12.018
Library: Arjuna, quoting the conversation between King Janaka and his wife, says by protecting the people and practicing the highest charity, being devoted to Brahman and speaking the truth, we shall attain the desired worlds.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tūṣṇīṃbhūtaṃ tu rājānaṃ punarevārjuno'bravīt। santaptaḥ śokaduḥkhābhyāṃ rājño vākṣalyapīḍitaḥ ॥12-18-1॥
But when the king fell silent, Arjuna, deeply afflicted by grief and sorrow and overwhelmed by affection for the king, spoke again.
kathayanti purāvṛttam itihāsam imaṃ janāḥ। videharājñaḥ saṃvādaṃ bhāryayā saha bhārata ॥12-18-2॥
O Bhārata, people recount this ancient history: the conversation between the king of Videha and his wife.
utsṛjya rājyaṃ bhaikṣārthaṃ kṛtabuddhiṃ janeśvaram। videharājaṃ mahiṣī duḥkhitā pratyabhāṣata ॥12-18-3॥
The queen, distressed, addressed the king of Videha, who had resolved to abandon his kingdom for the life of alms.
dhanānyapatyaṃ mitrāṇi ratnāni vividhāni ca| panthānaṃ pāvanaṃ hitvā janako mauṇḍyamāsthitaḥ ||12-18-4||
Janaka, having abandoned wealth, offspring, friends, and various kinds of gems, resorted to the pure path of silence.
taṃ dadarśa priyā bhāryā bhaikṣyavṛttimakiñcanam। dhānāmuṣṭimupāsīnaṃ nirīhaṃ gatamatsaram ॥12-18-5॥
His beloved wife saw him, who lived by begging, possessed nothing, sat with a handful of grains, was without effort, and free from envy.
tam uvāca samāgamya bhartāram akutobhayam। kruddhā manasvinī bhāryā vivikte hetumad vacaḥ ॥12-18-6॥
The high-minded wife, angry, approached her fearless husband in private and spoke to him words full of reason.
katham utsṛjya rājyaṃ svaṃ dhanadhānyasamācitam। kāpālīṃ vṛttim āsthāya dhānāmuṣṭir vane'caraḥ ॥12-18-7॥
How did you, after giving up your own kingdom and all your accumulated wealth and grain, adopt the life of a skull-bearing ascetic and live in the forest on just a handful of grain?
pratijñā te'nyathā rājan viceṣṭā cānyathā tava। yad rājyaṃ mahad utsṛjya svalpe tuṣyasi pārthiva॥12-18-8॥
O king, your vow and your actions are at odds; having given up a great kingdom, you are content with little, O ruler.
naitenātithayo rājan devarṣipitaras tathā। śakyam adya tvayā bhartuṃ moghas te'yaṃ pariśramaḥ ॥12-18-9॥
O king, by this, neither the guests, nor the divine sages, nor the ancestors can be satisfied by you today; your effort is in vain.
devatātithibhiścaiva pitṛbhiścaiva pārthiva। sarvairētaiḥ parityaktaḥ parivrajasi niṣkriyaḥ ॥12-18-10॥
O king, you have been abandoned by all—deities, guests, and ancestors—and now you wander about, inactive.
yas tvaṃ traividyavṛddhānāṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ sahasraśaḥ| bhartā bhūtvā ca lokasya so'dyānyairbhṛtimicchasi ॥12-18-11॥
You, who have been the protector of thousands of Brāhmaṇas learned in the three Vedas and of the world, now today desire sustenance from others.
śriyaṃ hitvā pradīptāṃ tvaṃ śvavatsamprati vīkṣyase। aputrā jananī te'dya kausalyā cāpatistvayā ॥12-18-12॥
Having given up your radiant prosperity, you are now regarded like a dog. Today, your mother Kausalya is without a son, and because of you, also without a husband.
aśītirdharmakāmāstvāṃ kṣatriyāḥ paryupāsate। tvadāśāmabhikāṅkṣantyaḥ kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetukāḥ ॥12-18-13॥
Eighty kṣatriyas who desire dharma worship you; pitiable ones, seeking results, long for your favor.
tāś ca tvaṃ viphalaḥ kurvan kān lokān nu gamiṣyasi. rājan saṃśayite mokṣe paratantreṣu dehiṣu ॥12-18-14॥
And you, performing those fruitless acts, to which worlds will you go? O king, when liberation is uncertain and you are dependent on others in embodied forms.
naiva te'sti paro loko nāparaḥ pāpakarmaṇaḥ। dharmyāndārān parityajya yastvam icchasi jīvitum ॥12-18-15॥
For you, there is neither another world nor is there for the evil-doer; having abandoned righteous wives, you desire to live.
srajo gandhān-alaṅkārān vāsāṃsi vividhāni ca| kimartham abhi-santyajya parivrajasi niṣkriyaḥ ॥12-18-16॥
Having given up garlands, fragrances, ornaments, clothes, and various other things, for what reason do you wander as an inactive ascetic?
nipānaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ bhūtvā tvaṃ pāvanaṃ mahat | āḍhyo vanaspatir bhūtvā so'dyānyān paryupāsase ||12-18-17||
Having become the watering place for all beings, you are the great purifier. Today, having become the rich tree, you serve others.
khādanti hastinaṃ nyāse kravyādā bahavo'pyuta। bahavaḥ kṛmayaścaiva kiṃ punastvāmanarthakam ॥12-18-18॥
When even the dead body of an elephant is eaten by many flesh-eaters and by many worms, what then to say of you, who are useless?
ya imāṃ kuṇḍikāṃ bhindyāt triviṣṭabdhaṃ ca te haret। vāsaś cāpaharet tasmin kathaṃ te mānasaṃ bhavet ॥12-18-19॥
If someone were to break this water-pot, take away your firmly placed vessel, and also steal your garment there, how would your mind react to that?
yastvayaṃ sarvam utsṛjya dhānāmuṣṭi-parigrahaḥ। yadānena samaṃ sarvaṃ kim idaṃ mama dīyate॥ dhānāmuṣṭir ihārthaś cet pratijñā te vinaśyati॥12-18-20॥
Whoever, having abandoned everything, accepts only a fistful of grain—whatever is given to me by this equally as all, what is this? If the fistful of grain here is the purpose, your vow is destroyed.
kā vāhaṃ tava ko me tvaṃ ko'dya te mayyanugrahaḥ। praśādhi pṛthivīṃ rājanya tra te'nugraho bhavet ॥ prāsādaṃ śayanaṃ yānaṃ vāsāṃsyābharaṇāni ca ॥12-18-21॥
Who am I to you, and who are you to me? What is your favor to me today? O king, rule the earth wherever your favor may be. The palace, bed, vehicle, garments, and ornaments are yours.
śriyā nirāśair adhanais tyakta-mitrair akiñcanair। saukhikaiḥ sambhṛtān arthān yaḥ santyajasi kiṃ nu tat ॥12-18-22॥
What indeed is that wealth, accumulated by prosperity, by hopeless, poor, friendless, destitute, and pleasure-seeking people, which you abandon?
yo'tyantaṃ pratigṛhṇīyād yaś ca dadyāt sadaiva hi। tayos tvam antaraṃ viddhi śreyāṃs tābhyāṃ ka ucyate ॥12-18-23॥
Whoever always receives excessively and whoever always gives—know the difference between those two; who among them is considered superior?
sadaiva yācamāneṣu satsudambhavivarjiṣu। eteṣu dakṣiṇā dattā dāvāgnāviva durhutam ॥12-18-24॥
A gift given always to those who ask, among the virtuous and free from hypocrisy, is, in these cases, like an offering poorly made in a forest fire.
jātavedā yathā rājan nādagdhvaivopaśāmyati। sadaiva yācamāno vai tathā śāmyati na dvijaḥ ॥12-18-25॥
O king, just as fire does not subside without consuming, so too, a Brāhmaṇa who is always begging does not cease.
satāṃ ca vedā annaṃ ca loke'smin prakṛtir dhruvā | na ced dātā bhaved dātā kutaḥ syur mokṣakāṅkṣiṇaḥ ||12-18-26||
For the virtuous, the Vedas and food are ever-present in this world by their very nature. If there were no giver, how could there be seekers of liberation?
annād-gṛhasthā loke'smin bhikṣavas tata eva ca। annāt prāṇaḥ prabhavati annadaḥ prāṇado bhavet ॥12-18-27॥
In this world, both householders and mendicants depend on food; from food, life arises; one who gives food becomes the giver of life.
gṛhasthebhyo'bhinirvṛttā gṛhasthāneva saṃśritāḥ। prabhavaṃ ca pratiṣṭhāṃ ca dāntā nindanta āsate ॥12-18-28॥
Those who have originated from householders and have resorted to householders, the self-restrained, censure both origin and foundation, and remain seated.
tyāgānna bhikṣukaṃ vidyānna mauṇḍyānna ca yācanāt| ṛjustu yo'rthaṃ tyajati taṃ sukhaṃ viddhi bhikṣukam ॥12-18-29॥
Do not think one is a mendicant merely by renunciation, shaving the head, or begging; rather, know that person to be a true and happy mendicant who, being upright, gives up wealth.
asaktaḥ saktavadgacchanniḥsaṅgo muktabandhanaḥ। samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca sa vai mukto mahīpate ॥12-18-30॥
O king, he who is unattached, moves about as if attached, is free from association and released from bondage, and who is equal towards both enemy and friend, he indeed is liberated.
parivrajanti dānārthaṃ muṇḍāḥ kāṣāyavāsasaḥ। sitā bahuvidhaiḥ pāśaiḥ sañcinvanto vṛthāmiṣam ॥12-18-31॥
Shaven-headed ascetics, clad in ochre robes, wander for the sake of gifts; the white one, with many kinds of snares, gathers useless bait.
trayīṃ ca nāma vārtāṃ ca tyaktvā putrāṃstyajanti ye। triviṣṭabdhaṃ ca vāsaśca pratigṛhṇantyabuddhayaḥ ॥12-18-32॥
Those who, abandoning the three Vedas and worldly occupations, also forsake their sons—such unwise people accept heaven and residence.
aniṣkaṣāye kāṣāyam īha-artham iti viddhi tat। dharma-dhvajānām muṇḍānām vṛtti-artham iti me matiḥ ॥12-18-33॥
Know that here the ochre-robe is for those not purified; in my opinion, it is for the livelihood of the so-called banners of dharma, the shaven-headed.
kāṣāyair ajinaiś cīrair nagnān muṇḍān jaṭādharān। bibhrat sādhūn mahārāja jaya lokān jitendriyaḥ॥12-18-34॥
O great king, you bear ascetics who wear ochre robes, animal skins, bark garments, who are naked, shaven-headed, or matted-haired; victory to the worlds, O conqueror of the senses.
agnyādheyāni gurvarthān kratūn sa-paśu-dakṣiṇān। dadāty aharahaḥ pūrvaṃ ko nu dharmataras tataḥ॥12-18-35॥
He daily gives offerings for the fire, for the teacher, and sacrifices with animals and gifts; who, then, can be more righteous than he?
tattvajño janako rājā loke'sminniti gīyate. so'pyāsīn mohasampanno mā mohavaśamanvagāḥ ॥12-18-36॥
King Janaka, renowned as a knower of truth in this world, was also once overcome by delusion. Therefore, do not let yourself be led by delusion.
evaṃ dharmam anukrāntaṃ sadā dānaparair naraiḥ। ānṛśaṃsyaguṇopetaiḥ kāmakrodhavivarjitāḥ ॥12-18-37॥
Thus, dharma was always followed by men devoted to charity, endowed with compassion, and free from desire and anger.
pālayantaḥ prajāścaiva dānamuttamamāsthitāḥ। iṣṭāṃllokānavāpsyāmo brahmaṇyāḥ satyavādinaḥ ॥12-18-38॥
By protecting the people and practicing the highest charity, being devoted to Brahman and speaking the truth, we shall attain the desired worlds.
