12.171
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
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 said.
O Bhārata, that man is happy in whom there is complete equality, absence of effort, truthful speech, dispassion, and no desire to acquire.
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).
Here too, they recount this ancient story. Listen, O Yudhiṣṭhira, to that song composed by Maṅki out of dispassion.
Maṅki, repeatedly striving for wealth even after his hopes were dashed, used what little wealth remained to buy a pair of draught oxen.
But those two well-bound reins, having rushed forth for restraining, suddenly rushed at the sitting camel through the middle.
When those two arrived, the camel, unable to tolerate it, rose up, lifted the two reins, and the one of great speed drove on.
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.
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.
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.
My two oxen, when repeatedly raised, move as if on uneven ground; the jackal, having been lifted by chance by an upturning, likewise.
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.
Even if so-called human effort arises at any time, when sought, it is fate alone that prevails.
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.
Indeed, Śuka has spoken well: 'Let everyone be released from all sides. Proceed to the great forest from Janaka's abode.'
He who may obtain all desires and he who may abandon these very desires; renunciation is considered superior to the attainment of all desires.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Alas, how childish I am, that I have become your plaything! Should a man ever submit to the servitude of others?
Neither those before nor those after have ever attained the end of desires. Having given up all undertakings, I am awakened and remain awake.
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.
I renounce desire, you, and whatever else is dear to you; seeking your happiness, I find happiness within myself.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I have no affection for you here, who follow desire and greed. Therefore, abandoning all of you, I take refuge only in truth.
Perceiving all beings within the body and mind of the self, holding intellect in yoga, essence in the Veda, and mind established in Brahman.
I will live unattached, happy, and free from affliction among people, so that you will not again dwell in such sorrows.
Indeed, for me who is impelled by you, there is no other path. You are always the source of desire, thirst, sorrow, and fatigue.
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.
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.
Robbers used to strike down a man for his wealth; they would always afflict him with various punishments and constantly disturb him.
I have realized after a long time that slow greed is suffering. Whatever desire you cling to, you inevitably pursue that very thing.
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.
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.
Having lost my possessions by chance, I have attained dispassion and supreme peace; today, I no longer think about desires.
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.
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.
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.
Being satisfied, with senses under control, always living on what is obtained, I will not, out of desire, make you the enemy of myself.
Know me as one who has taken refuge in dispassion, contentment, satisfaction, peace, truth, self-restraint, forbearance, and compassion for all beings.
Therefore, let desire, greed, craving, and miserliness abandon me, for I am now established in purity and stand firm.
Having abandoned desire, greed, anger, and harshness, I will not today, under the influence of greed, attain suffering as one lacking self-control.
Whatever desires a person gives up, that much happiness is attained; but one who is always controlled by desire attains only suffering.
When a man abandons desires, he dispels even the slightest impurity—suffering, shamelessness, and discontent—that arise from desire and anger.
Having entered Brahman, I am like a cool lake in summer; I become calm, completely extinguished, and abide only in happiness.
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.
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.
Maṅki, having adopted this understanding, attained dispassion; after abandoning all desires and attaining Brahman, he experienced supreme happiness.
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.
Here too, they recount an ancient story, told by King Janaka of Videha, as he was pacifying (someone or a situation).
Truly, my wealth is infinite, for I possess nothing. Even if Mithilā is ablaze, nothing of mine is consumed.
O Yudhishthira, right here they cite this collection of words for the one to be known: dispassion should be established towards it with discernment.
King Nahuṣa questioned the self-restrained sage, who was to be awakened, who had attained peace through detachment, was calm, and fulfilled by wisdom.
O wise one, instruct me in the path of tranquility. What understanding have you reflected upon, by which you live peacefully and liberated?
Bodhya said.
I act by giving instruction, not by commanding anyone here. I will state its characteristic; let that be thoroughly examined by oneself.
Piṅgalā, the kite, the serpent, the search for deer in the forest, the arrow-maker, and the maiden—these six are my teachers.
