12.171
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
īhamānaḥ samārambhān yadi nāsādayed dhanam। dhana-tṛṣṇā-abhibhūtaś ca kiṃ kurvan sukham āpnuyāt ॥12-171-1॥
If a person strives in undertakings but does not attain wealth, and is overpowered by the desire for wealth, what happiness could he possibly achieve by such actions?
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
sarvasāmyamanāyāsaḥ satyavākyaṃ ca bhārata। nirvedaścāvivitsā ca yasya syātsa sukhī naraḥ ॥12-171-2॥
O Bhārata, that man is happy in whom there is complete equality, absence of effort, truthful speech, dispassion, and no desire to acquire.
etānyeva padānyāhuḥ pañca vṛddhāḥ praśāntaye। eṣa svargaśca dharmaśca sukhaṃ cānuttamaṃ satām ॥12-171-3॥
The elders have said that these five steps are indeed for attaining tranquility. For the virtuous, this is heaven, righteousness, happiness, and the highest (state).
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam। nirvedān maṅkinā gītaṃ tan nibodha yudhiṣṭhira ॥12-171-4॥
Here too, they recount this ancient story. Listen, O Yudhiṣṭhira, to that song composed by Maṅki out of dispassion.
īhamāno dhanaṃ maṅkir bhagnehaś ca punaḥ punaḥ। kenacid dhanaśeṣeṇa krītavān damyagoyugam ॥12-171-5॥
Maṅki, repeatedly striving for wealth even after his hopes were dashed, used what little wealth remained to buy a pair of draught oxen.
susambaddhau tu tau damyau damanāyābhiniḥsṛtau। āsīnamuṣṭraṃ madhyena sahasaivābhyadhāvatām ॥12-171-6॥
But those two well-bound reins, having rushed forth for restraining, suddenly rushed at the sitting camel through the middle.
tayoḥ samprāptayoruṣṭraḥ skandhadeśamamārṣaṇaḥ। utthāyotkṣipya tau damyau prasasāra mahājavaḥ ॥12-171-7॥
When those two arrived, the camel, unable to tolerate it, rose up, lifted the two reins, and the one of great speed drove on.
hriyamāṇau tu tau damyau tenoṣṭreṇa pramāthinā। mriyamāṇau ca samprekṣya maṅkistatabravīdidam ॥12-171-8॥
But when those two animals to be tamed were being carried away by that violent camel and were about to die, Maṅki, seeing this, spoke these words there.
na caivaāvihitaṃ śakyaṃ dakṣeṇāpīhituṃ dhanam। yuktena śraddhayā samyagīhāṃ samanutiṣṭhatā ॥12-171-9॥
Wealth that is not prescribed cannot be obtained even by the skillful; only one who is disciplined, acts with faith, and puts forth proper effort can succeed.
kṛtasya pūrvaṃ cānarthairyuktasyāpyanutiṣṭhataḥ। imaṃ paśyata saṅgatyā mama daivamupaplavam ॥12-171-10॥
See, by association, this calamity of my fate, arising from what has been done before and from misfortunes, even though endowed (with wisdom) but not following.
udyamyodyamya me damyau viṣameṇeva gacchati। utkṣipya kākatālīyamunmātheneva jambukaḥ ॥12-171-11॥
My two oxen, when repeatedly raised, move as if on uneven ground; the jackal, having been lifted by chance by an upturning, likewise.
maṇī voṣṭrasya lambete priyau vatsatarau mama। śuddhaṃ hi daivamevedamato naivāsti pauruṣam ॥12-171-12॥
The camel's jewel hangs down, and my two beloved calves are lost. Truly, this is entirely due to fate; therefore, there is no place for human effort here.
yadi vāpyupapadyeta pauruṣaṃ nāma karhicit| anviṣyamāṇaṃ tadapi daivamevāvatiṣṭhate ॥12-171-13॥
Even if so-called human effort arises at any time, when sought, it is fate alone that prevails.
tasmānnirveda eveha gantavyaḥ sukhāmīpsatā। sukhaṃ svapiti nirviṇṇo nirāśaścārthasādhane ॥12-171-14॥
Therefore, one who desires happiness should attain dispassion here. The one who is disenchanted and hopeless sleeps happily even in the pursuit of worldly objects.
aho samyakṣukenoktaṃ sarvataḥ parimucyatā। pratiṣṭhatā mahāraṇyaṃ janakasya niveśanāt ॥12-171-15॥
Indeed, Śuka has spoken well: 'Let everyone be released from all sides. Proceed to the great forest from Janaka's abode.'
yaḥ kāmān prāpnuyāt sarvān yaś ca enān kevalān tyajet। prāpaṇāt sarva-kāmānām parityāgaḥ viśiṣyate ॥12-171-16॥
He who may obtain all desires and he who may abandon these very desires; renunciation is considered superior to the attainment of all desires.
nāntaṃ sarvavivitsānāṃ gatapūrvo'sti kaścana। śarīre jīvite caiva tṛṣṇā mandasya vardhate ॥12-171-17॥
No one has ever reached the end of all desires to know. In the body and in life, the desire of the dull indeed increases.
nivartasva vivitsābhyaḥ śāmya nirvidya māmaka। asakṛc cāsi nikṛto na ca nirvidyase tano ॥12-171-18॥
Turn away from those who seek knowledge, calm yourself, and become indifferent to what is mine. Though you are repeatedly deceived, you do not become indifferent, O child.
yadi nāhaṃ vināśyaste yady evaṃ ramase mayā। mā māṃ yojaya lobhena vṛthā tvaṃ vittakāmuka ॥12-171-19॥
If I am not to be destroyed by you, and if you truly enjoy being with me, then do not unite with me out of greed in vain, O seeker of wealth.
sañcitaṃ sañcitaṃ dravyaṃ naṣṭaṃ tava punaḥ punaḥ। kadā vimokṣyase mūḍha dhanehāṃ dhanakāmuka ॥12-171-20॥
You keep accumulating wealth, but it is lost again and again. O deluded one, when will you free yourself from the desire for wealth, O lover of riches?
aho nu mama bāliśyaṃ yo'haṃ krīḍanakas tava| kiṃ naiva jātu puruṣaḥ pareṣāṃ preṣyatām iyāt ॥12-171-21॥
Alas, how childish I am, that I have become your plaything! Should a man ever submit to the servitude of others?
na pūrve nāpare jātu kāmānām-antam-āpnuvan। tyaktvā sarva-samārambhān pratibuddho'smi jāgṛmi ॥12-171-22॥
Neither those before nor those after have ever attained the end of desires. Having given up all undertakings, I am awakened and remain awake.
nūnaṃ te hṛdayaṃ kāma vajrasāramayaṃ dṛdham। yadanarthaśatāviṣṭaṃ śatadhā na vidīryate ॥12-171-23॥
Indeed, O Kāma, your heart must be made of adamantine strength, for though beset by hundreds of calamities, it does not break into a hundred pieces.
tyajāmi kāma tvāṃ caiva yac ca kiñcit priyaṃ tava। tavāhaṃ sukham anvicchan ātmani upalabhe sukham ॥12-171-24॥
I renounce desire, you, and whatever else is dear to you; seeking your happiness, I find happiness within myself.
kāma jānāmi te mūlaṃ saṅkalpātkila jāyase। na tvāṃ saṅkalpayiṣyāmi samūlo na bhaviṣyasi ॥12-171-25॥
O desire, I know your root; you indeed arise from resolve. I will not imagine you; thus, with your root destroyed, you will not exist.
īhā dhanasya na sukhā labdhvā cintā ca bhūyasī। labdhanāśo yathā mṛtyurlabdhaṃ bhavati vā na vā ॥12-171-26॥
Efforts for wealth do not bring happiness; even after obtaining it, anxiety increases. The loss of acquired wealth is like death; what is gained may remain or may not.
paretya yo na labhate tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim। na ca tuṣyati labdhena bhūya eva ca mārgati ॥12-171-27॥
After departing, if one does not attain, what indeed could be more sorrowful than that? And even with what is gained, he is not satisfied, but keeps seeking more and more.
anutarṣula evārthaḥ svādu gāṅgam ivodakam। mad-vilāpanam etat tu pratibuddho'smi santyaja ॥12-171-28॥
The object is truly not to be coveted, though it is as sweet as the water of the Ganges. This lamentation of mine, now that I am awakened, I abandon.
ya imaṃ māmakaṃ dehaṃ bhūtagrāmaḥ samāśritaḥ। sa yātvito yathākāmaṃ vasatāṃ vā yathāsukham ॥12-171-29॥
Whoever has taken refuge in this body of mine, let him depart from here as he wishes, or let him remain as is comfortable for those who dwell.
na yuṣmāsv iha me prītiḥ kāmalobhānusāriṣu। tasmād utsṛjya sarvān vaḥ satyam evāśrayāmy aham ॥12-171-30॥
I have no affection for you here, who follow desire and greed. Therefore, abandoning all of you, I take refuge only in truth.
sarvabhūtānyahaṃ dehe paśyanmanasi cātmanaḥ। yoge buddhiṃ śrute sattvaṃ mano brahmaṇi dhārayan ॥12-171-31॥
Perceiving all beings within the body and mind of the self, holding intellect in yoga, essence in the Veda, and mind established in Brahman.
vihariṣyāmyanāsaktaḥ sukhī lokānnirāmayaḥ। yathā mā tvaṃ punarnaivaṃ duḥkheṣu praṇidhāsyasi ॥12-171-32॥
I will live unattached, happy, and free from affliction among people, so that you will not again dwell in such sorrows.
tvayā hi me praṇunnasya gatir anyā na vidyate। tṛṣṇāśokaśramāṇāṃ hi tvaṃ kāma prabhavaḥ sadā ॥12-171-33॥
Indeed, for me who is impelled by you, there is no other path. You are always the source of desire, thirst, sorrow, and fatigue.
dhananāśo'dhikaṃ duḥkhaṃ manye sarvamahat-taram। jñātayo hyavamanyante mitrāṇi ca dhanacyutam॥12-171-34॥
I believe that the loss of wealth is the greatest suffering of all; for relatives and friends indeed disregard a person who has lost his wealth.
avajñānasahasraistu doṣāḥ kaṣṭatarādhane। dhane sukhakalā yā ca sāpi duḥkhairvidhīyate ॥12-171-35॥
Thousands of faults due to ignorance are even more severe in poverty; in wealth, whatever portion of happiness there is, even that is created by sufferings.
dhanam asy eti puruṣam purā nighnanti dasyavaḥ। kliśyanti vividhair daṇḍair nityam udvejayanti ca ॥12-171-36॥
Robbers used to strike down a man for his wealth; they would always afflict him with various punishments and constantly disturb him.
mandalolupatā duḥkham iti buddhaṃ cirān mayā। yadyad ālambase kāma tattad evānurudhyase ॥12-171-37॥
I have realized after a long time that slow greed is suffering. Whatever desire you cling to, you inevitably pursue that very thing.
atattvajño'si bālaś ca dustoṣo'pūraṇo'nalaḥ। naiva tvaṃ vettha sulabhaṃ naiva tvaṃ vettha durlabham ॥12-171-38॥
You are ignorant of reality, childish, hard to please, insatiable like fire. You do not know what is easy to obtain, nor do you know what is difficult to obtain.
pātālam iva duṣpūro māṃ duḥkhair yoktum icchasi। nāham adya samāveṣṭuṃ śakyaḥ kām punas tvayā ॥12-171-39॥
You wish to bind me with sufferings, like the netherworld that is difficult to fill. But today, it is not possible for you to surround me again.
nirvedam aham āsādya dravya-nāśāt yadṛcchayā। nirvṛtiṃ paramāṃ prāpya na adya kāmān vicintaye ॥12-171-40॥
Having lost my possessions by chance, I have attained dispassion and supreme peace; today, I no longer think about desires.
atikleśānsahāmīha nāhaṃ budhyāmyabuddhimān। nikṛto dhananāśena śaye sarvāṅgavijvaraḥ ॥12-171-41॥
I am enduring excessive troubles here; though I am not unintelligent, I do not understand (the cause). Deceived by the loss of wealth, I lie here with all the fever gone from my limbs.
parityajāmi kāma tvāṃ hitvā sarvamanogatīḥ। na tvaṃ mayā punaḥ kāma nasyoteneva raṃsyase ॥12-171-42॥
I abandon desire and you, having given up all mental tendencies. You will not again find delight in me, nor will you, by this, ever take pleasure in us again.
kṣamiṣye'kṣamamāṇānāṃ na hiṃsiṣye ca hiṃsitaḥ। dveṣyamuktaḥ priyaṃ vakṣyāmyanādṛtya tadapriyam ॥12-171-43॥
I will forgive those who do not forgive; I will not harm even if I am harmed. If hateful words are spoken to me, I will respond with pleasant words, disregarding what is unpleasant.
tṛptaḥ svasthendriyo nityaṃ yathālabdhena vartayan। na sakāmaṃ kariṣyāmi tvāmahaṃ śatrumātmanaḥ ॥12-171-44॥
Being satisfied, with senses under control, always living on what is obtained, I will not, out of desire, make you the enemy of myself.
nirvedaṃ nirvṛtiṃ tṛptiṃ śāntiṃ satyaṃ damaṃ kṣamām। sarvabhūtadayāṃ caiva viddhi māṃ śaraṇāgatam ॥12-171-45॥
Know me as one who has taken refuge in dispassion, contentment, satisfaction, peace, truth, self-restraint, forbearance, and compassion for all beings.
tasmātkāmaś ca lobhaś ca tṛṣṇā kārpaṇyam eva ca। tyajantu māṃ pratiṣṭhantaṃ sattvastho hy asmi sāmpratam ॥12-171-46॥
Therefore, let desire, greed, craving, and miserliness abandon me, for I am now established in purity and stand firm.
prahāya kāmaṃ lobhaṃ ca krodhaṃ pāruṣyameva ca। nādya lobhavaśaṃ prāpto duḥkhaṃ prāpsyāmyanātmavān ॥12-171-47॥
Having abandoned desire, greed, anger, and harshness, I will not today, under the influence of greed, attain suffering as one lacking self-control.
yadyat tyajati kāmānāṃ tat sukhasya abhipūryate। kāmasya vaśago nityaṃ duḥkham eva prapadyate ॥12-171-48॥
Whatever desires a person gives up, that much happiness is attained; but one who is always controlled by desire attains only suffering.
kāmān vyudasya dhunute yat kiñcit puruṣo rajaḥ। kāma-krodhodbhavaṃ duḥkham ahrīḥ aratiḥ eva ca ॥12-171-49॥
When a man abandons desires, he dispels even the slightest impurity—suffering, shamelessness, and discontent—that arise from desire and anger.
eṣa brahmapraviṣṭo'ham grīṣme śītamiva hradam| śāmyāmi parinirvāmi sukhāmāse ca kevalam ॥12-171-50॥
Having entered Brahman, I am like a cool lake in summer; I become calm, completely extinguished, and abide only in happiness.
yacca kāmasukhaṃ loke yacca divyaṃ mahatsukham। tṛṣṇākṣayasukhasyaite nārhataḥ ṣoḍaśīṃ kalām ॥12-171-51॥
All the pleasures of desire in this world and even the greatest divine happiness are not equal to a sixteenth part of the happiness that comes from the cessation of craving.
ātmanā saptamaṃ kāmaṃ hatvā śatrumivotamam। prāpyāvadhyaṃ brahmapuraṃ rājeva syāmahaṃ sukhī ॥12-171-52॥
Having conquered the seventh desire by myself, as one would the greatest enemy, and having reached the inviolable city of Brahman, may I be happy like a king.
etāṃ buddhiṃ samāsthāya maṅkir nirvedam āgataḥ। sarvān kāmān parityajya prāpya brahma mahatsukham ॥12-171-53॥
Maṅki, having adopted this understanding, attained dispassion; after abandoning all desires and attaining Brahman, he experienced supreme happiness.
damyanāśakṛte maṅkiramaratvaṃ kilāgamat। acchinatkāmamūlaṃ sa tena prāpa mahatsukham ॥12-171-54॥
For the sake of destroying what is to be tamed, Maṅki truly attained immortality. By cutting off the root of desire, he thereby attained great happiness.
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam। gītaṃ videharājena janakena praśāmyatā ॥12-171-55॥
Here too, they recount an ancient story, told by King Janaka of Videha, as he was pacifying (someone or a situation).
anantaṃ bata me vittaṃ yasya me nāsti kiñcana। mithilāyāṃ pradīptāyāṃ na me dahyati kiñcana ॥12-171-56॥
Truly, my wealth is infinite, for I possess nothing. Even if Mithilā is ablaze, nothing of mine is consumed.
atraivodāharantīmaṃ bodhyasya padasañcayam। nirvedaṃ prati vinyastaṃ pratibodha yudhiṣṭhira ॥12-171-57॥
O Yudhishthira, right here they cite this collection of words for the one to be known: dispassion should be established towards it with discernment.
bodhyaṃ dāntam ṛṣiṃ rājā nahuṣaḥ paryapṛcchata। nirvedāc chāntim āpannaṃ śāntaṃ prajñāna-tarpitam ॥12-171-58॥
King Nahuṣa questioned the self-restrained sage, who was to be awakened, who had attained peace through detachment, was calm, and fulfilled by wisdom.
upadeśaṃ mahāprājña śamasyopadiśasva me। kāṃ buddhiṃ samanudhyāya śāntaścarasi nirvṛtaḥ ॥12-171-59॥
O wise one, instruct me in the path of tranquility. What understanding have you reflected upon, by which you live peacefully and liberated?
bodhya uvāca॥
Bodhya said.
upadeśena vartāmi nānuśāsmīha kañcana। lakṣaṇaṃ tasya vakṣye'haṃ tatsvayaṃ pravimṛśyatām ॥12-171-60॥
I act by giving instruction, not by commanding anyone here. I will state its characteristic; let that be thoroughly examined by oneself.
piṅgalā kuraraḥ sarpaḥ sāraṅgānveṣaṇaṃ vane। iṣukāraḥ kumārī ca ṣaḍete guravo mama ॥12-171-61॥
Piṅgalā, the kite, the serpent, the search for deer in the forest, the arrow-maker, and the maiden—these six are my teachers.
