12.309
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O descendant of Kuru, I wish to hear how Śuka, the son of Vyāsa, formerly attained dispassion; for I am indeed curious about this. (12-309-1)
Bhishma said.
The father, having taught his son the entire self-study, observed him living fearlessly by natural and good conduct. (12-309-2)
O son, practice righteousness; indeed, always conquer the two sharp opposites, cold and heat, as well as hunger, thirst, and wind, O self-controlled one. (12-309-3)
Protect truth, straightforwardness, absence of anger, absence of envy, self-restraint, austerity, non-violence, and compassion, all in accordance with the rules. (12-309-4)
Stand firm in truth, delight in righteousness, abandoning all dishonesty; with what remains after offerings to deity and guest, sustain the journey of your life. (12-309-5)
O son, when the body is like a vessel of foam, the soul resides like a bird, and both the body and the company of loved ones are impermanent, how can you sleep so peacefully? (12-309-6)
O child, you do not perceive the difference among those who are not careless, those who are awake, those who are always engaged, among enemies, and among those who are seeking gain. (12-309-7)
As the years are being counted and your lifespan is diminishing, and as your life is being reduced, why do you not rise up and act quickly? (12-309-8)
They pursue only worldly gains, seeking the increase of flesh and blood. When it comes to actions concerning the next world, they are dormant and extremely atheistic. (12-309-9)
Those men who, due to delusion of intellect, bear ill-will towards dharma, and walk the wrong path— even their followers are afflicted. (12-309-10)
But those who are content, well-disciplined, devoted to the true doctrine, and who have set upon the righteous path—approach them, serve them, and ask them questions. (12-309-11)
After considering the opinion of those elders who are seers of dharma, restrain your mind that is going astray by means of supreme intellect. (12-309-12)
Those who, with a present-minded intellect, think 'tomorrow is far' and are fearless, all-consuming, and unintelligent, do not see the field of action. (12-309-13)
By taking hold of the ladder of righteousness and climbing little by little, you wrap yourself up like a cocoon-maker and do not realize it. (12-309-14)
Treat an atheist, one who has broken boundaries and is unstable like one fallen from the riverbank, as you would a proud bamboo—deal confidently with such a man on the left. (12-309-15)
With a boat made of fortitude, cross over the river of desire, anger, death, and the waters of the five senses, thus overcoming the fortresses of birth. (12-309-16)
When the world is struck by death and afflicted by old age, as the worthy ones fall, cross over by the vehicle of dharma. (12-309-17)
Whether standing or lying down, death seeks you; when you obtain release, from where and unexpectedly, you are consumed by death. (12-309-18)
Death, having seized this person who is ever accumulating and never satisfied with desires, departs just as a she-wolf goes off after obtaining her prey. (12-309-19)
Step by step, the great one whose intellect is filled with righteousness and who has accumulated merit, when entering darkness, should carefully hold the lamp. (12-309-20)
O son, sometimes a being attains prosperity and a network of bodies in this human birth; but Brahminhood is obtained—therefore, protect that (Brahminhood). (12-309-21)
Indeed, the body of a brāhmaṇa is not born for the pursuit of desire; here it is for hardship and austerity, but after departing, there is incomparable happiness. (12-309-22)
The state of being a Brāhmaṇa is attained by many through austerities; once obtained, it should not be demeaned by trading it away. Always be engaged in self-study, austerity, and self-restraint; desiring welfare and devoted to skill, always strive. (12-309-23)
This, whose nature is unmanifest, is the body composed of parts; its self is subtle, lord of moments and instants, with blinks as its hairs. With seasons as its mouth, equal in strength, with eyes white and black; flesh-limbed, it melts away as the horse of time for men. (12-309-24)
Having seen him rushing forward with unceasing and fierce speed, always going here without looking back, if your attention is not on another's instigation, let your mind be supremely fixed in dharma, having heard this. (12-309-25)
But these, engaged in the conduct of prevailing dharma and desire, constantly joined with the undesirable, cry out. Their bodies, having undergone pain, are afflicted by many intense tendencies of adharma. (12-309-26)
The king, who is always devoted to dharma and protects the auspicious, after observing the virtuous, bestows worlds upon them. He grants various kinds of happiness, even those not yet attained and blameless, to those who act. (12-309-27)
Dogs for terror, iron-mouthed birds, and assemblies of vultures and crows; blood-drinking men in the slaughter, driven by the command of the elders, ceased, they tear apart. (12-309-28)
He who breaks the boundaries fixed by the self-existent here, tenfold due to following his mind, dwells very unhappily in the ancestral domain; having entered the forest, that sinner. (12-309-29)
A person who is greedy, greatly fond of speaking pleasing falsehoods, and always delights in deceit and cheating, by misusing deposits causes unhappiness, and being a doer of evil deeds, he goes to the highest hell and experiences intense suffering. (12-309-30)
He is immersed in the hot Vaitarani, the great river, his body wounded by the forest of sword-leaves. Fallen and lying in the forest of axes, he dwells in the great hell, greatly afflicted. (12-309-31)
You boast of great dangers, yet you do not consider the future; after a long time, you do not realize the impending cause of death. (12-309-32)
Let action be taken; why wait when great danger has arisen? Since the peril is very destructive and terrible, arrangements for happiness should be made. (12-309-33)
Once dead, you are led by the terrible servants from the command of Yama to his presence; therefore, act with effort and uprightness. (12-309-34)
In the past, the lord takes away everything, including roots and relatives, without knowing sorrow. Here, regarding your life, Yama is present, and there is no one who can prevent him. (12-309-35)
In the past, the wind, who is the forerunner of Yama, blows; in the end, you are led alone—therefore, do what pertains to the next world. (12-309-36)
Once, with a gasp, your wind, the destroyer, blows; and once, your directions wander when great danger approaches. (12-309-37)
O son, here formerly your memory too is completely restrained; as you go, being agitated, attain the supreme concentration. (12-309-38)
Do not grieve over actions done or not done, good or bad, or those ruined by negligence in the past; remember this and simply preserve the true treasure. (12-309-39)
In the past, old age destroys your body. Since it takes away strength, limbs, and beauty, you should deposit only the true treasure. (12-309-40)
Before death breaks the body with the arrows of disease and forcibly ends life, practice great austerity. (12-309-41)
Formerly, terrifying wolves that moved among human bodies would rush from all sides; therefore, strive, O virtuous one. (12-309-42)
Once, you saw only darkness alone; now, hasten indeed. Soon, you will see golden mountains on the mountain peak. (12-309-43)
In the past, your bad associations—enemies appearing as friends—disturb you merely by their presence; therefore, son, strive for that which is highest. (12-309-44)
Acquire that wealth of which there is no fear from the king or from thieves, which even when dead does not leave you; acquire such wealth. (12-309-45)
There, actions are not mutually divided among each other. Whatever is deserved by someone, that alone he obtains there. (12-309-46)
O son, only that should be given by which one lives in the next world. You yourself should acquire that wealth which is imperishable and everlasting. (12-309-47)
You are not led away for the barley of a great person as long as it is being cooked. You are hurriedly led away before the barley is even cooked. (12-309-48)
Neither mother, father, nor relatives, nor even a beloved person who is praised, follow one who departs alone in difficulty. (12-309-49)
Whatever action, whether auspicious or inauspicious, is done solely by oneself, that alone becomes his destined result there (in the next world) for the one who departs. (12-309-50)
The collections of gold and jewels, amassed through auspicious or inauspicious means, do not serve any purpose for a person at the time of the destruction of his body. (12-309-51)
For the one who goes to the other world, regarding your actions done and not done, there is no one among men here who is equal to the witnessing self. (12-309-52)
When one departs there, the human body becomes empty. Observe with the eye of intellect, for indeed it is perceived everywhere. (12-309-53)
Here, the three—fire, sun, and winds—reside in the body; they indeed become his witnesses, being knowers of dharma. (12-309-54)
Just as in all nights, touching every side and every door, whether in manifest or hidden conduct, always protect your own dharma. (12-309-55)
Even in a place full of many obstacles, guarded by the ugly and the terrible, one's own action alone is protected; one's own action reaches there. (12-309-56)
There, the results of actions are not mutually shared by one's own deeds. Whatever is done, the fruit produced by one's own action alone is indeed enjoyed. (12-309-57)
Just as groups of apsarases enjoy the fruit of happiness together with great sages, so too, those who travel to desired aerial vehicles attain this by their actions. (12-309-58)
Just as here, whatever auspicious act is performed by those free from sin and self-controlled, that is attained by men; so also is it attained by those of pure origin. (12-309-59)
By the bridges of householder's dharma, they attain the supreme state, reaching the same world as Prajāpati, Bṛhaspati, and Śatakratu (Indra). (12-309-60)
Even if we are able to declare in thousands and many ways, without the Lord, not even a little of bewildering the unintelligent can be done again. (12-309-61)
The period of twenty-eight years has passed; you are now certainly twenty-five years old. Accumulate merit, for your age is indeed passing by. (12-309-62)
Formerly, he who enacts restraint in the form of negligence is death. As soon as it is taken up, arise and hasten to protect dharma. (12-309-63)
When you yourself will go both behind and ahead, then what is the use of the path for one who is going, whether by oneself or by another? (12-309-64)
Deposit that great treasure, which becomes the next-worldly support for the good who go alone there, in dangers. (12-309-65)
The lord takes away even one who is unattached, along with his family, roots, and relatives. For the one who has no obstacles, accumulate righteousness. (12-309-66)
Son, this example, which I have described here for you and which is approved, has been set forth based on my own observation and inference; act accordingly. (12-309-67)
Of those who, by their own actions, place wealth in the hands of anyone, only one out of a hundred is truly joined by qualities born of ignorance and delusion. (12-309-68)
May what you have heard be capable for you as you perform auspicious actions. There, that alone is the vision—grateful and full of meaning. (12-309-69)
This attachment to village life is a binding rope; the virtuous, having cut it, go (beyond), but the wicked do not cut it. (12-309-70)
What use is wealth to you, or relatives to you? What use are sons to you, O little son, who will die? Seek the self that has entered the cave; where have all your forefathers gone? (12-309-71)
One should do tomorrow's task today, and the afternoon's task in the forenoon; for who indeed knows for whom death's army will be deployed today? (12-309-72)
Relatives accompany one to the end of the cremation ground, and here they return; after casting the person into the fire, the kinsmen and friends do the same. (12-309-73)
Confidently act against the atheists, the merciless men standing with evil intent on the left, striving for the other side without sloth. (12-309-74)
Thus, when the world is afflicted and oppressed by time, take up great courage and practice righteousness with all your heart. (12-309-75)
Now, a human who rightly knows this method of vision, having properly performed duty here, attains happiness in the next world. (12-309-76)
For those who know, death does not occur at the separation of the body; nor is there destruction on the well-followed path. He who increases dharma is truly wise; but he who falls away from dharma becomes deluded. (12-309-77)
Among those engaged in action on their own path, the instigator receives the fruit as prescribed. One who is deficient in action attains hell, while the one who is accomplished in righteousness goes to heaven. (12-309-78)
Having attained human birth, which is a rare means of ascent to heaven, one should thus steady the self so as not to fall again as before. (12-309-79)
He whose mind does not stray and follows the path to heaven is said to be a man of virtuous deeds, not to be mourned by friends and relatives. (12-309-80)
He whose intellect is not overpowered and does not depend on determinations, for him, who has made opportunity in heaven, there is no great fear. (12-309-81)
Those who were born in the forest-hermitages and died there itself, for them, who did not know the enjoyment of desires, their merit is very little. (12-309-82)
But as for one who, having renounced enjoyments, practices austerity with the body, nothing is attained by him; to me, that is the most highly regarded fruit. (12-309-83)
Thousands of mothers and fathers, hundreds of sons and wives—those not yet come and those past—whose are they to you, or whose are we? (12-309-84)
You have nothing to do for them, nor do they have anything to do for you; by their own actions, they have gone, and you too will indeed go. (12-309-85)
Here in this world, even a stranger to the wealthy is regarded as family, but the family of the poor, even while alive, is lost. (12-309-86)
A man, depending on his wife, accumulates unwholesome deeds; as a result, he suffers affliction both here and in the next world in the same way. (12-309-87)
See, you, the world of living beings has indeed become full of flaws by their own actions. Therefore, my son, do entirely as has been declared. (12-309-88)
Having thoroughly observed this, and having entered the field of action, one who desires the next world should perform auspicious deeds. (12-309-89)
Time, which brings about the change of months and seasons, which is the fire of the sun, which uses night and day as its fuel, and which witnesses the results of steadfastness in one's own actions, forcefully matures all beings. (12-309-90)
Of what use is wealth if one does not give or enjoy it? Of what use is strength if one does not subdue enemies? Of what use is learning if one does not practice righteousness? Of what use is oneself if one has not conquered the senses and is not self-controlled? (12-309-91)
Having heard these beneficial words spoken by Dvaipayana, Shuka, abandoning his father, the teacher of liberation, departed. (12-309-92)
