12.017
Library: Yudhishthira advises his brothers and Draupadi on truth.
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhishthira said:
asantoṣaḥ pramādaś ca mado rāgo'praśāntatā। balaṃ moho'bhimānaś ca udvegaś cāpi sarvaśaḥ ॥12-17-1॥
Non-contentment, negligence, arrogance, attachment, restlessness, strength, delusion, pride, and agitation—all these are found entirely.
ebhiḥ pāpmabhir āviṣṭaḥ rājyaṃ tvam abhikāṅkṣasi. nirāmiṣaḥ vinirmuktaḥ praśāntaḥ susukhī bhava ॥12-17-2॥
You are overcome by these sins and desire the kingdom. Be free from desire, completely liberated, peaceful, and truly happy.
ya imām-akhilāṃ bhūmiṃ śiṣyād-eko mahīpatiḥ। tasyāpy-udaram-evaikaṃ kim-idaṃ tvaṃ praśaṃsasi ॥12-17-3॥
Even if a single king were to conquer this entire earth, he still has only one belly to fill; so what is it that you praise so much?
nāhnā pūrayituṃ śakyā na māsena nararṣabha। apūryāṃ pūrayannicchāmāyuṣāpi na śaknuyāt ॥12-17-4॥
O best of men, it is not possible to fill (it) in a day or even in a month; even if one desires to fill the unfillable with a lifetime, one could not accomplish it.
yatheddhaḥ prajvalaty agnir asamiddhaḥ praśāmyati। alpāhāratayā tv agniṃ śamayo udaryam utthitam ॥ jayo daraṃ pṛthivyā te śreyo nirjitayā jitam ॥12-17-5॥
Just as a fire, though kindled, is extinguished if not fed, so by eating little, subdue the hunger that arises in the belly. Conquering your belly is better for you than conquering the whole earth.
mānuṣān kāmabhogāṁs tvam aiśvaryaṁ ca praśaṁsasi | abhogino'balāś caiva yānti sthānam anuttamam ||12-17-6||
You praise humans, sensual enjoyments, and sovereignty; but those who abstain from enjoyment and the powerless indeed attain the highest state.
yogakṣemau ca rāṣṭrasya dharmādharmau tvayi sthitau। mucyasva mahato bhārāttyāgamevābhisaṃśraya ॥12-17-7॥
Both acquisition and preservation, as well as the kingdom's righteousness and unrighteousness, rest upon you. Free yourself from this great burden; truly, seek refuge in renunciation.
ekodarakṛte vyāghraḥ karoti vighasaṃ bahu। tamanye'pyupajīvanti mandavegañcarā mṛgāḥ ॥12-17-8॥
The tiger, hunting only to fill its own belly, leaves much leftover food; other slow-moving deer also survive on those remains.
viṣayānpratisaṃhṛtya saṃnyāsaṃ kurute yatiḥ। na ca tuṣyanti rājānaḥ paśya buddhyantaraṃ yathā ॥12-17-9॥
When the ascetic withdraws from sense objects and practices renunciation, the kings are still not satisfied—see how the difference in understanding works.
patrāhārairaśmakuṭṭairdantolūkhalikaistathā| abbhakṣairvāyubhakṣaiśca tairayaṃ narako jitaḥ ॥12-17-10॥
This hell is conquered by those who live on leaves, grind with stones, use their teeth as mortars, and by those who subsist on water and air.
yaś cemāṃ vasudhāṃ kṛtsnāṃ praśāsed akhilāṃ nṛpaḥ। tulyāśmakāñcano yaś ca sa kṛtārtho na pārthivaḥ॥12-17-11॥
Even if a king rules the whole earth, only he who regards stone and gold as equal is truly fulfilled, not merely a king.
saṅkalpeṣu nirārambho nirāśo nirmamo bhava। viśokaṃ sthānamātiṣṭha iha cāmutra cāvyayam ॥12-17-12॥
Be without undertaking, hope, or possessiveness in your intentions. Remain in a state free from sorrow, both here and in the hereafter, and in the imperishable.
nirāmiṣā na śocanti śocasi tvaṃ kim āmiṣam। parityajya āmiṣam sarvam mṛṣāvādāt pramokṣyase ॥12-17-13॥
Those who are free from desire do not grieve; why do you grieve for the object of desire? If you abandon all desire, you will be freed from falsehood.
panthānau pitṛyānaś ca devayānaś ca viśrutau। ījānāḥ pitṛyānena devayānena mokṣiṇaḥ॥12-17-14॥
The two well-known paths, the path of the ancestors and the path of the gods, are followed by those who perform sacrifices; by these paths, they attain liberation.
tapasā brahmacaryeṇa svādhyāyena ca pāvitāḥ। vimucya dehān vai bhānti mṛtyoraviṣayaṃ gatāḥ ॥12-17-15॥
Purified by austerity, celibacy, and self-study, having been freed from their bodies, they shine, having reached a state beyond the domain of death.
āmiṣaṃ bandhanaṃ loke karmehoktaṃ tathāmiṣam। tābhyāṃ vimuktaḥ pāśābhyāṃ padamāpnoti tatparam ॥12-17-16॥
In this world, meat is considered bondage, and desire for action is also regarded as such. One who is freed from both these fetters attains that supreme state.
api gāthām imāṃ gītāṃ janakena vadanty uta। nirdvandvena vimuktena mokṣaṃ samanupaśyatā ॥12-17-17॥
Indeed, they say that this verse, sung by Janaka, is spoken by one who is free from dualities, liberated, and who thoroughly perceives liberation.
anantaṃ bata me vittaṃ yasya me nāsti kiñcana। mithilāyāṃ pradīptāyāṃ na me dahyati kiñcana ॥12-17-18॥
Truly, my wealth is infinite, for I possess nothing. Even if Mithilā is ablaze, nothing of mine is consumed.
prajñāprāsādamāruhya naśocyāñśocato janān। jagatīsthānivādristho mandabuddhīnavekṣate ॥12-17-19॥
Having ascended the palace of wisdom, he looks upon the people grieving for those not to be grieved, just as one standing on a mountain looks at those of dull intellect on the earth.
dṛśyaṃ paśyati yaḥ paśyans cakṣuṣmāns buddhimān। ajñātānāṃ ca vijñānātsambodhādbuddhirucyate ॥12-17-20॥
He who, seeing the visible, is endowed with eyes and wisdom, is called wise. Intellect is said to arise from knowledge and from the complete understanding of the unknown.
yastu vācaṃ vijānāti bahumānamiyātsa vai। brahmabhāvaprasūtānāṃ vaidyānāṃ bhāvitātmanām ॥12-17-21॥
But one who understands speech should truly show great respect to those physicians who are born from the state of Brahman and whose souls are purified.
yadā bhūtapṛthagbhāvamekasthamanupaśyati। tata eva ca vistāraṃ brahma sampadyate tadā ॥12-17-22॥
When one sees the separate existences of beings as rooted in the One and their expansion from That alone, then one attains Brahman.
te janās tāṃ gatiṃ yānti nāvidvāṃso'lpacetasaḥ। nābuddhayo nātapaḥ sarvaṃ buddhau pratiṣṭhitam ॥12-17-23॥
Those people reach that state; the ignorant, those of little intelligence, the unwise, and those without austerity do not. Everything is established in the intellect.
