद्धचारणसेविते ॥
तेषामभ्यस्यतां वेदान्कदाचित्संशयोऽभवत् । एष वै यस्त्वया पृष्टस्तेन तेषां प्रकीर्तितः । ततः श्रुतो मया चापि तवाख्येयोऽद्य भारत ॥
English Translation
Once on a time, on the breast of that foremost of mountains, viz., the delightful Meru, inhabited by Siddhas and Charanas while we were engaged in reading the Vedas, this very doubt sprang in our minds, that has been given vent to by you to-day. We, therefore, asked our preceptor about it. It heared the answer that our preceptor made. I shall now recount that answer to you, O Bharata.
शिष्याणां वचनं श्रुत्वा सर्वाज्ञानतमोनुदः । पराशरसुतः श्रीमान्व्यासो वाक्यमुवाच ह ॥
English Translation
Hearing the words that were addressed to him by his disciples, that remover of all sorts of darkness represented by ignorance, viz., the blessed Vyasa the son of Parashara, said these words:मया हि सुमहत् तप्तं तपः परमदारुणम्।
मया हि सुमहत्तप्तं तपः परमदारुणम् । भूतं भव्यं भविष्यच्च जानीयामिति सत्तमाः ॥
English Translation
I have practised the austerest of penances. You best of men, I am fully conversant with the Past, the Present, and the Future.
तस्य मे तप्ततपसो निगृहीतेन्द्रियस्य च । नारायणप्रसादेन क्षीरोदस्यानुकूलतः ॥
English Translation
On account of those penances of mine and of the control under which I kept my senses, while I lived on the shores of the ocean of milk, Narayana became pleased with me. As the result of the great God's gratification, this omniscience about the Past, the Present, and Future that was desired by me, sprang in my inind.
त्रैकालिकमिदं ज्ञानं प्रादुर्भूतं यथेप्सितम् । तच्छृणुध्वं यथाज्ञानं वक्ष्ये संशयमुत्तमम् । यथा वृत्तं हि कल्पादौ दृष्टं मे ज्ञानचक्षुषा ॥
English Translation
Listen now to me as I describe to you, in due order, this great doubt that has perplexed your minds. I have, with the eye of knowledge, seen, all that took place in the beginning of the aeon.
परमात्मेति यं प्राहुः सांख्ययोगविदो जनाः । महापुरुषसंज्ञां स लभते स्वेन कर्मणा ॥
English Translation
He whom both the Sankhyas and the Yogins call by the name of the Supreme Soul, comes to be regarded as the foremost Purusha on account of his own deeds. From Him originate Prakriti that is called the unmanifest or Pradhana by the learned.
तस्मात्प्रसूतमव्यक्तं प्रधानं तद्विदुर्बुधाः । अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तमुत्पन्नं लोकसृष्ट्यर्थमीश्वरात् ॥
अनिरुद्धो हि लोकेषु महानात्मेति कथ्यते । योऽसौ व्यक्तत्वमापन्नो निर्ममे च पितामहम् । सोऽहंकार इति प्रोक्तः सर्वतेजोमयो हि सः ॥
English Translation
It is that Aniruddha who, becoming manifest, created the Grandfather Brahman. Aniruddha is known by another name, viz., consciousness, and is gifted with every sort of energy.
पृथिवी वायुराकाशमापो ज्योतिश्च पञ्चमम् । अहंकारप्रसूतानि महाभूतानि भारत ॥
English Translation
Earth, Wind, Ether, Water, and Fire numbering the fifth—these are the five Great Creatures that have originated from Consciousness.
महाभूतानि सृष्ट्वाथ तद्गुणान्निर्ममे पुनः । भूतेभ्यश्चैव निष्पन्ना मूर्तिमन्तोऽष्ट ताञ्शृणु ॥
English Translation
Having created the Great Creatures he then created their qualities. Combining the Great Creatures, he then created various embodied Beings. Hear me as I describe them to you.
मरीचिरङ्गिराश्चात्रिः पुलस्त्यः पुलहः क्रतुः । वसिष्ठश्च महात्मा वै मनुः स्वायंभुवस्तथा । ज्ञेयाः प्रकृतयोऽष्टौ ता यासु लोकाः प्रतिष्ठिताः ॥
English Translation
Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, the great Vashistha, and the Self-created Manu,-these should be known as the eight elements. Upon these depend all the worlds.
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