11.005
Pancharatra and Core: Vidura's allegory on the profound depths of worldly existence.
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca॥
Dhritarashtra said:
yad idaṃ dharma-gahanaṃ buddhyā samanugamyate। etad vistaraśaḥ sarvaṃ buddhi-mārgaṃ praśaṃsa me ॥11-5-1॥
Praise to me for the entire path of intellect, by which this profundity of dharma is comprehended in detail.
vidura uvāca॥
Vidura said:
atra te vartayiṣyāmi namaskṛtvā svayambhuve। yathā saṃsāragahanaṃ vadanti paramarṣayaḥ ॥11-5-2॥
Here, having bowed to Svayambhu, I will tell you as the supreme sages describe the profound depths of worldly existence.
kaścin mahati saṃsāre vartamāno dvijaḥ kila। vanaṃ durgam anuprāpto mahat-kravyāda-saṅkulam ॥11-5-3॥
Once, a certain Brahmin living in the vast world entered a dense forest teeming with fierce beasts.
siṃha-vyāghra-gaja-ākāraiḥ ati-ghoraiḥ mahāśanaiḥ। samantāt samparikṣiptam mṛtyoḥ api bhaya-pradam ॥11-5-4॥
It was surrounded on all sides by extremely terrifying, voracious creatures resembling lions, tigers, and elephants, instilling fear even in death itself.
tadasya dṛṣṭvā hṛdayamudvegamagamatparam। abhyucchrayaśca romṇāṃ vai vikriyāśca parantapa ॥11-5-5॥
O scorcher of foes, having seen that, his heart was seized with extreme agitation. Indeed, there was erection of hairs and other changes.
sa tad vanaṃ vy-anusaran vipra-dhāvan itaḥ tataḥ। vīkṣamāṇaḥ diśaḥ sarvāḥ śaraṇam kva bhavet iti॥11-5-6॥
He wandered through that forest, searching everywhere, running here and there, looking in all directions, wondering, 'Where could I find refuge?'
sa teṣāṃ chidram anvicchan pradruto bhaya-pīḍitaḥ। na ca niryāti vai dūraṃ na ca tair viprayujyate ॥11-5-7॥
He, searching for a weakness among them and fleeing in fear, does not actually go far nor does he become separated from them.
athāpaśyad vanaṃ ghoraṃ samantād vāgurā-vṛtam | bāhubhyāṃ sampariṣvaktaṃ striyā parama-ghorayā ||11-5-8||
Then he saw a dreadful forest, surrounded on all sides by nets, and embraced by the arms of a most fearsome woman.
pañca-śīrṣa-dharaiḥ nāgaiḥ śailaiḥ iva samunnataiḥ। nabhaḥ-spṛśaiḥ mahā-vṛkṣaiḥ parikṣiptam mahā-vanam॥11-5-9॥
The great forest was surrounded by enormous trees that reached the sky, towering like mountains, and by five-headed serpents.
vanamadhye ca tatrābhūdudapānaḥ samāvṛtaḥ। vallībhiḥ tṛṇa-channābhir gūḍhābhir abhisaṃvṛtaḥ ॥11-5-10॥
In the middle of the forest, there was a well, completely concealed by creepers and grass, hidden from view.
papāta sa dvijastatra nigūḍhe salilāśaye। vilagnaścābhavattasmiṃllatāsantānasaṅkaṭe ॥11-5-11॥
The bird fell there into the concealed water-bed and became caught in the dense growth of creepers.
panasasya yathā jātaṃ vṛntabaddhaṃ mahāphalam। sa tathā lambate tatra ūrdhvapādo hyadhaḥśirāḥ ॥11-5-12॥
Just as the large jackfruit hangs from its stalk with its feet upwards and head downwards, so too does he hang there.
atha tatrāpi cānyo'sya bhūyo jāta upadravaḥ। kūpavīnāhavelāyām apaśyata mahāgajam ॥11-5-13॥
Then, at that place, yet another trouble arose for him. While drawing water from the well, he saw a huge elephant.
ṣaḍvaktraṃ kṛṣṇaśabalaṃ dviṣaṭkapadacāriṇam। krameṇa parisarpantaṃ vallīvṛkṣasamāvṛtam ॥11-5-14॥
It had six faces, was black-spotted, moved with twelve feet, and crept along in order, surrounded by creepers and trees.
tasya cāpi praśākhāsu vṛkṣaśākhāvalambinaḥ। nānārūpā madhukarā ghorarūpā bhayāvahāḥ ॥ āsate madhu sambhṛtya pūrvameva niketajāḥ ॥11-5-15॥
And on his branches, hanging from the tree branches, bees of various kinds, terrible and frightening in appearance, who are inhabitants there, sit having already collected honey.
bhūyo bhūyaḥ samīhante madhūni bharatarṣabha। svādānīyāni bhūtānāṃ na yairbālo'pi tṛpyate ॥11-5-16॥
O best of the Bharatas, beings repeatedly desire sweets, but even a child is not satisfied by them.
teṣāṃ madhūnāṃ bahudhā dhārā prasravate sadā। tāṃ lambamānaḥ sa pumāndhārāṃ pibati sarvadā ॥ na cāsya tṛṣṇā viratā pibamānasya saṅkaṭe ॥11-5-17॥
Streams of those pleasures flow in many ways at all times. The man, hanging down, always drinks from that stream. Yet, even as he drinks in distress, his thirst never ceases.
abhīpsati ca tāṃ nityam-atṛptaḥ sa punaḥ punaḥ। na cāsya jīvite rājan-nirvedaḥ samajāyata ॥11-5-18॥
He kept desiring her constantly, never satisfied, again and again; and, O king, he never felt any disgust in his life.
tatraiva ca manuṣyasya jīvitāśā pratiṣṭhitā। kṛṣṇāḥ śvetāś ca taṃ vṛkṣaṃ kuṭṭayanti sma mūṣakāḥ ॥11-5-19॥
Right there, the man's hope for life was established. Black and white mice were gnawing at that tree.
vyālaiś ca vanadurgānte striyā ca paramograyā। kūpād hastāc ca nāgena vīnāhe kuñjareṇa ca ॥11-5-20॥
One may encounter destruction by wild beasts in the depths of forest fortresses, by an extremely fierce woman, by falling into a well, by the hand of a serpent, or by a mad or ordinary elephant.
vṛkṣaprapātācca bhayaṃ mūṣakebhyaśca pañcamam। madhulobhān madhukaraiḥ ṣaṣṭham āhur mahad bhayam ॥11-5-21॥
The fifth fear is said to be from falling trees and mice; the sixth, a great fear, is from bees due to greed for honey.
evaṃ sa vasate tatra kṣiptaḥ saṃsārasāgare। na caiva jīvitāśāyāṃ nirvedamupagacchati ॥11-5-22॥
Thus, he remains there, thrown into the ocean of worldly existence, and, still clinging to the hope of life, does not develop dispassion.
