12.242
śuka uvāca॥
Śuka said.
yasmāddharmāt paro dharmo vidyate neha kaścana। yo viśiṣṭaś ca dharmebhyas taṃ bhavān prabravītu me ॥12-242-1॥
Please declare to me that dharma which is higher than all other dharmas, if any such exists, and which is distinguished among dharmas.
vyāsa uvāca॥
Vyāsa said.
dharmaṃ te sampravakṣyāmi purāṇamṛṣi-saṃstutam। viśiṣṭaṃ sarvadharmebhyas-tam-ihaika-manāḥ śṛṇu ॥12-242-2॥
I shall now declare to you the duty, ancient and praised by sages, which is distinguished from all other duties; listen to it here with single-minded attention.
indriyāṇi pramāthīni buddhyā saṃyamya yatnataḥ। sarvato niṣpatiṣṇūni pitā bālān ivātmajān ॥12-242-3॥
Just as a father restrains his own children who are eager to run away in all directions, so too, one should restrain the turbulent senses with effort and intellect.
manasaś cendriyāṇāṃ ca hyaikāgryaṃ paramaṃ tapaḥ। tajjyāyaḥ sarvadharmebhyaḥ sa dharmaḥ para ucyate ॥12-242-4॥
Single-pointedness of the mind and senses is considered the highest austerity. This is regarded as greater than all other duties; such a duty is called supreme.
tāni sarvāṇi sandhāya manaḥṣaṣṭhāni medhayā। ātmatṛpta ivāsīta bahu cintyam acintayan ॥12-242-5॥
Having united all those (senses) with the mind as the sixth by intelligence, he, as if self-satisfied, remained not thinking about the many things that ought to be thought about.
gocarebhyo nivṛttāni yadā sthāsyanti veśmani। tadā tvam ātmanātmānaṃ paraṃ drakṣyasi śāśvatam ॥12-242-6॥
When your senses are withdrawn from their objects and remain within, then you will perceive the supreme, eternal Self by your own Self.
sarvātmānaṃ mahātmānaṃ vidhūmamiva pāvakam। taṃ paśyanti mahātmāno brāhmaṇā ye manīṣiṇaḥ ॥12-242-7॥
The wise brāhmaṇas, who are great-souled, see him who is the soul of all, great-souled, and like a smokeless fire.
yathā puṣpaphalopeto bahuśākho mahādrumaḥ। ātmano nābhijānīte kva me puṣpaṃ kva me phalam ॥12-242-8॥
Just as a great tree with many branches, covered with flowers and fruits, does not know itself where its flowers or fruits are, so too (is the case here).
evamātmā na jānīte kva gamiṣye kuto nvaham। anyo hyatrāntarātmāsti yaḥ sarvamanupaśyati ॥12-242-9॥
Thus, the self does not know, 'Where will I go? From where indeed am I?' Here, indeed, there is another inner self who sees all.
jñānadīpena dīptena paśyaty ātmānam ātmanā। dṛṣṭvā tvam ātmanātmānaṃ nirātmā bhava sarvavit ॥12-242-10॥
With the shining lamp of knowledge, one perceives the self by the self. Having thus seen, you too, by the self, perceive the self; then become selfless, a knower of all.
vimuktaḥ sarvapāpebhyo muktatvaca ivoragaḥ। parāṃ buddhim avāpyeha vipāpmā vigatajvaraḥ ॥12-242-11॥
Freed from all sins, just as a serpent is after shedding its skin, one who has attained supreme wisdom here becomes sinless and free from all afflictions.
sarvataḥsrotasaṃ ghorāṃ nadīṃ lokapravāhinīm। pañcendriyagrāhavatīṃ manaḥsaṅkalparodhasam ॥12-242-12॥
A dreadful river, fed by streams from all directions, carrying the current of people, grasped by the five senses, and blocked by the determinations of the mind.
lobhamoha-tṛṇa-cchannāṃ kāma-krodha-sarīsṛpām। satya-tīrthānṛta-kṣobhāṃ krodha-paṅkāṃ sarid-varām ॥12-242-13॥
The best of rivers is covered by the grass of greed and delusion, infested with the serpents of desire and anger, with fords of truth and disturbances of falsehood, and muddied by anger.
avyaktaprabhavāṃ śīghrāṃ dustarāmakṛtātmabhiḥ। pratarasva nadīṃ buddhyā kāmagrāhasamākulām ॥12-242-14॥
Cross the river, which arises from the unmanifest, is swift, difficult to cross for those without self-mastery, and is agitated by the crocodiles of desire, by means of intellect.
saṃsārasāgaragamāṃ yonipātāladustarām। ātmajanmodbhavāṃ tāta jihvāvartāṃ durāsadām ॥12-242-15॥
O dear, the movement of the tongue, which leads to the ocean of worldly existence, is difficult to cross like the netherworld of the womb, and arises from the birth of the self; it is hard to overcome.
yāṃ taranti kṛtaprajñā dhṛtimanto manīṣiṇaḥ। tāṃ tīrṇaḥ sarvatomukto vipūtātmātmavicchuciḥ ॥12-242-16॥
That state, which is crossed by those of established wisdom, steadfastness, and discernment—he who has crossed that, being freed from all sides, with a purified self and intellect, is pure.
uttamāṃ buddhim āsthāya brahmabhūyaṃ gamiṣyasi. santīrṇaḥ sarvasaṅkleśān prasannātmā vikalmaṣaḥ ॥12-242-17॥
By adopting the highest wisdom, you will reach the state of Brahman. Freed from all afflictions, with a serene mind and pure of sin, you will attain liberation.
bhūmiṣṭhānīva bhūtāni parvatastho niśāmaya। akrudhyannaprahṛṣyaṃśca nanṛśaṃsamatistathā ॥ tato drakṣyasi bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prabhavāpyayau ॥12-242-18॥
Stand firmly on the ground and, like one on a mountain, observe all beings without anger, without elation, and with a mind free from cruelty. Then you will perceive the origin and dissolution of all beings.
evaṃ vai sarvadharmebhyo viśiṣṭaṃ menire budhāḥ। dharmaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭha munayastattvadarśinaḥ ॥12-242-19॥
Thus, the wise considered that among all dharmas, dharma is the most distinguished; the sages who know the truth regarded dharma as the highest among those who uphold dharma.
ātmano'vyayino jñātvā idaṃ putrānuśāsanam। prayatāya pravaktavyaṃ hitāyānugatāya ca ॥12-242-20॥
Having realized the imperishable self, this instruction to the son should be given only to one who is diligent, for his welfare, and to one who is obedient.
ātmajñānam idaṃ guhyaṃ sarvaguhyatamaṃ mahat। abruvaṃ yad ahaṃ tāta ātmasākṣikam añjasā ॥12-242-21॥
O dear one, I have directly spoken to you this self-knowledge, the greatest and most secret of all secrets, which pertains to direct realization of the Self.
naiva strī na pumānetannaiva cedaṃ napuṃsakam। aduḥkhamasukhṃ brahma bhūtabhavyabhavātmakam ॥12-242-22॥
This is neither a woman nor a man nor neuter; Brahman is beyond sorrow and happiness, and is of the nature of past, future, and present.
naitajjñātvā pumāns trī vā punarbhavam avāpnuyāt। abhavapratipatt-yartham etad vartma vidhīyate ॥12-242-23॥
If one does not know this, whether man or woman, one is subject to rebirth. This path is prescribed for the attainment of non-existence (liberation from rebirth).
yathā matāni sarvāṇi na caitāni yathā tathā। kathitāni mayā putra bhavanti na bhavanti ca ॥12-242-24॥
O son, just as all opinions are not exactly these, so too, those which I have spoken may or may not come to be.
tat-prīti-yuktena guṇānvitena; putreṇa sat-putra-guṇānvitena। pṛṣṭo hīdaṃ prītimatā hitārthaṃ; brūyāt sutasya iha yad uktam etat ॥12-242-25॥
When a son endowed with the qualities of a good son, full of affection and virtues, is asked something here with affection for his benefit, whatever is spoken by him should be said.
