12.211
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
kena vṛttena vṛttajño janako mithilādhipaḥ। jagāma mokṣaṃ dharmajño bhogān utsṛjya mānuṣān ॥12-211-1॥
By what conduct did Janaka, the king of Mithilā and knower of conduct, attain liberation, having abandoned human enjoyments, as a knower of dharma?
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam। yena vṛttena vṛttajñaḥ sa jagāma mahatsukham ॥12-211-2॥
Here too, they recount this ancient story: by following that conduct, the one who understood proper conduct attained great happiness.
janako janadevastu mithilāyāṃ janādhipaḥ। aurdhvadehikadharmāṇām āsīdyukto vicintane ॥12-211-3॥
Janaka, the king of Mithilā, was deeply engaged in contemplating the duties related to post-cremation rites.
tasya sma śatam-ācāryā vasanti satataṃ gṛhe। darśayantaḥ pṛthag-dharmān nānā-pāṣaṇḍa-vādinaḥ ॥12-211-4॥
In his house, indeed, a hundred teachers always reside, each displaying different duties and various heretical doctrines.
sa teṣāṃ pretyabhāve ca pretyajātau viniścaye। āgamasthaḥ sa bhūyiṣṭham ātmatattve na tuṣyati ॥12-211-5॥
He, being established in scripture, is not mostly satisfied with the ascertainment of the principle of self regarding their state and birth after death.
tatra pañcaśikho nāma kāpileyo mahāmuniḥ। paridhāvan mahīṃ kṛtsnāṃ jagāma mithilām api ॥12-211-6॥
There, the great sage named Pañcaśikha, a descendant of Kapila, after traversing the whole earth, also went to Mithilā.
sarvasaṃnyāsadharmāṇāṃ tattvajñānaviniścaye। suparyavasitārthaśca nirdvandvo naṣṭasaṃśayaḥ ॥12-211-7॥
When one has fully ascertained the true knowledge of all the duties of renunciation, with a well-settled purpose, free from dualities, and all doubts dispelled.
ṛṣīṇām āhur ekaṃ yaṃ kāmād avasitaṃ nṛṣu। śāśvataṃ sukham atyantam anvicchans sudurlabham ॥12-211-8॥
They say that the one who, having subdued desire among men, seeks the supreme eternal happiness, is very difficult to find.
yamāhuḥ kapilaṃ sāṅkhyāḥ paramarṣiṃ prajāpatim। sa manye tena rūpeṇa vismāpayati hi svayam ॥12-211-9॥
The one whom the Sāṅkhyas call Kapila, the supreme sage and lord of creatures—he, I believe, in that very form, truly astonishes even himself.
āsureḥ prathamaṃ śiṣyaṃ yamāhuścirajīvinam। pañcasrotasi yaḥ satramāste varṣasahasrikam ॥12-211-10॥
They say that the first disciple of Asura, called the long-lived one, remains in the five-streamed river performing a sacrificial session for a thousand years.
taṃ samāsīnamāgamya maṇḍalaṃ kāpilaṃ mahat। puruṣāvasthamavyaktaṃ paramārthaṃ nibodhayat ॥12-211-11॥
Having approached him as he was seated in the great Kapila circle, (he) instructed about the unmanifest, the supreme reality in the state of puruṣa.
iṣṭisatreṇa saṃsiddho bhūyaś ca tapasā muniḥ। kṣetrakṣetrajñayor vyaktiṃ bubudhe devadarśanaḥ ॥12-211-12॥
Devadarshana, the sage, having perfected himself by sacrificial sessions and again by austerity, understood the manifestation of the field and the knower of the field.
yattadekākṣaraṃ brahma nānārūpaṃ pradṛśyate। āsurirmaṇḍale tasmin pratipede tadavyayam ॥12-211-13॥
That one-syllabled Brahman, which appears in many forms, was realized as the imperishable by Āsuri in that circle.
tasya pañcaśikhaḥ śiṣyo mānuṣyā payasā bhṛtaḥ। brāhmaṇī kapilā nāma kācid āsīt kuṭumbinī ॥12-211-14॥
Pañcaśikha, his disciple, was nourished with milk by a human woman. There was a Brāhmaṇa woman named Kapilā, who was a householder.
tasyāḥ putratvam āgamya striyāḥ sa pibati stanau। tataḥ sa kāpileyatvaṃ lebhe buddhiṃ ca naiṣṭhikīm ॥12-211-15॥
Having become her son, he drank at the woman's breasts. Thereafter, he attained the status of a Kapileya and acquired steadfast wisdom.
etan me bhagavān āha kāpileyāya sambhavam। tasya tat kāpileyatvaṃ sarvavittvam anuttamam ॥12-211-16॥
The venerable one told me this origin for Kāpileya. His state of being Kāpileya is that of unsurpassed omniscience.
sāmānyaṃ kapilo jñātvā dharmajñānāmanuttamam। upetya śatamācāryānmohayāmāsa hetubhiḥ ॥12-211-17॥
Kapila, recognizing the highest knowledge of dharma as ordinary, approached a hundred teachers and bewildered them with arguments.
janakastvabhisaṁraktaḥ kāpileyānudarśanāt। utsṛjya śatamācāryānpṛṣṭhato'nu jagāma tam ॥12-211-18॥
However, Janaka, being deeply drawn by seeing the Kapileyas, left behind a hundred teachers and followed him.
tasmai paramakalpāya praṇatāya ca dharmataḥ। abravīt paramaṃ mokṣaṃ yat tat sāṅkhyaṃ vidhīyate ॥12-211-19॥
To him, the supreme adept who had bowed in accordance with dharma, he spoke of the supreme liberation, which is taught as Sāṅkhya philosophy.
jātinirvedam uktvā hi karmanairvedam abravīt। karmanairvedam uktvā ca sarvanirvedam abravīt ॥12-211-20॥
He first spoke of dispassion towards birth, then indeed spoke of dispassion towards action. Having spoken of dispassion towards action, he then spoke of dispassion towards everything.
yadarthaṃ karmasaṃsargaḥ karmaṇāṃ ca phalodayaḥ। tadanāśvāsikaṃ moghaṃ vināśi calamadhruvam ॥12-211-21॥
That for which actions are performed and their results arise is unreliable, futile, perishable, unstable, and impermanent.
dṛśyamāne vināśe ca pratyakṣe lokasākṣike। āgamāt param astīti bruvann api parājitaḥ ॥12-211-22॥
When destruction is directly seen and witnessed by the world, even one who asserts, based on scripture, that the supreme exists, is defeated.
anātmā hy ātmano mṛtyuḥ kleśo mṛtyur jarāmayaḥ। ātmānaṃ manyate mohāt tadasamyak paraṃ matam ॥12-211-23॥
To regard the not-self as the self is truly the death, affliction, and decay of the self. Out of delusion, one considers the not-self as the self; this is not the correct supreme view.
atha cedevamapyasti yalloke nopapadyate। ajaro'yamamṛtyuśca rājāsau manyate tathā ॥12-211-24॥
Now, if it is so, which is not possible in the world, this one is ageless and immortal, and that king thinks so.
asti nāstīti cāpy etat tasmin na sati lakṣaṇe। kim adhiṣṭhāya tad brūyāl lokayātrā-viniścayam ॥12-211-25॥
This notion of 'is' and 'is not'—if that characteristic does not exist, then upon what basis could one declare the certainty of how the world operates?
pratyakṣaṃ hy etayor mūlaṃ kṛtāntaitihyayor api। pratyakṣo hy āgamo'bhinnaḥ kṛtānto vā na kiñcana॥12-211-26॥
Direct perception is indeed the root of both conclusion and tradition. Direct perception is not different from scriptural authority, or conclusion is nothing at all.
yatra tatrānumāne'sti kṛtaṃ bhāvayate'pi vā। anyo jīvaḥ śarīrasya nāstikānāṃ mate smṛtaḥ ॥12-211-27॥
Wherever inference is applied, whatever is done is also considered, or otherwise. According to the opinion of the atheists, another soul of the body is recognized.
reto vaṭakaṇīkāyāṃ ghṛtapākādhivāsanam। jātismṛtirayaskāntaḥ sūryakānto'mbubhakṣaṇam ॥12-211-28॥
Semen is soaked in a pellet ball cooked with ghee. Remembrance of previous birth, magnet, sunstone, and eating water are mentioned.
pretya bhūtātyayaś caiva devatābhyupayācanam। mṛte karma-nivṛttiś ca pramāṇam iti niścayaḥ ॥12-211-29॥
The conclusion is that after death, the passing away of a being, supplication to the deities, and cessation of ritual acts for the dead are considered authoritative.
na tvete hetavaḥ santi ye kecin mūrtisaṃsthitāḥ। amartyasya hi martyena sāmānyaṃ nopapadyate ॥12-211-30॥
But these are not the causes which are established in form. Indeed, there can be no commonality between the immortal and the mortal.
avidyā-karma-ceṣṭānāṃ kecid āhuḥ punarbhavam। kāraṇaṃ lobha-mohau tu doṣāṇāṃ ca niṣevaṇam ॥12-211-31॥
Some say that ignorance, actions, and activities are the cause of rebirth; but greed, delusion, and indulgence in faults are also causes.
avidyāṃ kṣetram āhur hi karma bījaṃ tathā kṛtam। tṛṣṇāsañjananaṃ sneha eṣa teṣāṃ punarbhavaḥ ॥12-211-32॥
They say ignorance is the field, action is the seed, and craving is the attachment that causes their rebirth.
tasmin vyūḍhe ca dagdhe ca citte maraṇadharmiṇi। anyo'nyāj jāyate dehas tam āhuḥ sattvasaṅkṣayam ॥12-211-33॥
When that mind, which is subject to death, departs and is burnt, another body is born from another; this is called the dissolution of being.
yadā sa rūpataś cānyo jātitaḥ śrutito'rthataḥ। katham asmin sa ity eva sambandhaḥ syād asaṃhitaḥ ॥12-211-34॥
When he is different in form, type, sound, and meaning, how could the connection "he" exist here? Such a connection would be unconnected.
evaṃ sati ca kā prītirdānavidyātapobalaiḥ। yadanyācaritaṃ karma sarvamanyaḥ prapadyate ॥12-211-35॥
In such a situation, what affection can there be for gifts, knowledge, austerity, or strength? Whatever actions are performed by another, another attains all of them.
yadā hy ayam ihaiva anyaiḥ prākṛtaiḥ duḥkhitaḥ bhavet। sukhitaiḥ duḥkhitaiḥ vā api dṛśyaḥ api asya viniṛṇayaḥ ॥12-211-36॥
When this person here is seen by others, whether by ordinary people, by the happy or the sorrowful, it is difficult to determine his true state. 12-211-36.
tathā hi musalair hanyuḥ śarīraṃ tat punar bhavet। pṛthag-jñānaṃ yad anyac ca yena etat na upalabhyate ॥12-211-37॥
Thus, even if the body is struck with pestles, it may be restored again; but the distinct knowledge and whatever else by which this is not perceived, cannot be attained.
ṛtuḥ saṃvatsarastithyaḥ śītoṣṇe ca priyāpriye। yathātītāni paśyanti tādṛśaḥ sattvasaṅkṣayaḥ ॥12-211-38॥
Seasons, years, lunar days, cold and heat, and experiences of pleasure and pain—all these are seen as having passed by one whose vitality is diminished.
jarayā hi parītasya mṛtyunā vā vināśinā। durbalaṃ durbalaṃ pūrvaṃ gṛhasyeva vinaśyati ॥12-211-39॥
Just as in a house, the weakest part perishes first, so too, in one afflicted by old age, death, or destruction, the weakest succumbs first.
indriyāṇi mano vāyuḥ śoṇitaṃ māṃsamasthi ca। ānupūrvya vinaśyanti svaṃ dhātumupayānti ca ॥12-211-40॥
The senses, mind, vital air, blood, flesh, and bone, all perish in succession and return to their own elements.
lokayātrāvidhānaṃ ca dānadharmaphalāgamaḥ। yadarthaṃ vedaśabdāśca vyavahārāśca laukikāḥ ॥12-211-41॥
The regulation of worldly conduct and the attainment of the results of charity and righteousness—these are the purposes for which the words of the Veda and worldly practices exist.
iti samyaṅmanasyete bahavaḥ santi hetavaḥ। etadastīdamastīti na kiñcit pratipadyate ॥12-211-42॥
Thus, there are many causes in the mind; but nothing is truly apprehended as "this exists, this exists."
teṣāṃ vimṛśatām evaṃ tat tat samabhidhāvatām। kvacin niviśate buddhis tatra jīryati vṛkṣavat ॥12-211-43॥
Among those who reflect in this way and rush after various things, sometimes the intellect settles somewhere, and there it withers like a tree.
evam-arthair-anarthaiś-ca duḥkhitāḥ sarva-jantavaḥ। āgamair-apakṛṣyante hastipair-hastino yathā ॥12-211-44॥
In this way, all beings, afflicted by both fortune and misfortune, are led by external influences, just as elephants are driven by their mahouts.
arthāṃs tathā atyanta-sukhāvahāṃś ca; lipsanta ete bahavo viśulkāḥ। mahattaraṃ duḥkham abhiprapannā; hitvāmiṣaṃ mṛtyuvaśaṃ prayānti ॥12-211-45॥
Many beings, desiring objects that bring extreme happiness and are available without price, attain greater suffering; having abandoned the bait, they proceed to the power of death.
vināśino hy adhruvajīvitasya; kiṃ bandhubhir mitraparigrahaiś ca. vihāya yo gacchati sarvam eva; kṣaṇena gatvā na nivartate ca ॥12-211-46॥
For one whose life is impermanent and perishable, what use are relatives, friends, and possessions? Whoever departs, leaving all behind, goes in a moment and does not return.
bhūvyomato yānalavāyavo hi; sadā śarīraṃ paripālayanti. itīdam ālakṣya kuto ratir bhave; dvināśino hy asya na śarma vidyate ॥12-211-47॥
Earth, space, ether, water, fire, and air always sustain the body. Seeing this, how can there be pleasure in existence? For this body, which perishes twice, there is truly no happiness.
idam-anupadhi vākyam-acchalam; param-anirāmayaṃ ātma-sākṣikam। narapatiḥ abhivīkṣya vismitaḥ; punar-anuyoktum idaṃ pracakrame ॥12-211-48॥
The king, astonished after observing this unconditional and unwavering statement, which was supreme, free from affliction, and self-evident, began once more to question.
