12.170
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
dhanino vā dhanā ye ca vartayanti svatantriṇaḥ। sukhaduḥkhāgamasteṣāṃ kaḥ kathaṃ vā pitāmaha ॥12-170-1॥
O grandsire, for those who are wealthy or poor and live independently, how does happiness and sorrow come to them, and in what manner?
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam। śamyākena vimuktena gītaṃ śāntigatena ha ॥12-170-2॥
Here too, they recount this ancient story, which was sung by Śamyāka, the liberated one, who had attained peace.
abravīnmāṃ purā kaścidbrāhmaṇastyāgamāsthitaḥ। kliśyamānaḥ kudāreṇa kucailena bubhukṣayā ॥12-170-3॥
Once, a certain brāhmaṇa devoted to renunciation, tormented by hunger, poor tools, and ragged clothes, spoke to me.
utpannamiha loke vai janmaprabhṛti mānavam। vividhānyupavartante duḥkhāni ca sukhāni ca ॥12-170-4॥
From the moment of birth in this world, a human being inevitably experiences various kinds of sufferings and pleasures.
tayorekatare mārge yadyenamabhisaṃnayet। na sukhaṃ prāpya saṃhṛṣyenn na duḥkhaṃ prāpya sañjvaret ॥12-170-5॥
If one is led on either of those two paths, he should neither rejoice on attaining happiness nor be distressed on attaining sorrow.
na vai carasi yacchreya ātmano vā yadīhase। akāmaātmāpi hi sadā dhuramudyamya caiva hi ॥12-170-6॥
You do not act for your own good or for what you desire. Even one whose self is without desire, indeed, always takes up the yoke of duty and certainly does so.
akiñcanaḥ paripatansukhamāsvādayiṣyasi। akiñcanaḥ sukhaṃ śete samuttiṣṭhati caiva hi ॥12-170-7॥
A person who owns nothing, even when falling, will experience happiness. One who owns nothing sleeps happily and certainly rises again.
ākiñcanyaṃ sukhaṃ loke pathyaṃ śivamanāmayam। anamitramatho hyetaddurlabhaṃ sulabhaṃ satām ॥12-170-8॥
In this world, absence of possessions brings happiness, wholesomeness, auspiciousness, and freedom from disease. And being without enemies is indeed difficult to attain, but for the virtuous it is easily achieved.
akiñcanasya śuddhasya upapannasya sarvaśaḥ। avekṣamāṇas trīṃl lokān na tulyam upalakṣaye ॥12-170-9॥
Observing the three worlds in every way, I do not find anything equal to one who is pure, possesses nothing, and is appropriate.
ākiñcanyaṃ ca rājyaṃ ca tulayā samatolayam। atyaricyata dāridryaṃ rājyād api guṇādhikam ॥12-170-10॥
I weighed non-possession and kingdom equally on a balance; poverty was found to surpass even the kingdom, being greater in virtue.
ākiñcanye ca rājye ca viśeṣaḥ sumahānayam। nityodvigno hi dhanavān mṛtyor āsyagato yathā ॥12-170-11॥
There is a great difference between poverty and sovereignty: the wealthy are always anxious, as if they are in the jaws of death.
naivāsyāgnirna cādityo na mṛtyurna ca dasyavaḥ। prabhavanti dhanajyāninirmuktasya nirāśiṣaḥ॥12-170-12॥
Neither fire, nor the sun, nor death, nor enemies can harm one who has abandoned weapons and is free from desires.
taṃ vai sadā kāmacaramanupastīrṇaśāyinam। bāhūpadhānaṃ śāmyantaṃ praśaṃsanti divaukasaḥ ॥12-170-13॥
The dwellers of heaven always praise him who moves as he wishes, lies on an unspread bed, rests with his arms as a pillow.
dhanavān krodhalobhābhyām āviṣṭo naṣṭacetanaḥ। tiryagīkṣaḥ śuṣkamukhaḥ pāpako bhrukuṭīmukhaḥ ॥12-170-14॥
A wealthy man, overpowered by anger and greed, loses his sense, looks sideways, has a dry mouth, is wicked, and wears a frown.
nirdaśaṃścādaroṣṭhaṃ ca kruddho dāruṇabhāṣitā। kastamicchetparidraṣṭuṃ dātumicchati cenmahīm ॥12-170-15॥
Biting his lower lip in anger and speaking harshly, who would wish to even look at him, let alone wish to give him the earth?
śriyā hy abhīkṣṇaṃ saṃvāso mohayaty avicakṣaṇam। sā tasya cittaṃ harati śāradābhram ivānilaḥ ॥12-170-16॥
Indeed, constant association with prosperity deludes the undiscerning; she carries away his mind just as the wind carries away an autumn cloud.
athainaṃ rūpamānaś ca dhanamānaś ca vindati। abhijāto'smi siddho'smi nāsmi kevalamānuṣaḥ ॥ ityeebhiḥ kāraṇais tasya tribhiś cittaṃ prasicyate ॥12-170-17॥
Then he acquires pride of beauty and pride of wealth. He thinks, "I am noble-born, I am perfected, I am not merely human." Thus, by these three causes, his mind is influenced.
sa prasiktamanā bhogānvisṛjya pitṛsañcitān। parikṣīṇaḥ parasvānāmādānaṃ sādhu manyate ॥12-170-18॥
He, whose mind is attached, having abandoned the enjoyments accumulated by his ancestors, and being impoverished, considers taking others' wealth to be proper.
tamatikrāntamaryādamādadānaṃ tatastataḥ। pratiṣedhanti rājāno lubdhā mṛgamiveṣubhiḥ ॥12-170-19॥
Kings, greedy for gain, restrain him who, having crossed the boundary, takes from here and there, just as hunters restrain a deer with arrows.
evametāni duḥkhāni tāni tānīha mānavam। vividhānyupavartante gātrasaṃsparśajāni ca ॥12-170-20॥
Thus, all these various sufferings, those and others, befall a man here, including those arising from contact with the body.
teṣāṃ paramaduḥkhānāṃ buddhyā bhaiṣajyam ācaret। lokadharmaṃ samājñāya dhruvāṇām adhruvaiḥ saha ॥12-170-21॥
One should wisely administer remedies to those who are greatly afflicted. Understanding the ways of the world, one should recognize the interplay of the permanent with the impermanent.
nātyaktvā sukham āpnoti nātyaktvā vindate param। nātyaktvā cābhayaḥ śete tyaktvā sarvaṃ sukhī bhava ॥12-170-22॥
One does not attain happiness without renunciation; nor does one reach the highest without renunciation; nor does the fearless one rest without renunciation. Abandoning everything, be happy.
ity etad dhāstinapure brāhmaṇena upavarṇitam। śamyākena purā mahyaṃ tasmāt tyāgaḥ paro mataḥ ॥12-170-23॥
Thus, this was explained in Hastinapura by the Brāhmaṇa. Long ago, Śamyāka told me this; therefore, renunciation is considered supreme.
