12.267
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
atraivodāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam। nāradasya ca saṃvādaṃ devalasyāsitasya ca ॥12-267-1॥
Right here, they recount this ancient story: the conversation between Nārada, Devala, and Āsita.
āsīnaṃ devalaṃ vṛddhaṃ buddhvā buddhimatāṃ varaḥ। nāradaḥ paripapraccha bhūtānāṃ prabhavāpyayam ॥12-267-2॥
Nārada, the best among the wise, having recognized the aged Devala who was seated, asked him about the origin and dissolution of beings.
kutaḥ sṛṣṭam idaṃ viśvaṃ brahman sthāvara-jaṅgamam। pralaye ca kam abhyeti tad bhavān prabravītu me ॥12-267-3॥
O Brahman, from where was this universe of immobile and mobile beings created, and where does it go at dissolution? Please tell me that.
asita uvāca॥
Asita said.
yebhyaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni kālo bhāvapracoditaḥ। mahābhūtāni pañceti tānyāhur bhūtacintakāḥ ॥12-267-4॥
The thinkers on beings say that Time, impelled by conditions, creates beings from these, and that these are the five great elements.
tebhyaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni kāla ātmapracoditaḥ। etebhyo yaḥ paraṃ brūyādasadbrūyādasaṃśayam ॥12-267-5॥
Time, impelled by its own nature, creates beings from them. Whoever claims something beyond this to these, certainly speaks untruth, without doubt.
viddhi nārada pañcaitāñśāśvatānacalāndhruvān। mahatas tejaso rāśīnkālaṣaṣṭhānsvabhāvataḥ ॥12-267-6॥
O Nārada, know these five as eternal, immovable, and fixed—masses of the great energy, by their nature the sixth divisions of time.
āpaś caivāntarikṣaṃ ca pṛthivī vāyupāvakau। asiddhiḥ parametebhyo bhūtebhyo muktasaṃśayam ॥12-267-7॥
Waters, sky, earth, air, and fire; imperfection is supreme, being free from doubt regarding these elements.
nopapattayā na vā yuktyā tvasadbrūyādasaṃśayam। vettha tān abhinirvṛttān ṣaḍ ete yasya rāśayaḥ ॥12-267-8॥
Certainly, you should not declare the unreal by reasoning or logic. You know well those six groups which are fully manifested in whom.
pañcaiva tāni kālaśca bhāvābhāvau ca kevalau। aṣṭau bhūtāni bhūtānāṃ śāśvatāni bhavāpyayau ॥12-267-9॥
There are five (principles), and also time, existence and non-existence, and only two (states); the eight elements of beings are eternal, as are creation and dissolution.
abhāvādbhāviteṣveva tebhyaśca prabhavantyapi. vinaṣṭo'pi ca tānyeva janturbhavati pañcadhā ॥12-267-10॥
From non-existence, beings arise in those that have come into existence, and from those, they also emerge; even when destroyed, the being again becomes those very fivefold forms.
tasya bhūmimayo dehaḥ śrotram ākāśasambhavam। sūryaś cakṣur asur vāyur adbhyas tu khalu śoṇitam ॥12-267-11॥
His body is made of earth; his ear arises from space; the sun is his eye; breath is air; and indeed, his blood is derived from water.
cakṣuṣī nāsikākarṇau tvagjihveti ca pañcamī। indriyāṇīndriyārthānāṃ jñānāni kavayo viduḥ ॥12-267-12॥
The wise know that the two eyes, nose, two ears, skin, and tongue are the five senses, and that these senses provide knowledge of their respective objects.
darśanaṃ śravaṇaṃ ghrāṇaṃ sparśanaṃ rasanaṃ tathā। upapattyā guṇānviddhi pañca pañcasu pañcadhā ॥12-267-13॥
Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting — these five senses; by reasoning, know that the qualities exist in five ways in the five (senses).
rūpaṃ gandho rasaḥ sparśaḥ śabdaścaivātha tadguṇāḥ। indriyairupalabhyante pañcadhā pañca pañcabhiḥ ॥12-267-14॥
Form, smell, taste, touch, and sound—these qualities are perceived by the five senses, each in fivefold ways.
rūpaṃ gandhaṃ rasaṃ sparśaṃ śabdaṃ caitāṃstu tadguṇān। indriyāṇi na budhyante kṣetrajñastaistu budhyate ॥12-267-15॥
Form, smell, taste, touch, and sound—these are their qualities. The senses do not perceive them, but the knower of the field perceives them through the senses.
cittam indriya-saṅghātāt paraṃ tasmāt paraṃ manaḥ। manasas tu parā buddhiḥ kṣetrajño buddhitaḥ paraḥ ॥12-267-16॥
The mind-stuff is superior to the senses; the mind is higher than that; the intellect is higher than the mind; but the knower of the field, the soul, is higher than the intellect.
pūrvaṃ cetayate jantur indriyaiḥ viṣayān pṛthak। vicārya manasā paścād atha buddhyā vyavasyati ॥ indriyaiḥ upalabdhārthān sarvān yas tu adhyavasyati ॥12-267-17॥
First, a creature perceives objects separately through the senses; then, after considering them with the mind, he determines them with the intellect. But the one who ascertains all objects apprehended by the senses—
cittam indriya-saṅghātaṃ mano buddhiṃ tathā aṣṭamīm। aṣṭau jñānendriyāṇi āhuḥ etāni adhyātma-cintakāḥ ॥12-267-18॥
Those who contemplate on the self say that mind-stuff, the aggregate of senses, mind, intellect, and likewise the eighth (sense), these eight are the sense-organs of knowledge.
pāṇipādaṃ ca pāyuśca mehanaṃ pañcamaṃ mukham। iti saṃśabdyamānāni śṛṇu karmendriyāṇyapi ॥12-267-19॥
Hear also about the organs of action: hand, foot, anus, organ of urination, and the fifth, mouth—these are so named.
jalpanābhyavahārārthaṃ mukham indriyam ucyate। gamanendriyaṃ tathā pādau karmaṇaḥ karaṇe karau ॥12-267-20॥
The mouth is considered the sense organ for speaking and eating; similarly, the feet are the organs of movement, and the hands are the instruments for performing actions.
pāyūpasthau visargārthamindriye tulyakarmaṇī। visarge ca purīṣasya visarge cābhikāmike ॥12-267-21॥
The anus and genitals are sense organs with similar functions, being involved in the excretion of feces and in sexual activity.
balaṃ ṣaṣṭhaṃ ṣaḍetāni vācā samyagyathāgamam। jñānaceṣṭendriyaguṇāḥ sarve saṃśabditā mayā ॥12-267-22॥
The sixth, strength—these six have been properly described by me in speech, according to tradition: knowledge, activity, sense qualities—all have been expressed by me.
indriyāṇāṃ svakarmabhyaḥ śramāduparamo yadā। bhavatīndriya-saṃnyāsādatha svapiti vai naraḥ॥12-267-23॥
When a man's senses cease from their own activities due to exhaustion, and he renounces sensory actions, then he truly sleeps.
indriyāṇāṃ vyuparame mano'nuparataṃ yadi। sevate viṣayāneva tadvidyātsvapnadarśanam ॥12-267-24॥
If, when the senses are at rest, the mind is not withdrawn and continues to engage with objects, one should recognize that as a dream experience.
sāttvikāścaiva ye bhāvāstathā rājasatāmasāḥ। karmayuktān praśaṁsanti sāttvikān itarāṁs tathā ॥12-267-25॥
The states of sattva, as well as those of rajas and tamas, praise those who are engaged in action; similarly, the sattvic praise others as well.
ānandaḥ karmaṇāṃ siddhiḥ pratipattiḥ parā gatiḥ। sāttvikasya nimittāni bhāvān saṃśrayate smṛtiḥ ॥12-267-26॥
The memory of a sāttvika (pure-minded) person embraces bliss, accomplishment in actions, attainment, and the supreme goal—these are the causes and states it holds.
jantuṣvekatarameṣvevaṃ bhāvā ye vidhimāsthitāḥ। bhāvayorīpsitaṃ nityaṃ pratyakṣagamanaṃ dvayoḥ ॥12-267-27॥
Among beings, whichever state has adopted the prescribed method, between the two states, the desired result is always directly attained by both.
indriyāṇi ca bhāvāś ca guṇāḥ saptadaśa smṛtāḥ। teṣām aṣṭādaśo dehī yaḥ śarīre sa śāśvataḥ॥12-267-28॥
The senses, states, and qualities are said to be seventeen in number. Among them, the eighteenth is the embodied soul, who is eternal in the body.
atha vā saśarīrās te guṇāḥ sarve śarīriṇām। saṃśritās tad-viyoge hi saśarīrā na santi te ॥12-267-29॥
Alternatively, all those qualities of embodied beings exist only with the body; when separated from the body, indeed, those embodied qualities do not exist.
atha vā saṃnipāto'yaṃ śarīraṃ pāñcabhautikam। ekaś ca daśa cāṣṭau ca guṇāḥ saha śarīriṇām ॥ ūṣmaṇā saha viṃśo vā saṅghātaḥ pāñcabhautikaḥ ॥12-267-30॥
Now, alternatively, this combination—the body—is composed of the five elements. There are one, ten, and eight qualities together with those possessing bodies. With heat included, the twentieth or the aggregate is composed of the five elements.
mahān sandhārayaty etac charīraṃ vāyunā saha। tasyāsya bhāvayuktasya nimittaṃ dehabhedane ॥12-267-31॥
The great one (Self) supports this body together with the wind (prāṇa). For him, for this one endowed with feeling, the cause for the separation of the body arises.
yathaivotpadyate kiñcitpañcatvaṃ gacchate tathā। puṇyapāpavināśānte puṇyapāpasamīritam ॥ dehaṃ viśati kālena tato'yaṃ karmasambhavam ॥12-267-32॥
Just as something is born and passes away, so too, when merit and demerit are exhausted, the body, impelled by merit and demerit, is entered (by the self) in due time; thus, this body arises from action.
hitvā hitvā hy ayaṃ praiti dehād dehaṃ kṛtāśrayaḥ। kālasañcoditaḥ kṣetrī viśīrṇād vā gṛhād gṛham ॥12-267-33॥
The soul, having left one body after another, indeed moves from one body to another, taking up a new abode each time; driven by time, the embodied soul moves from a destroyed body or from one dwelling to another.
tatra naiva anutapyante prājñā niścitaniścayāḥ। kṛpaṇās tu anutapyante janāḥ sambandhimāninaḥ॥12-267-34॥
There, the wise of firm resolve do not grieve; but pitiable people, those who consider themselves related, do grieve.
na hy ayaṃ kasyacit kaścin nāsya kaścana vidyate। bhavati ekaḥ hi ayaṃ nityaṃ śarīre sukhaduḥkhabhāk ॥12-267-35॥
Truly, this self does not belong to anyone, nor does anyone belong to it; this one alone always experiences pleasure and pain in the body.
naiva sañjāyate janturna ca jātu vipadyate। yāti dehamayaṃ bhuktvā kadācitparamāṃ gatim ॥12-267-36॥
The creature is neither truly born nor ever perishes; after experiencing the embodied state, it sometimes attains the supreme state.
puṇyapāpamayaṃ dehaṃ kṣapayan karmasañcayāt। kṣīṇadehaḥ punardehī brahmatvam upagacchati ॥12-267-37॥
When the embodied soul, having destroyed the body made of merit and sin that arises from accumulated actions, and with the body diminished, is reborn, it attains the state of Brahman.
puṇyapāpakṣayārthaṃ ca sāṅkhyaṃ jñānaṃ vidhīyate। tatkṣaye hyasya paśyanti brahmabhāve parāṃ gatim ॥12-267-38॥
Sāṅkhya knowledge is prescribed for the destruction of merit and demerit; when that is destroyed, one indeed perceives the supreme state of Brahman.
