12.154
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
svādhyāyakṛtayatnasya brāhmaṇasya pitāmaha। dharmakāmasya dharmātman kiṃ nu śreya ihochyate ॥12-154-1॥
O grandsire, what is considered the highest good here for a Brāhmaṇa who has made effort in self-study, O righteous one desiring dharma?
bahudhādarśane loke śreyo yadiha manyase। asmiṃlloke pare caiva tanme brūhi pitāmaha ॥12-154-2॥
O grandsire, in this world of many viewpoints, if you consider anything to be the highest good here or in the next world, please tell me that.
mahān ayaṃ dharmapatho bahuśākhaś ca bhārata। kiṃ svid eveha dharmāṇām anuṣṭheyatamaṃ matam ॥12-154-3॥
O Bhārata, this path of dharma is great and has many branches. Which among the dharmas here is truly considered the most worthy of practice?
dharmasya mahato rājanbahuśākhasya tattvataḥ। yanmūlaṃ paramaṃ tāta tatsarvaṃ brūhyatandritaḥ ॥12-154-4॥
O king, dharma is great and has many branches; please tell me, dear one, without fatigue, the supreme root and essence of all of them.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
hanta te kathayiṣyāmi yena śreyaḥ prapatsyase। pītvāmṛtamiva prājño jñānatṛpto bhaviṣyasi ॥12-154-5॥
Indeed, I will tell you that by which you will attain the highest good. Having drunk nectar, you will become a wise person satisfied with knowledge.
dharmasya vidhayo naike te te proktā maharṣibhiḥ। svaṃ svaṃ vijñānam āśritya damaḥ teṣāṃ parāyaṇam ॥12-154-6॥
There are many methods of dharma, each of which has been stated by great sages. Each sage, relying on his own knowledge, regards self-restraint as the highest goal.
damaṃ niḥśreyasaṃ prāhurvṛddhā niścayadarśinaḥ। brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa damo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ॥12-154-7॥
The elders who are discerning have declared that self-restraint is the highest good. Especially for a brāhmaṇa, self-restraint is the eternal duty.
nādāntasya kriyāsiddhir yathāvad upalabhyate। damo dānaṃ tathā yajñān adhītaṃ cātivartate ॥12-154-8॥
When a person's speech is controlled, actions succeed as they should. Self-restraint, charity, as well as sacrifices and study of the scriptures, surpass all else.
damastejo vardhayati pavitraṃ ca damaḥ param। vipāpmā tejasā yuktaḥ puruṣo vindate mahat ॥12-154-9॥
Self-restraint enhances energy and is the highest purity; a sinless person endowed with energy attains greatness.
damena sadṛśaṃ dharmaṃ nānyaṃ lokeṣu śuśruma। damo hi paramo loke praśastaḥ sarvadharmiṇām ॥12-154-10॥
We have heard of no duty in all the worlds equal to self-restraint; for self-restraint is indeed the highest, praised among all the virtuous in the world.
pretya cāpi manuṣyendra paramaṃ vindate sukham। damena hi samāyukto mahāntaṃ dharmamaśnute ॥12-154-11॥
O best of men, after death, one who is endowed with self-restraint indeed attains supreme happiness and obtains great dharma.
sukhaṃ dāntaḥ prasvapiti sukhaṃ ca pratibudhyate। sukhaṃ paryeti lokāṃś ca manaś cāsya prasīdati ॥12-154-12॥
The self-controlled person sleeps happily, awakens happily, moves happily among people, and his mind becomes tranquil.
adāntaḥ puruṣaḥ kleśam abhīkṣṇaṃ pratipadyate। anarthāṃś ca bahūn anyān prasṛjati ātma-doṣa-jān ॥12-154-13॥
A man lacking self-restraint constantly suffers pain and brings about many other misfortunes caused by his own faults.
āśrameṣu caturṣvāhur damam evottamaṃ vratam। tasya liṅgāni vakṣyāmi yeṣāṃ samudayo damaḥ ॥12-154-14॥
Among the four āśramas, self-restraint is regarded as the highest vow. I will now describe its characteristics, whose aggregate is self-restraint.
kṣamā dhṛtirahiṃsā ca samatā satyamārjavam। indriyāvajayo dākṣyaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīracāpalam ॥12-154-15॥
Forbearance, steadfastness, non-injury, equanimity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, control of the senses, skill, gentleness, modesty, and absence of fickleness.
akārpaṇyam asaṁrambhaḥ santoṣaḥ priyavāditā। avivitsānasūyā cāpy eṣāṁ samudayo damaḥ ॥12-154-16॥
Self-restraint consists of the absence of miserliness, agitation, covetousness, and envy, contentment, pleasant speech, and the collection of these qualities.
gurupūjā ca kauravya dayā bhūteṣvapaiśunam। janavādo'mṛṣāvādaḥ stutinindāvivarjanam ॥12-154-17॥
O descendant of Kuru, worship of the teacher, compassion for all beings, refraining from slander, respecting public opinion, avoiding falsehood, and abstaining from both praise and blame—these are to be practiced.
kāmaḥ krodhaś ca lobhaś ca darpaḥ stambho vikatthanam। moha īrṣyā-avamānaś ca iti etat dāntaḥ na sevate॥12-154-18॥
A self-restrained person does not engage in desire, anger, greed, arrogance, pride, boasting, delusion, envy, or insult.
anindito hyakāmātmāthālpēccho'thānasūyakaḥ। samudrakalpaḥ sa naro na kadācana pūryate ॥12-154-19॥
A blameless man, who is free from desires, has little desire, and is without envy, is like the ocean—he is never satisfied at any time.
ahaṃ tvayi mama tvaṃ ca mayi te teṣu cāpyaham। pūrvasambandhisaṃyogānnaitaddānto niṣeavate ॥12-154-20॥
Because of previous associations, the self-controlled person does not engage in thoughts such as 'I am in you, you are in me, this is mine, that is yours, I am also in them.'
sarvā grāmyās tathāraṇyā yāś ca loke pravṛttayaḥ। nindāṃ caiva praśaṃsāṃ ca yo nāśrayati mucyate ॥12-154-21॥
Whoever does not depend on either blame or praise, or on any worldly activity, whether of the village or the forest, is liberated.
maitro’tha śīlasampannaḥ susahāyaparaś ca yaḥ। muktaś ca vividhaiḥ saṅgais tasya pretya mahatphalam ॥12-154-22॥
A person who is friendly, of good conduct, devoted to good companions, and free from various attachments attains great rewards after death.
suvṛttaḥ śīlasampannaḥ prasannātmātmavidbudhaḥ। prāpyeha loke satkāraṃ sugatiṃ pratipadyate ॥12-154-23॥
A person who is well-conducted, virtuous, clear-minded, self-knowing, and wise, upon attaining honor in this world, achieves a good state.
karma yac chubham eveha sadbhir ācaritaṃ ca yat। tad eva jñānayuktasya muner dharmo na hīyate॥12-154-24॥
The action here that is auspicious and performed by the virtuous, that indeed is the dharma of a sage endowed with knowledge, and it does not diminish.
niṣkramya vanam āsthāya jñānayukto jitendriyaḥ। kālākāṅkṣī caran nevaṃ brahmabhūyāya kalpate ॥12-154-25॥
One who, having left for the forest, lives there endowed with knowledge and self-control, awaiting the proper time, and thus wanders, becomes fit for attaining Brahman.
abhayaṃ yasya bhūtebhyo bhūtānāmabhayaṃ yataḥ। tasya dehādvimuktasya bhayaṃ nāsti kutaścana ॥12-154-26॥
He from whom beings have no fear, and who has no fear from beings—such a one, liberated from the body, has no fear from anywhere.
avācinoti karmāṇi na ca sampracinoti ha। samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu maitryāyaṇagatiś caret ॥12-154-27॥
He neither gathers nor accumulates actions; remaining impartial towards all beings, one should act with a disposition of friendliness.
śakunīnām iv ākāśe jale vāricarasya vā। yathā gatir na dṛśyeta tathā tasya na saṃśayaḥ॥12-154-28॥
Just as the movement of birds in the sky or of an aquatic animal in water is not seen, so is his—there is no doubt about it.
gṛhān utsṛjya yo rājan mokṣam eva abhipadyate। lokāḥ tejo-mayāḥ tasya kalpante śāśvatīḥ samāḥ ॥12-154-29॥
O king, whoever abandons home and seeks only liberation, for him, radiant worlds and eternal years are established.
saṃnyasya sarvakarmāṇi saṃnyasya vidhivattapaḥ। saṃnyasya vividhā vidyāḥ sarvaṃ saṃnyasya caiva ha ॥12-154-30॥
Having renounced all actions, austerities performed according to rule, and various kinds of knowledge, having renounced everything, and indeed surely.
kāmeṣu cāpyanāvṛttaḥ prasannātmātmavicchuciḥ। prāpyeha loke satkāraṃ svargaṃ samabhipadyate ॥12-154-31॥
One who is not turned back by desires, whose mind is clear, who knows the self and is pure, having attained honor in this world, fully attains heaven.
yacca paitāmahaṃ sthānaṃ brahmarāśisamudbhavam। guhāyāṃ pihitaṃ nityaṃ taddamenābhipadyate ॥12-154-32॥
That ancestral abode, born from the aggregate of Brahman and eternally hidden in the cave, is attained only through self-restraint.
jñānārāmasya buddhasya sarvabhūtāvirodhinaḥ। nāvṛttibhayamastīha paraloke bhayaṃ kutaḥ ॥12-154-33॥
For one who delights in knowledge, for the awakened one who is not opposed to any being, there is no fear of return (to rebirth) here; so how could there be fear in the other world?
eka eva dame doṣo dvitīyo nopapadyate। yadenaṃ kṣamayā yuktamaśaktaṃ manyate janaḥ ॥12-154-34॥
There is only one fault in self-control; there is no second. It is that people consider a person endowed with forbearance to be incapable.
etasya tu mahāprājña doṣasya sumahānguṇaḥ। kṣamāyāṃ vipulā lokāḥ sulabhā hi sahiṣṇunā ॥12-154-35॥
But in the case of the very wise, even a fault has a great virtue. Through forbearance, abundant worlds are easily attained by the patient person.
dāntasya kim araṇyena tathā adāntasya bhārata। yatra eva hi vaset dāntaḥ tat araṇyam saḥ āśramaḥ ॥12-154-36॥
O Bhārata, what use is the forest to the self-controlled, or likewise to the uncontrolled? Wherever the self-controlled dwells, that place is a hermitage.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
etadbhīṣmasya vacanaṃ śrutvā rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ। amṛteneva santṛptaḥ prahṛṣṭaḥ samapadyata ॥12-154-37॥
When King Yudhiṣhira heard these words of Bhīṣma, he felt as if he had been nourished by nectar and was filled with joy.
punaś ca paripapraccha bhīṣmaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ varam। tapaḥ prati sa covāca tasmai sarvaṃ kurūdvaha ॥12-154-38॥
Again, he questioned Bhishma, the foremost among the upholders of dharma, about austerity; and Bhishma explained everything to him, O best of the Kurus.
