12.231
भीष्म उवाच॥
Bhīṣma said.
इत्युक्तोऽभिप्रशस्यैतत्परमर्षेस्तु शासनम्। मोक्षधर्मार्थसंयुक्तमिदं प्रष्टुं प्रचक्रमे ॥१२-२३१-१॥
Thus, having been addressed and especially praised, he began to ask about this instruction of the supreme sage, which is combined with liberation, virtue, and purpose.
शुक उवाच॥
Śuka said.
प्रजावाञ्श्रोत्रियो यज्वा वृद्धः प्रज्ञोऽनसूयकः। अनागतमनैतिह्यं कथं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति ॥१२-२३१-२॥
How does a person who has progeny, is learned in the Vedas, performs sacrifices, is aged, wise, and free from envy, attain Brahman that is not yet manifest and not established by tradition?
तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण सर्वत्यागेन मेधया। साङ्ख्ये वा यदि वा योगे एतत्पृष्टोऽभिधत्स्व मे ॥१२-२३१-३॥
Tell me this, whether it is through austerity, celibacy, complete renunciation, intelligence, Sāṅkhya, or Yoga, as I have asked.
मनसश्चेन्द्रियाणां चाप्यैकाग्र्यं समवाप्यते। येनोपायेन पुरुषैस्तच्च व्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥१२-२३१-४॥
Concentration of the mind and the senses is also attained; by whatever means men achieve this, you ought to explain that. 12-231-4.
व्यास उवाच॥
Vyāsa said.
नान्यत्र विद्यातपसोर्नान्यत्रेन्द्रियनिग्रहात्। नान्यत्र सर्वसन्त्यागात्सिद्धिं विन्दति कश्चन ॥१२-२३१-५॥
No one attains perfection except through knowledge and austerity, restraint of the senses, and complete renunciation.
महाभूतानि सर्वाणि पूर्वसृष्टिः स्वयम्भुवः। भूयिष्ठं प्राणभृद्ग्रामे निविष्टानि शरीरिषु ॥१२-२३१-६॥
All the great elements, created earlier by the self-born Brahmā, are predominantly present in the bodies of living beings.
भूमेर्देहो जलात्सारो ज्योतिषश्चक्षुषी स्मृते। प्राणापानाश्रयो वायुः खेष्वाकाशं शरीरिणाम् ॥१२-२३१-७॥
The body is formed from earth, the essence from water, the eyes are considered to be of light; air is the support of prāṇa and apāna; and ether is present in the spaces within embodied beings.
क्रान्ते विष्णुर्बले शक्रः कोष्ठेऽग्निर्भुक्तमर्छति। कर्णयोः प्रदिशः श्रोत्रे जिह्वायां वाक्सरस्वती ॥१२-२३१-८॥
When traversing, Viṣṇu is present; in strength, Indra; in the stomach, Agni purifies what is eaten; in the ears, the directions; in the organ of hearing, in the tongue, speech, Sarasvatī.
कर्णौ त्वक्चक्षुषी जिह्वा नासिका चैव पञ्चमी। दर्शनानीन्द्रियोक्तानि द्वाराण्याहारसिद्धये ॥१२-२३१-९॥
The ears, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose—these five senses, described as means of perception, are the doors through which intake is accomplished.
शब्दं स्पर्शं तथा रूपं रसं गन्धं च पञ्चमम्। इन्द्रियाणि पृथक्त्वर्थान्मनसो दर्शयन्त्युत ॥१२-२३१-१०॥
The senses present to the mind the objects of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, each as distinct.
इन्द्रियाणि मनो युङ्क्ते वश्यान्यन्तेव वाजिनः। मनश्चापि सदा युङ्क्ते भूतात्मा हृदयाश्रितः ॥१२-२३१-११॥
The mind controls the senses as a charioteer controls well-trained horses; and the embodied self, dwelling in the heart, always directs the mind as well.
इन्द्रियाणां तथैवेषां सर्वेषामीश्वरं मनः। नियमे च विसर्गे च भूतात्मा मनसस्तथा ॥१२-२३१-१२॥
The mind is the lord of all these senses; in both restraint and release, the self of beings is likewise dependent on the mind.
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थाश्च स्वभावश्चेतना मनः। प्राणापानौ च जीवश्च नित्यं देहेषु देहिनाम् ॥१२-२३१-१३॥
The senses, their objects, innate nature, consciousness, mind, the vital breaths prāṇa and apāna, and the living being are always present in the bodies of embodied beings.
आश्रयो नास्ति सत्त्वस्य गुणशब्दो न चेतना। सत्त्वं हि तेजः सृजति न गुणान्वै कदाचन ॥१२-२३१-१४॥
There is no support for sattva; the word 'guṇa' does not mean consciousness. Sattva indeed produces light, but never qualities.
एवं सप्तदशं देहे वृतं षोडशभिर्गुणैः। मनीषी मनसा विप्रः पश्यत्यात्मानमात्मनि ॥१२-२३१-१५॥
Thus, the wise sage, by the mind, perceives the seventeenth self, enveloped in the body by sixteen qualities, as the self within the self.
न ह्ययं चक्षुषा दृश्यो न च सर्वैरपीन्द्रियैः। मनसा सम्प्रदीप्तेन महानात्मा प्रकाशते ॥१२-२३१-१६॥
This is not seen by the eye, nor by all the senses; only by a mind that is fully illumined does the great self become manifest.
अशब्दस्पर्शरूपं तदरसागन्धमव्ययम्। अशरीरं शरीरे स्वे निरीक्षेत निरिन्द्रियम् ॥१२-२३१-१७॥
One should perceive within one's own body that imperishable, bodiless principle which is devoid of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, and is without senses.
अव्यक्तं व्यक्तदेहेषु मर्त्येष्वमरमाश्रितम्। योऽनुपश्यति स प्रेत्य कल्पते ब्रह्मभूयसे ॥१२-२३१-१८॥
He who perceives the unmanifest, the immortal residing in the manifest bodies among mortals, after departing from this world, becomes eligible for union with Brahman.
विद्याभिजनसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि। शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥१२-२३१-१९॥
The wise see with equal vision a Brāhmaṇa endowed with knowledge and noble birth, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater.
स हि सर्वेषु भूतेषु जङ्गमेषु ध्रुवेषु च। वसत्येको महानात्मा येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥१२-२३१-२०॥
He is indeed the one great soul who dwells in all beings, both moving and unmoving, by whom all this is pervaded.
सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि। यदा पश्यति भूतात्मा ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा ॥१२-२३१-२१॥
When one sees the self in all beings and all beings in the self, then the embodied self attains Brahman.
यावानात्मनि वेदात्मा तावानात्मा परात्मनि। य एवं सततं वेद सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥१२-२३१-२२॥
To the extent that one knows the self within oneself, to that extent the self is known in the supreme self. Whoever always knows thus becomes eligible for immortality.
सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्य सर्वभूतहितस्य च। देवापि मार्गे मुह्यन्ति अपदस्य पदैषिणः ॥१२-२३१-२३॥
Even the gods become bewildered on the path of one who is the self and well-wisher of all beings; seekers of the path of the pathless are confounded.
शकुनीनामिवाकाशे जले वारिचरस्य वा। यथा गतिर्न दृश्येत तथैव सुमहात्मनः ॥१२-२३१-२४॥
Just as the movement of birds in the sky or of an aquatic animal in water is not seen, so too is the path of the very great-souled one unseen.
कालः पचति भूतानि सर्वाण्येवात्मनात्मनि। यस्मिंस्तु पच्यते कालस्तं न वेदेह कश्चन ॥१२-२३१-२५॥
Time indeed matures all beings within itself. But the one in whom time itself is matured, no one here knows.
न तदूर्ध्वं न तिर्यक्च नाधो न च तिरः पुनः। न मध्ये प्रतिगृह्णीते नैव कश्चित्कुतश्चन ॥१२-२३१-२६॥
It is not above, not across, not below, nor sideways again; it does not accept in the middle, nor does anyone accept it from anywhere.
सर्वेऽन्तःस्था इमे लोका बाह्यमेषां न किञ्चन। यः सहस्रं समागच्छेद्यथा बाणो गुणच्युतः ॥१२-२३१-२७॥
All these worlds exist within; for them, there is nothing outside. Even if a thousand were to gather, it would be like arrows released from a bowstring.
नैवान्तं कारणस्येयाद्यद्यपि स्यान्मनोजवः। तस्मात्सूक्ष्मात्सूक्ष्मतरं नास्ति स्थूलतरं ततः ॥१२-२३१-२८॥
Even if one had the speed of mind, one could not reach the end of the cause. Therefore, there is nothing subtler than the subtle, nor anything grosser than that.
सर्वतःपाणिपादान्तं सर्वतोक्षिशिरोमुखम्। सर्वतःश्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ॥१२-२३१-२९॥
He has hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, and faces everywhere, ears everywhere in the world; having pervaded everything, he abides.
तदेवाणोरणुतरं तन्महद्भ्यो महत्तरम्। तदन्तः सर्वभूतानां ध्रुवं तिष्ठन्न दृश्यते ॥१२-२३१-३०॥
That is indeed subtler than the atom and greater than the great. Abiding as the constant within all beings, it is not seen.
अक्षरं च क्षरं चैव द्वैधीभावोऽयमात्मनः। क्षरः सर्वेषु भूतेषु दिव्यं ह्यमृतमक्षरम् ॥१२-२३१-३१॥
The self has a dual nature as imperishable and perishable; the perishable exists in all beings, while the divine is the immortal imperishable.
नवद्वारं पुरं गत्वा हंसो हि नियतो वशी। ईशः सर्वस्य भूतस्य स्थावरस्य चरस्य च ॥१२-२३१-३२॥
Having entered the city with nine gates, the soul, being self-controlled and self-possessed, is the lord of all beings, both stationary and moving.
हानिभङ्गविकल्पानां नवानां संश्रयेण च। शरीराणामजस्याहुर्हंसत्वं पारदर्शिनः ॥१२-२३१-३३॥
The wise say that, by association, the loss, destruction, and alternatives of new things pertain to the bodies of the unborn; the state of a swan is attributed to those who see through (the truth).
हंसोक्तं चाक्षरं चैव कूटस्थं यत्तदक्षरम्। तद्विद्वानक्षरं प्राप्य जहाति प्राणजन्मनी ॥१२-२३१-३४॥
The wise one, having realized the imperishable truth declared by the swan, abandons the cycle of birth and life.
