Santi Parwa 231

Mahabharata 12.231

 

Santi Parwa 231

 

  1 [भी]
     इत्य उक्तॊ ऽभिप्रशस्यैतत परमर्षेस तु शासनम
     मॊक्षधर्मार्थसंयुक्तम इदं परस्तुं परचक्रमे
 2 [षुक]
     परजावाञ शरॊत्रियॊ यज्वा वृद्धः परज्ञॊ ऽनसूयकः
     अनागतम अनैतिह्यं कथं बरह्माधिगच्छति
 3 तपसा बरह्मचर्येण सर्वत्यागेन मेधया
     सांख्ये वा यदि वा यॊगे एतत पृष्टॊ ऽभिधत्स्व मे
 4 मनसश चेन्द्रियाणां चाप्य ऐकाग्र्यं समवाप्यते
     येनॊपायेन पुरुषैस तच च वयाख्यातुम अर्हसि
 5 [वयास]
     नान्यत्र विद्या तपसॊर नान्यत्रेन्द्रिय निग्रहात
     नान्यत्र सर्वसंत्यागात सिद्धिं विन्दति कश चन
 6 महाभूतानि सर्वाणि पूर्वसृष्टिः सवयम्भुवः
     भूयिष्ठं पराण भृद गरामे निविष्टानि शरीरिषु
 7 भूमेर देहॊ जलात सारॊ जयॊतिषश चक्षुषी समृते
     पराणापानाश्रयॊ वायुः खेष्व आकाशं शरीरिणाम
 8 करान्ते विष्णुर बले शक्रः कॊष्ठे ऽगनिर भुक्तम अर्छति
     कर्णयॊः परदिशः शरॊत्रे जिह्वायां वाक सरस्वती
 9 कर्णौ तवक चक्षुषी जिह्वा नासिका चैव पञ्चमी
     दर्शनानीन्द्रियॊक्तानि दवाराण्य आहारसिद्धये
 10 शब्दं सपर्शं तथारूपं रसं गन्धं च पञ्चमम
    इन्द्रियाणि पृथक तव अर्थान मनसॊ दर्शयन्त्य उत
 11 इन्द्रियाणि मनॊ युङ्क्ते वश्यान यन्तेव वाजिनः
    मनश चापि सदा युङ्क्ते भूतात्मा हृदयाश्रितः
 12 इन्द्रियाणां तथैवैषां सर्वेषाम ईश्वरं मनः
    नियमे च विसर्गे च भूतात्मा मनसस तथा
 13 इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थाश च सवभावश चेतना मनः
    पराणापानौ च जीवश च नित्यं देहेषु देहिनाम
 14 आश्रयॊ नास्ति सत्त्वस्य गुणशब्दॊ न चेतना
    सत्त्वं हि तेजः सृजति न गुणान वै कदा चन
 15 एवं सप्त दशं देहे वृतं सॊदशभिर गुणैः
    मनीसी मनसा विप्रः पश्यत्य आत्मानम आत्मनि
 16 न हय अयं चक्षुषा दृश्यॊ न च सर्वैर अपीन्द्रियैः
    मनसा संप्रदीप्तेन महान आत्मा परकाशते
 17 अशब्द सपर्शरूपं तद अरसागन्धम अव्ययम
    अशरीरं शरीरे सवे निरीक्षेत निरिन्द्रियम
 18 अव्यक्तं वयक्तदेहेषु मर्त्येष्व अमरम आश्रितम
    यॊ ऽनुपश्यति स परेत्य कल्पते बरह्मभूयसे
 19 विद्याभिजन संपन्ने बराह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि
    शुनि चैव शवपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः
 20 स हि सर्वेषु भूतेषु जङ्गमेषु धरुवेषु च
    वसत्य एकॊ महान आत्मा येन सर्वम इदं ततम
 21 सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि
    यदा पश्यति भूतात्मा बरह्म संपद्यते तदा
 22 यावान आत्मनि वेदात्मा तावान आत्मा परात्मनि
    य एवं सततं वेद सॊ ऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते
 23 सर्वभूतात्म भूतस्य सर्वभूतहितस्य च
    देवापि मार्गे मुह्यन्ति अपदस्य पदैषिणः
 24 शकुनीनाम इवाकाशे जले वारि चरस्य वा
    यथागतिर न दृश्येत तथैव सुमहात्मनः
 25 कालः पचति भूतानि सर्वाण्य एवात्मनात्मनि
    यस्मिंस तु पच्यते कालस तं न वेदेह कश्चनन
 26 न तद ऊर्ध्वं न तिर्यक च नाधॊ न च तिरः पुनः
    न मध्ये परतिगृह्णीते नैव कश चित कुतश चन
 27 सर्वे ऽनतःस्था इमे लॊका बाह्यम एषां न किं चन
    यः सहस्रं समागच्छेद यथा बानॊ गुणच्युतः
 28 नैवान्तं कारणस्येयाद यद्य अपि सत्या मनॊजवः
    तस्मात सूक्ष्मात सूक्ष्मतरं नास्ति सथूलतरं ततः
 29 सर्वतः पनि पादान्तं सर्वतॊ ऽकषिशिरॊमुखम
    सर्वतः शरुतिमल लॊके सर्वम आवृत्य तिष्ठति
 30 तद एवानॊर अनुतरं तन महद भयॊ महत्तरम
    तद अन्तः सर्वभूतानां धरुवं तिष्ठन न दृश्यते
 31 अक्षरं च कषरं चैव दवैधी भावॊ ऽयम आत्मनः
    कषरः सर्वेषु भूतेषु दिव्यं हय अमृतम अक्षरम
 32 नवद्वारं पुरं गत्व हंसॊ हि नियतॊ वशी
    ईशः सर्वस्य भूतस्य सथावरस्य चरस्य च
 33 हानि भङ्गविकल्पानां नवानां संश्रयेण च
    शरीराणाम अजस्याहुर हंसत्वं पारदर्शिनः
 34 हंसॊक्तं चाक्षरं चैव कूतस्थं यत तद अक्षरम
    तद विद्वान अक्षरं पराप्य जहाति पराण जन्मनी

 

 1 [bhī]
     ity ukto 'bhipraśasyaitat paramarṣes tu śāsanam
     mokṣadharmārthasaṃyuktam idaṃ prastuṃ pracakrame
 2 [ṣuka]
     prajāvāñ śrotriyo yajvā vṛddhaḥ prajño 'nasūyakaḥ
     anāgatam anaitihyaṃ kathaṃ brahmādhigacchati
 3 tapasā brahmacaryeṇa sarvatyāgena medhayā
     sāṃkhye vā yadi vā yoge etat pṛṣṭo 'bhidhatsva me
 4 manasaś cendriyāṇāṃ cāpy aikāgryaṃ samavāpyate
     yenopāyena puruṣais tac ca vyākhyātum arhasi
 5 [vyāsa]
     nānyatra vidyā tapasor nānyatrendriya nigrahāt
     nānyatra sarvasaṃtyāgāt siddhiṃ vindati kaś cana
 6 mahābhūtāni sarvāṇi pūrvasṛṣṭiḥ svayambhuvaḥ
     bhūyiṣṭhaṃ prāṇa bhṛd grāme niviṣṭāni śarīriṣu
 7 bhūmer deho jalāt sāro jyotiṣaś cakṣuṣī smṛte
     prāṇāpānāśrayo vāyuḥ kheṣv ākāśaṃ śarīriṇām
 8 krānte viṣṇur bale śakraḥ koṣṭhe 'gnir bhuktam archati
     karṇayoḥ pradiśaḥ śrotre jihvāyāṃ vāk sarasvatī
 9 karṇau tvak cakṣuṣī jihvā nāsikā caiva pañcamī
     darśanānīndriyoktāni dvārāṇy āhārasiddhaye
 10 śabdaṃ sparśaṃ tathārūpaṃ rasaṃ gandhaṃ ca pañcamam
    indriyāṇi pṛthak tv arthān manaso darśayanty uta
 11 indriyāṇi mano yuṅkte vaśyān yanteva vājinaḥ
    manaś cāpi sadā yuṅkte bhūtātmā hṛdayāśritaḥ
 12 indriyāṇāṃ tathaivaiṣāṃ sarveṣām īśvaraṃ manaḥ
    niyame ca visarge ca bhūtātmā manasas tathā
 13 indriyāṇīndriyārthāś ca svabhāvaś cetanā manaḥ
    prāṇāpānau ca jīvaś ca nityaṃ deheṣu dehinām
 14 āśrayo nāsti sattvasya guṇaśabdo na cetanā
    sattvaṃ hi tejaḥ sṛjati na guṇān vai kadā cana
 15 evaṃ sapta daśaṃ dehe vṛtaṃ sodaśabhir guṇaiḥ
    manīsī manasā vipraḥ paśyaty ātmānam ātmani
 16 na hy ayaṃ cakṣuṣā dṛśyo na ca sarvair apīndriyaiḥ
    manasā saṃpradīptena mahān ātmā prakāśate
 17 aśabda sparśarūpaṃ tad arasāgandham avyayam
    aśarīraṃ śarīre sve nirīkṣeta nirindriyam
 18 avyaktaṃ vyaktadeheṣu martyeṣv amaram āśritam
    yo 'nupaśyati sa pretya kalpate brahmabhūyase
 19 vidyābhijana saṃpanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
    śuni caiva śvapāke ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ
 20 sa hi sarveṣu bhūteṣu jaṅgameṣu dhruveṣu ca
    vasaty eko mahān ātmā yena sarvam idaṃ tatam
 21 sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani
    yadā paśyati bhūtātmā brahma saṃpadyate tadā
 22 yāvān ātmani vedātmā tāvān ātmā parātmani
    ya evaṃ satataṃ veda so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate
 23 sarvabhūtātma bhūtasya sarvabhūtahitasya ca
    devāpi mārge muhyanti apadasya padaiṣiṇaḥ
 24 śakunīnām ivākāśe jale vāri carasya vā
    yathāgatir na dṛśyeta tathaiva sumahātmanaḥ
 25 kālaḥ pacati bhūtāni sarvāṇy evātmanātmani
    yasmiṃs tu pacyate kālas taṃ na vedeha kaścanan
 26 na tad ūrdhvaṃ na tiryak ca nādho na ca tiraḥ punaḥ
    na madhye pratigṛhṇīte naiva kaś cit kutaś cana
 27 sarve 'ntaḥsthā ime lokā bāhyam eṣāṃ na kiṃ cana
    yaḥ sahasraṃ samāgacched yathā bāno guṇacyutaḥ
 28 naivāntaṃ kāraṇasyeyād yady api styā manojavaḥ
    tasmāt sūkṣmāt sūkṣmataraṃ nāsti sthūlataraṃ tataḥ
 29 sarvataḥ pani pādāntaṃ sarvato 'kṣiśiromukham
    sarvataḥ śrutimal loke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati
 30 tad evānor anutaraṃ tan mahad bhyo mahattaram
    tad antaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ dhruvaṃ tiṣṭhan na dṛśyate
 31 akṣaraṃ ca kṣaraṃ caiva dvaidhī bhāvo 'yam ātmanaḥ
    kṣaraḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu divyaṃ hy amṛtam akṣaram
 32 navadvāraṃ puraṃ gatva haṃso hi niyato vaśī
    īśaḥ sarvasya bhūtasya sthāvarasya carasya ca
 33 hāni bhaṅgavikalpānāṃ navānāṃ saṃśrayeṇa ca
    śarīrāṇām ajasyāhur haṃsatvaṃ pāradarśinaḥ
 34 haṃsoktaṃ cākṣaraṃ caiva kūtasthaṃ yat tad akṣaram
    tad vidvān akṣaraṃ prāpya jahāti prāṇa janmanī

 

"Bhishma said, 'Thus addressed (by his sire), Suka, highly applauding these instructions of the great Rishi, set himself about asking the following, question relating to the import of duties that lead to Emancipation.'

 

"Suka said, 'By what means doth one possessed of wisdom, conversant with the Vedas, observant of sacrifices, endued with wisdom, and free from malice, succeed in attaining to Brahma which is incapable of being apprehended by either direct evidence or inference, and unsusceptible of being indicated by the Vedas? Asked by me, tell me by what means is Brahma to be apprehended? Is it by penance, by Brahmacharya, by renunciation of everything, by intelligence, by the aid of the Sankhya philosophy, or by Yoga? By what means may what kind of singleness of purpose be attained by men, with respect to both, viz., the mind and the senses? It behoveth thee to expound all this to me.'

 

"Vyasa said, 'No man ever attains to success by means other than the acquisition of knowledge, the practice of penances, the subjugation of the senses, and renunciation of everything. The great entities (five in number) represent the first (or initial) creation of the Self-born. They have been very largely placed in embodied creatures included in the world of life. The bodies of all embodied creatures are derived from earth. The humours are from water. Their eyes are said to be derived from light. Prana, Apana (and the three other vital breaths) have the wind for their refuge. And, lastly, all unoccupied apertures within them (such as the nostrils, the cavities of the ear, etc.) are of Space. In the feet (of living creatures) is Vishnu. In their arms is Indra. Within the stomach is Agni desirous of eating. In the ears are the points of the horizon (or the compass) representing the sense of hearing. In the tongue is speech which is Saraswati. The ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose forming the fifth, are said to be the sense of knowledge. These exist for the purposes of apprehension of their respective objects. Sound, touch, form, taste and scent forming the fifth, are the objects of the (five) senses. These should always be regarded as separate from (or independent of) the senses. Like the charioteer setting his well-broken steeds along the paths he pleases, the mind sets the senses (along directions it pleases). The mind, in its turn, is employed by the knowledge sitting in the heart. The mind is the lord of all these senses in respect of employing them in their functions and guiding or restraining them. Similarly, the knowledge is the lord of the mind (in employing, and guiding or restraining it). The senses, the objects of the senses, the attributes of those objects represented by the word nature, knowledge, mind, the vital breaths, and Jiva dwell in the bodies of all embodied creatures. The body within which the knowledge dwells has no real existence. The body, therefore, is not the refuge of the knowledge. Primordial Nature (Prakriti) having the three attributes (of Goodness and Passion and Darkness) is the refuge of the knowledge which exists only in the form of a sound. The Soul also is not the refuge of the knowledge. It is Desire that creates the knowledge. Desire, however, never creates the three attributes. The man of wisdom, capable of subduing his senses, beholds the seventeenth, viz., the Soul, as surrounded by six and ten attributes, in his own knowledge by the aid of the mind. The Soul cannot be beheld with the aid of the eye or with that of all the senses. Transcending all, the Soul becomes visible by only the light of the mind's lamp. Divested of the properties of sound and touch and form, without taste and scent, indestructible and without a body (either gross or subtile) and without senses, it is nevertheless beheld within the body. Unmanifest and supreme, it dwells in all mortal bodies. Following the lead of the preceptor and the Vedas, he who beholds it hereafter becomes Brahma's self. They that are possessed of wisdom look with an equal eye upon a Brahmana possessed of knowledge and disciples, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a Chandala. Transcending all things, the Soul dwells in all creatures mobile and immobile. Indeed, all things are pervaded by it. When a living creature beholds his own Soul in all things, and all things in his own Soul, he is said to attain to Brahma. One occupies that much of the Supreme Soul as is commensurate with what is occupied in one's own soul by Vedic sound. He that can always realise the identity of all things with his own self certainly attains to immortality. The very gods are stupefied in the track of that trackless man who constitutes himself the soul of all creatures, who is engaged in the good of all beings, and who desire to attain to (Brahma which is) the final refuge (of all things). Indeed, the track which is pursued by men of knowledge is as visible as that of birds in the sky or of fish in water. Time of its own power, cooks all entities within itself. No one, however, knows That in which Time, in its turn, is itself cooked. That (of which I speak) does not occur above, or in the middle or below, or in transverse or in any other direction. That is to tangible entity; it is not to be found in any place. All these worlds are within That. There is nothing in these worlds that exists out of that. Even if one goes on ceaselessly with the celerity of a shaft impelled from the bow-string, even if one goes on with the speed of the mind, itself, one would not still reach the end of that which is the cause of all this. That is so gross that there is nothing grosser. His hands and feet extend everywhere. His eyes, head, and face are everywhere. His ears are everywhere in the universe. He exists overwhelming all things. That is minuter than the minutest, that is the heart of all entities. Existing, without doubt, that is still imperceptible. Indestructible and destructible,--these are the dual forms of existence of the (Supreme) Soul. In all mobile and immobile entities the existence it displays is destructible; while the existence it displays in Chaitanya is celestial, immortal, and indestructible. Though the lord of a existent beings both mobile and immobile, though inactive and divested of attributes, it enters, nevertheless, the well-known mansion of nine doors and becomes engaged in action. Men of wisdom who are capable of beholding the other shore say that the Unborn (or the Supreme Soul) becomes invested with the attribute of action in consequence of motion, pleasure and pain, variety of form, and the nine well-known possessions. That indestructible Soul which is said to be invested with the attribute of action is nothing else than that indestructible Soul which is said to be inactive. A person of knowledge, by attaining to that indestructible essence, gives up for good both life and birth.'