Brahma Purana — Chapter 234
BrP 234.1
आध्यात्मिकादि भो विप्रा ज्ञात्वा तापत्रयं बुधः उत्पन्नज्ञानवैराग्यः प्राप्नोत्य् आत्यन्तिकं लयम् ॥
ādhyātmikādi bho viprā jñātvā tāpatrayaṃ budhaḥ utpannajñānavairāgyaḥ prāpnoty ātyantikaṃ layam //
O brahmins, having understood the threefold affliction, that pertaining to the self and the rest, the wise man, in whom knowledge and dispassion have arisen, attains the final dissolution.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.2
आध्यात्मिको ऽपि द्विविधः शारीरो मानसस् तथा शारीरो बहुभिर् भेदैर् भिद्यते श्रूयतां च सः ॥
ādhyātmiko 'pi dvividhaḥ śārīro mānasas tathā śārīro bahubhir bhedair bhidyate śrūyatāṃ ca saḥ //
The affliction pertaining to the self is itself of two kinds: bodily and mental. The bodily is divided into many varieties; hear about it.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.3
शिरोरोगप्रतिश्यायज्वरशूलभगंदरैः गुल्मार्शःश्वयथुश्वासच्छर्द्यादिभिर् अनेकधा ॥
śirorogapratiśyāyajvaraśūlabhagaṃdaraiḥ gulmārśaḥśvayathuśvāsacchardyādibhir anekadhā //
(It is divided) in many ways by headache, catarrh, fever, colic, fistula, by abdominal tumour, hemorrhoids, swelling, difficult breathing, vomiting and the rest,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.4
तथाक्षिरोगातीसारकुष्ठाङ्गामयसंज्ञकैः भिद्यते देहजस् तापो मानसं श्रोतुम् अर्हथ ॥
tathākṣirogātīsārakuṣṭhāṅgāmayasaṃjñakaiḥ bhidyate dehajas tāpo mānasaṃ śrotum arhatha //
and likewise by those called eye-disease, dysentery, leprosy, and ailments of the limbs — thus is the body-born affliction divided. Now you should hear of the mental one.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.5
कामक्रोधभयद्वेषलोभमोहविषादजः शोकासूयावमानेर्ष्यामात्सर्याभिभवस् तथा ॥
kāmakrodhabhayadveṣalobhamohaviṣādajaḥ śokāsūyāvamānerṣyāmātsaryābhibhavas tathā //
Born of desire, anger, fear, hatred, greed, delusion, dejection, and likewise the overwhelming (that comes) from grief, detraction, humiliation, envy and spite —
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.6
मानसो ऽपि द्विजश्रेष्ठास् तापो भवति नैकधा इत्य् एवमादिभिर् भेदैस् तापो ह्य् आध्यात्मिकः स्मृतः ॥
mānaso 'pi dvijaśreṣṭhās tāpo bhavati naikadhā ity evamādibhir bhedais tāpo hy ādhyātmikaḥ smṛtaḥ //
the mental affliction too, O best of the twice-born, arises in more than one way. By such divisions as these the affliction pertaining to the self is known.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.7
मृगपक्षिमनुष्याद्यैः पिशाचोरगराक्षसैः सरीसृपाद्यैश् च नृणां जन्यते चाधिभौतिकः ॥
mṛgapakṣimanuṣyādyaiḥ piśācoragarākṣasaiḥ sarīsṛpādyaiś ca nṛṇāṃ janyate cādhibhautikaḥ //
And the affliction pertaining to (other) beings is produced for men by beasts, birds, human beings and the like, by piśācas, serpents and rākṣasas, and by creeping things and so on.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.8
शीतोष्णवातवर्षाम्बुवैद्युतादिसमुद्भवः तापो द्विजवरश्रेष्ठाः कथ्यते चाधिदैविकः ॥
śītoṣṇavātavarṣāmbuvaidyutādisamudbhavaḥ tāpo dvijavaraśreṣṭhāḥ kathyate cādhidaivikaḥ //
The affliction arising from cold, heat, wind, rain, water, lightning and the rest is called the one pertaining to the gods, O foremost among the best of the twice-born.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.9
गर्भजन्मजराज्ञानमृत्युनारकजं तथा दुःखं सहस्रशो भेदैर् भिद्यते मुनिसत्तमाः ॥
garbhajanmajarājñānamṛtyunārakajaṃ tathā duḥkhaṃ sahasraśo bhedair bhidyate munisattamāḥ //
Likewise the suffering born of the womb, of birth, of old age, of ignorance, of death and of hell is divided into a thousand kinds, O most excellent sages.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.10
सुकुमारतनुर् गर्भे जन्तुर् बहुमलावृते उल्बसंवेष्टितो भग्नपृष्ठग्रीवास्थिसंहतिः ॥
sukumāratanur garbhe jantur bahumalāvṛte ulbasaṃveṣṭito bhagnapṛṣṭhagrīvāsthisaṃhatiḥ //
In the womb, which is covered with much filth, the creature, its body most tender, wrapped in the amnion, the frame of its back- and neck-bones bent double,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.11
अत्यम्लकटुतीक्ष्णोष्णलवणैर् मातृभोजनैः अतितापिभिर् अत्यर्थं बाध्यमानो ऽतिवेदनः ॥
atyamlakaṭutīkṣṇoṣṇalavaṇair mātṛbhojanaiḥ atitāpibhir atyarthaṃ bādhyamāno 'tivedanaḥ //
is exceedingly oppressed by the mother's foods — excessively sour, pungent, sharp, hot and salty, and very burning — and (so) suffers great pain.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.12
प्रसारणाकुञ्चनादौ नागानां प्रभुर् आत्मनः शकृन्मूत्रमहापङ्कशायी सर्वत्र पीडितः ॥
prasāraṇākuñcanādau nāgānāṃ prabhur ātmanaḥ śakṛnmūtramahāpaṅkaśāyī sarvatra pīḍitaḥ //
With no power over its own limbs in stretching, bending and the like, lying in the great mire of feces and urine, it is pressed on every side.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.13
निरुच्छ्वासः सचैतन्यः स्मरञ् जन्मशतान्य् अथ आस्ते गर्भे ऽतिदुःखेन निजकर्मनिबन्धनः ॥
nirucchvāsaḥ sacaitanyaḥ smarañ janmaśatāny atha āste garbhe 'tiduḥkhena nijakarmanibandhanaḥ //
Without breath yet possessed of consciousness, remembering hundreds of births, it abides in the womb in extreme misery, bound by its own past acts.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.14
जायमानः पुरीषासृङ्मूत्रशुक्राविलाननः प्राजापत्येन वातेन पीड्यमानास्थिबन्धनः ॥
jāyamānaḥ purīṣāsṛṅmūtraśukrāvilānanaḥ prājāpatyena vātena pīḍyamānāsthibandhanaḥ //
Being born, its face befouled with excrement, blood, urine and semen, the joints of its bones squeezed by the Prājāpatya wind,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.15
अधोमुखस् तैः क्रियते प्रबलैः सूतिमारुतैः क्लेशैर् निष्क्रान्तिम् आप्नोति जठरान् मातुर् आतुरः ॥
adhomukhas taiḥ kriyate prabalaiḥ sūtimārutaiḥ kleśair niṣkrāntim āpnoti jaṭharān mātur āturaḥ //
it is turned head-downward by those powerful birth-winds; with great pains, in distress, it accomplishes its exit from the mother's belly.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.16
मूर्छाम् अवाप्य महतीं संस्पृष्टो बाह्यवायुना विज्ञानभ्रंशम् आप्नोति जातस् तु मुनिसत्तमाः ॥
mūrchām avāpya mahatīṃ saṃspṛṣṭo bāhyavāyunā vijñānabhraṃśam āpnoti jātas tu munisattamāḥ //
Having fallen into a deep swoon, touched by the outer air, once born it loses its (former) knowledge, O most excellent sages.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.17
कण्टकैर् इव तुन्नाङ्गः क्रकचैर् इव दारितः पूतिव्रणान् निपतितो धरण्यां क्रिमिको यथा ॥
kaṇṭakair iva tunnāṅgaḥ krakacair iva dāritaḥ pūtivraṇān nipatito dharaṇyāṃ krimiko yathā //
Its body as if pricked with thorns, as if sawn apart with saws, it has fallen to the ground from a festering sore, like a little worm.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.18
कण्डूयने ऽपि चाशक्तः परिवर्ते ऽप्य् अनीश्वरः स्तनपानादिकाहारम् अवाप्नोति परेच्छया ॥
kaṇḍūyane 'pi cāśaktaḥ parivarte 'py anīśvaraḥ stanapānādikāhāram avāpnoti parecchayā //
Unable even to scratch itself, powerless even to turn over, it obtains its food—suckling at the breast and the rest—by another's will.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.19
अशुचिस्रस्तरे सुप्तः कीटदंशादिभिस् तथा भक्ष्यमाणो ऽपि नैवैषां समर्थो विनिवारणे ॥
aśucisrastare suptaḥ kīṭadaṃśādibhis tathā bhakṣyamāṇo 'pi naivaiṣāṃ samartho vinivāraṇe //
Lying on a bed soiled with filth, and though being eaten by insect-bites and the like, it is in no way able to ward these off.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.20
जन्मदुःखान्य् अनेकानि जन्मनो ऽनन्तराणि च बालभावे यदाप्नोति आधिभूतादिकानि च ॥
janmaduḥkhāny anekāni janmano 'nantarāṇi ca bālabhāve yadāpnoti ādhibhūtādikāni ca //
The many sufferings of birth, and those that come right after birth, which one undergoes in the state of childhood, and those arising from the elements and so on—
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.21
अज्ञानतमसा छन्नो मूढान्तःकरणो नरः न जानाति कुतः को ऽहं कुत्र गन्ता किमात्मकः ॥
ajñānatamasā channo mūḍhāntaḥkaraṇo naraḥ na jānāti kutaḥ ko 'haṃ kutra gantā kimātmakaḥ //
Covered over by the darkness of ignorance, his inner faculty deluded, a man does not know: from where (am I)? who am I? where shall I go? of what nature am I?
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.22
केन बन्धेन बद्धो ऽहं कारणं किम् अकारणम् किं कार्यं किम् अकार्यं वा किं वाच्यं किं न चोच्यते ॥
kena bandhena baddho 'haṃ kāraṇaṃ kim akāraṇam kiṃ kāryaṃ kim akāryaṃ vā kiṃ vācyaṃ kiṃ na cocyate //
By what bond am I bound? what is a cause, what is not a cause? what is to be done, or what is not to be done? what is to be said, and what is not to be spoken?
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.23
को धर्मः कश् च वाधर्मः कस्मिन् वर्तेत वै कथम् किं कर्तव्यम् अकर्तव्यं किं वा किं गुणदोषवत् ॥
ko dharmaḥ kaś ca vādharmaḥ kasmin varteta vai katham kiṃ kartavyam akartavyaṃ kiṃ vā kiṃ guṇadoṣavat //
What is dharma, and what is non-dharma? in what should one abide, and how? what is to be performed, or what is not to be performed? what has merit or fault?
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.24
एवं पशुसमैर् मूढैर् अज्ञानप्रभवं महत् अवाप्यते नरैर् दुःखं शिश्नोदरपरायणैः ॥
evaṃ paśusamair mūḍhair ajñānaprabhavaṃ mahat avāpyate narair duḥkhaṃ śiśnodaraparāyaṇaiḥ //
Thus by deluded men, equal to beasts, intent on the genitals and the belly, great suffering born of ignorance is incurred.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.25
अज्ञानं तामसो भावः कार्यारम्भप्रवृत्तयः अज्ञानिनां प्रवर्तन्ते कर्मलोपस् ततो द्विजाः ॥
ajñānaṃ tāmaso bhāvaḥ kāryārambhapravṛttayaḥ ajñānināṃ pravartante karmalopas tato dvijāḥ //
Ignorance is a state of darkness (tamas); the undertakings and beginnings of works proceed for the ignorant (wrongly), and thence, O twice-born ones, comes the lapse of rites.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.26
नरकं कर्मणां लोपात् फलम् आहुर् महर्षयः तस्माद् अज्ञानिनां दुःखम् इह चामुत्र चोत्तमम् ॥
narakaṃ karmaṇāṃ lopāt phalam āhur maharṣayaḥ tasmād ajñānināṃ duḥkham iha cāmutra cottamam //
The great sages declare hell to be the fruit of the lapse of prescribed rites; therefore the suffering of the ignorant, both here and hereafter, is extreme.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.27
जराजर्जरदेहश् च शिथिलावयवः पुमान् विचलच्छीर्णदशनो वलिस्नायुशिरावृतः ॥
jarājarjaradehaś ca śithilāvayavaḥ pumān vicalacchīrṇadaśano valisnāyuśirāvṛtaḥ //
And a man whose body is worn out by old age, whose limbs are slack, whose teeth are loose and broken, who is covered over with wrinkles, sinews and veins,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.28
दूरप्रनष्टनयनो व्योमान्तर्गततारकः नासाविवरनिर्यातरोमपुञ्जश् चलद्वपुः ॥
dūrapranaṣṭanayano vyomāntargatatārakaḥ nāsāvivaraniryātaromapuñjaś caladvapuḥ //
whose eyes have lost their far sight, whose pupils are turned up into the sky, with tufts of hair coming out of the openings of the nose, with a trembling body,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.29
प्रकटीभूतसर्वास्थिर् नतपृष्ठास्थिसंहतिः उत्सन्नजठराग्नित्वाद् अल्पाहारो ऽल्पचेष्टितः ॥
prakaṭībhūtasarvāsthir natapṛṣṭhāsthisaṃhatiḥ utsannajaṭharāgnitvād alpāhāro 'lpaceṣṭitaḥ //
with all his bones become visible, with the mass of his spinal bones bent, eating little and moving little because his digestive fire is extinguished,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.30
कृच्छ्रचङ्क्रमणोत्थानशयनासनचेष्टितः मन्दीभवच्छ्रोत्रनेत्रगलल्लालाविलाननः ॥
kṛcchracaṅkramaṇotthānaśayanāsanaceṣṭitaḥ mandībhavacchrotranetragalallālāvilānanaḥ //
whose walking, rising, lying down, sitting and moving are done with difficulty, whose hearing and eyes are growing dull, whose face is smeared with dribbling saliva,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.31
अनायत्तैः समस्तैश् च करणैर् मरणोन्मुखः तत्क्षणे ऽप्य् अनुभूतानाम् अस्मर्ताखिलवस्तुनाम् ॥
anāyattaiḥ samastaiś ca karaṇair maraṇonmukhaḥ tatkṣaṇe 'py anubhūtānām asmartākhilavastunām //
with all his organs no longer under control, facing death, unable to remember all the things experienced even at that very moment,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.32
सकृद् उच्चारिते वाक्ये समुद्भूतमहाश्रमः श्वासकासामयायाससमुद्भूतप्रजागरः ॥
sakṛd uccārite vākye samudbhūtamahāśramaḥ śvāsakāsāmayāyāsasamudbhūtaprajāgaraḥ //
in whom great exhaustion arises from uttering a single sentence, in whom sleeplessness arises from the strain of the diseases of breathlessness and cough,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.33
अन्येनोत्थाप्यते ऽन्येन तथा संवेश्यते जरी भृत्यात्मपुत्रदाराणाम् अपमानपराकृतः ॥
anyenotthāpyate 'nyena tathā saṃveśyate jarī bhṛtyātmaputradārāṇām apamānaparākṛtaḥ //
the aged man is raised up by another and likewise laid down by another; he is repulsed by the contempt of servants, sons and wives.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.34
प्रक्षीणाखिलशौचश् च विहाराहारसंस्पृहः हास्यः परिजनस्यापि निर्विण्णाशेषबान्धवः ॥
prakṣīṇākhilaśaucaś ca vihārāhārasaṃspṛhaḥ hāsyaḥ parijanasyāpi nirviṇṇāśeṣabāndhavaḥ //
With all his cleanliness gone, longing for recreation and food, a laughing-stock even to his own attendants, with all his kinsmen grown weary (of him),
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.35
अनुभूतम् इवान्यस्मिञ् जन्मन्य् आत्मविचेष्टितम् संस्मरन् यौवने दीर्घं निश्वसित्य् अतितापितः ॥
anubhūtam ivānyasmiñ janmany ātmaviceṣṭitam saṃsmaran yauvane dīrghaṃ niśvasity atitāpitaḥ //
recalling his own doings in youth as though experienced in another birth, he sighs long, sorely tormented.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.36
एवमादीनि दुःखानि जरायाम् अनुभूय च मरणे यानि दुःखानि प्राप्नोति शृणु तान्य् अपि ॥
evamādīni duḥkhāni jarāyām anubhūya ca maraṇe yāni duḥkhāni prāpnoti śṛṇu tāny api //
And having undergone such sufferings and the like in old age, hear also what sufferings he obtains in dying.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.37
श्लथग्रीवाङ्घ्रिहस्तो ऽथ प्राप्तो वेपथुना नरः मुहुर् ग्लानिपरश् चासौ मुहुर् ज्ञानबलान्वितः ॥
ślathagrīvāṅghrihasto 'tha prāpto vepathunā naraḥ muhur glāniparaś cāsau muhur jñānabalānvitaḥ //
Then the man, his neck, feet and hands gone limp, seized by trembling, is at one moment overcome by faintness, at another moment possessed of awareness and strength.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.38
हिरण्यधान्यतनयभार्याभृत्यगृहादिषु एते कथं भविष्यन्तीत्य् अतीव ममताकुलः ॥
hiraṇyadhānyatanayabhāryābhṛtyagṛhādiṣu ete kathaṃ bhaviṣyantīty atīva mamatākulaḥ //
"What will become of them?" — thus, regarding gold, grain, sons, wife, servants, house and the rest, (he is) exceedingly distraught with the sense of ownership.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.39
मर्मविद्भिर् महारोगैः क्रकचैर् इव दारुणैः शरैर् इवान्तकस्योग्रैश् छिद्यमानास्थिबन्धनः ॥
marmavidbhir mahārogaiḥ krakacair iva dāruṇaiḥ śarair ivāntakasyograiś chidyamānāsthibandhanaḥ //
His bone-joints being cut apart by great diseases that pierce the vital points, cruel as saws, fierce as the arrows of Death,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.40
परिवर्तमानताराक्षि हस्तपादं मुहुः क्षिपन् संशुष्यमाणताल्वोष्ठकण्ठो घुरघुरायते ॥
parivartamānatārākṣi hastapādaṃ muhuḥ kṣipan saṃśuṣyamāṇatālvoṣṭhakaṇṭho ghuraghurāyate //
with the pupils of his eyes rolling, flinging his hands and feet again and again, his palate, lips and throat drying up, he rattles with a gurgling sound.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.41
निरुद्धकण्ठदेशो ऽपि उदानश्वासपीडितः तापेन महता व्याप्तस् तृषा व्याप्तस् तथा क्षुधा ॥
niruddhakaṇṭhadeśo 'pi udānaśvāsapīḍitaḥ tāpena mahatā vyāptas tṛṣā vyāptas tathā kṣudhā //
Though the region of his throat is blocked, afflicted by the upward breath (udāna), pervaded by great burning, pervaded by thirst and likewise by hunger,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.42
क्लेशाद् उत्क्रान्तिम् आप्नोति याम्यकिंकरपीडितः ततश् च यातनादेहं क्लेशेन प्रतिपद्यते ॥
kleśād utkrāntim āpnoti yāmyakiṃkarapīḍitaḥ tataś ca yātanādehaṃ kleśena pratipadyate //
with pain he attains departure (from the body), tormented by Yama's servants; and thereafter with pain he takes on the body of torment.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.43
एतान्य् अन्यानि चोग्राणि दुःखानि मरणे नृणाम् शृणुध्वं नरके यानि प्राप्यन्ते पुरुषैर् मृतैः ॥
etāny anyāni cogrāṇi duḥkhāni maraṇe nṛṇām śṛṇudhvaṃ narake yāni prāpyante puruṣair mṛtaiḥ //
These and other fierce sufferings (befall) men at death; hear (now) those that are met with in hell by men who have died.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.44
याम्यकिंकरपाशादिग्रहणं दण्डताडनम् यमस्य दर्शनं चोग्रम् उग्रमार्गविलोकनम् ॥
yāmyakiṃkarapāśādigrahaṇaṃ daṇḍatāḍanam yamasya darśanaṃ cogram ugramārgavilokanam //
The seizing by nooses and the like of Yama's servants, the beating with rods, the fierce sight of Yama, and the beholding of the terrible road;
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.45
करम्भवालुकावह्नियन्त्रशस्त्रादिभीषणे प्रत्येकं यातनायाश् च यातनादि द्विजोत्तमाः ॥
karambhavālukāvahniyantraśastrādibhīṣaṇe pratyekaṃ yātanāyāś ca yātanādi dvijottamāḥ //
and in (a place) terrifying with hot gruel, sand, fire, machines, weapons and the rest, the torments and so forth of each single punishment, O best of twice-born;
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.46
क्रकचैः पीड्यमानानां मृषायां चापि ध्माप्यताम् कुठारैः पाट्यमानानां भूमौ चापि निखन्यताम् ॥
krakacaiḥ pīḍyamānānāṃ mṛṣāyāṃ cāpi dhmāpyatām kuṭhāraiḥ pāṭyamānānāṃ bhūmau cāpi nikhanyatām //
(hear) of those pressed with saws, and of those blown up (with fire) in the... , of those split with axes and of those buried in the ground,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.47
शूलेष्व् आरोप्यमाणानां व्याघ्रवक्त्रे प्रवेश्यताम् गृध्रैः संभक्ष्यमाणानां द्वीपिभिश् चोपभुज्यताम् ॥
śūleṣv āropyamāṇānāṃ vyāghravaktre praveśyatām gṛdhraiḥ saṃbhakṣyamāṇānāṃ dvīpibhiś copabhujyatām //
of those impaled on stakes, of those thrust into a tiger's mouth, of those devoured by vultures and consumed by leopards,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.48
क्वथ्यतां तैलमध्ये च क्लिद्यतां क्षारकर्दमे उच्चान् निपात्यमानानां क्षिप्यतां क्षेपयन्त्रकैः ॥
kvathyatāṃ tailamadhye ca klidyatāṃ kṣārakardame uccān nipātyamānānāṃ kṣipyatāṃ kṣepayantrakaiḥ //
of those boiled in oil, of those soaked in caustic mire, of those hurled down from a height, of those flung by catapults —
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.49
नरके यानि दुःखानि पापहेतूद्भवानि वै प्राप्यन्ते नारकैर् विप्रास् तेषां संख्या न विद्यते ॥
narake yāni duḥkhāni pāpahetūdbhavāni vai prāpyante nārakair viprās teṣāṃ saṃkhyā na vidyate //
of the sufferings that are undergone in hell by the denizens of hell, arising from the cause of sin, O brahmins, there is no counting.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.50
न केवलं द्विजश्रेष्ठा नरके दुःखपद्धतिः स्वर्गे ऽपि पातभीतस्य क्षयिष्णोर् नास्ति निर्वृतिः ॥
na kevalaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhā narake duḥkhapaddhatiḥ svarge 'pi pātabhītasya kṣayiṣṇor nāsti nirvṛtiḥ //
Not only in hell, O best of the twice-born, is there a course of suffering; even in heaven there is no peace for one who fears falling and is subject to decay.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.51
पुनश् च गर्भो भवति जायते च पुनर् नरः गर्भे विलीयते भूयो जायमानो ऽस्तम् एति च ॥
punaś ca garbho bhavati jāyate ca punar naraḥ garbhe vilīyate bhūyo jāyamāno 'stam eti ca //
And again he becomes an embryo, and again the man is born; again he dissolves in the womb, and even while being born he perishes.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.52
जातमात्रश् च म्रियते बालभावे च यौवने यद् यत् प्रीतिकरं पुंसां वस्तु विप्राः प्रजायते ॥
jātamātraś ca mriyate bālabhāve ca yauvane yad yat prītikaraṃ puṃsāṃ vastu viprāḥ prajāyate //
And barely born he dies, and (dies) in childhood and in youth. Whatever thing arises that gives pleasure to men, O brahmins,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.53
तद् एव दुःखवृक्षस्य बीजत्वम् उपगच्छति कलत्रपुत्रमित्रादिगृहक्षेत्रधनादिकैः ॥
tad eva duḥkhavṛkṣasya bījatvam upagacchati kalatraputramitrādigṛhakṣetradhanādikaiḥ //
that very thing becomes the seed of the tree of suffering. By wife, sons, friends and the rest, house, field, wealth and so forth,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.54
क्रियते न तथा भूरि सुखं पुंसां यथासुखम् इति संसारदुःखार्कतापतापितचेतसाम् ॥
kriyate na tathā bhūri sukhaṃ puṃsāṃ yathāsukham iti saṃsāraduḥkhārkatāpatāpitacetasām //
there is not made for men so much happiness as (there is) unhappiness. So, for those whose minds are scorched by the heat of the sun of the sorrows of transmigration,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.55
विमुक्तिपादपच्छायाम् ऋते कुत्र सुखं नृणाम् तद् अस्य त्रिविधस्यापि दुःखजातस्य पण्डितैः ॥
vimuktipādapacchāyām ṛte kutra sukhaṃ nṛṇām tad asya trividhasyāpi duḥkhajātasya paṇḍitaiḥ //
where is happiness for men apart from the shade of the tree of liberation? Therefore, of this threefold mass of suffering, by the wise,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.56
गर्भजन्मजराद्येषु स्थानेषु प्रभविष्यतः निरस्तातिशयाह्लादं सुखभावैकलक्षणम् ॥
garbhajanmajarādyeṣu sthāneṣu prabhaviṣyataḥ nirastātiśayāhlādaṃ sukhabhāvaikalakṣaṇam //
which arises in the states of gestation, birth, old age and the rest, the one remedy — surpassingly delightful, having as its sole mark the state of happiness —
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.57
भेषजं भगवत्प्राप्तिर् एका चात्यन्तिकी मता तस्मात् तत्प्राप्तये यत्नः कर्तव्यः पण्डितैर् नरैः ॥
bheṣajaṃ bhagavatprāptir ekā cātyantikī matā tasmāt tatprāptaye yatnaḥ kartavyaḥ paṇḍitair naraiḥ //
is held to be the attainment of the Lord, and that alone is final. Therefore effort should be made by wise men for the attaining of that.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.58
तत्प्राप्तिहेतुर् ज्ञानं च कर्म चोक्तं द्विजोत्तमाः आगमोत्थं विवेकाच् च द्विधा ज्ञानं तथोच्यते ॥
tatprāptihetur jñānaṃ ca karma coktaṃ dvijottamāḥ āgamotthaṃ vivekāc ca dvidhā jñānaṃ tathocyate //
And the means of attaining Him is said to be knowledge and action, O best of the twice-born; and knowledge in turn is said to be of two kinds, arising from scripture and from discrimination.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.59
शब्दब्रह्मागममयं परं ब्रह्म विवेकजम् अन्धं तम इवाज्ञानं दीपवच् चेन्द्रियोद्भवम् ॥
śabdabrahmāgamamayaṃ paraṃ brahma vivekajam andhaṃ tama ivājñānaṃ dīpavac cendriyodbhavam //
The word-Brahman consists of scripture; the supreme Brahman is born of discrimination. Ignorance is like blinding darkness, and (knowledge) arising from the senses is like a lamp.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.60
यथा सूर्यस् तथा ज्ञानं यद् वै विप्रा विवेकजम् मनुर् अप्य् आह वेदार्थं स्मृत्वा यन् मुनिसत्तमाः ॥
yathā sūryas tathā jñānaṃ yad vai viprā vivekajam manur apy āha vedārthaṃ smṛtvā yan munisattamāḥ //
But the knowledge that is born of discrimination, O brahmins, is like the sun—which Manu too declared, O best of sages, recalling the meaning of the Veda.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.61
तद् एतच् छ्रूयताम् अत्र संबन्धे गदतो मम द्वे ब्रह्मणी वेदितव्ये शब्दब्रह्म परं च यत् ॥
tad etac chrūyatām atra saṃbandhe gadato mama dve brahmaṇī veditavye śabdabrahma paraṃ ca yat //
Let this be heard now, as I speak on this connection: two Brahmans are to be known, the word-Brahman and that which is supreme.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.62
शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति द्वे विद्ये वै वेदितव्ये इति चाथर्वणी श्रुतिः ॥
śabdabrahmaṇi niṣṇātaḥ paraṃ brahmādhigacchati dve vidye vai veditavye iti cātharvaṇī śrutiḥ //
One well versed in the word-Brahman attains the supreme Brahman; "Truly two knowledges are to be known"—so says the Atharvan scripture.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.63
परया ह्य् अक्षरप्राप्तिर् ऋग्वेदादिमयापरा यत् तद् अव्यक्तम् अजरम् अचिन्त्यम् अजम् अव्ययम् ॥
parayā hy akṣaraprāptir ṛgvedādimayāparā yat tad avyaktam ajaram acintyam ajam avyayam //
For by the higher (knowledge) comes the attainment of the Imperishable; the lower consists of the Ṛgveda and the rest. That which is unmanifest, unaging, unthinkable, unborn, undecaying—
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.64
अनिर्देश्यम् अरूपं च पाणिपादाद्यसंयुतम् वित्तं सर्वगतं नित्यं भूतयोनिम् अकारणम् ॥
anirdeśyam arūpaṃ ca pāṇipādādyasaṃyutam vittaṃ sarvagataṃ nityaṃ bhūtayonim akāraṇam //
—indefinable and formless, not joined with hands, feet and the rest, known (as) all-pervading, eternal, the womb of beings, without a cause—
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.65
व्याप्यं व्याप्तं यतः सर्वं तद् वै पश्यन्ति सूरयः तद् ब्रह्म परमं धाम तद् धेयं मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः ॥
vyāpyaṃ vyāptaṃ yataḥ sarvaṃ tad vai paśyanti sūrayaḥ tad brahma paramaṃ dhāma tad dheyaṃ mokṣakāṅkṣibhiḥ //
—since everything is pervaded and it is the pervader, that indeed the wise behold: that is Brahman, the supreme abode, that is to be meditated upon by those who desire liberation.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.66
श्रुतिवाक्योदितं सूक्ष्मं तद् विष्णोः परमं पदम् उत्पत्तिं प्रलयं चैव भूतानाम् आगतिं गतिम् ॥
śrutivākyoditaṃ sūkṣmaṃ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam utpattiṃ pralayaṃ caiva bhūtānām āgatiṃ gatim //
That subtle thing declared in the words of scripture is the supreme station of Viṣṇu. (He who) knows the origin and dissolution of beings, their coming and going,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.67
वेत्ति विद्याम् अविद्यां च स वाच्यो भगवान् इति ज्ञानशक्तिबलैश्वर्यवीर्यतेजांस्य् अशेषतः ॥
vetti vidyām avidyāṃ ca sa vācyo bhagavān iti jñānaśaktibalaiśvaryavīryatejāṃsy aśeṣataḥ //
and knows knowledge and ignorance—he is to be called "Bhagavān." Knowledge, power, strength, sovereignty, valour and splendour, in their entirety,
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.68
भगवच्छब्दवाच्यानि विना हेयैर् गुणादिभिः सर्वाणि तत्र भूतानि निवसन्ति परात्मनि ॥
bhagavacchabdavācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ sarvāṇi tatra bhūtāni nivasanti parātmani //
are what the word "bhagavat" denotes, apart from the qualities and the rest that are to be rejected. All beings dwell there, in that supreme Self.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.69
भूतेषु च स सर्वात्मा वासुदेवस् ततः स्मृतः उवाचेदं महर्षिभ्यः पुरा पृष्टः प्रजापतिः ॥
bhūteṣu ca sa sarvātmā vāsudevas tataḥ smṛtaḥ uvācedaṃ maharṣibhyaḥ purā pṛṣṭaḥ prajāpatiḥ //
And he, the Self of all, (dwells) in beings; hence he is called Vāsudeva. Long ago, when questioned, Prajāpati spoke this to the great sages:
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.70
नामव्याख्याम् अनन्तस्य वासुदेवस्य तत्त्वतः भूतेषु वसते यो ऽन्तर् वसन्त्य् अत्र च तानि यत् धाता विधाता जगतां वासुदेवस् ततः प्रभुः ॥
nāmavyākhyām anantasya vāsudevasya tattvataḥ bhūteṣu vasate yo 'ntar vasanty atra ca tāni yat dhātā vidhātā jagatāṃ vāsudevas tataḥ prabhuḥ //
the explanation, according to truth, of the name of the endless Vāsudeva: because he dwells within beings and because they dwell in him, the establisher and ordainer of the worlds is therefore Vāsudeva, the Lord.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.71
स सर्वभूतप्रकृतिर् गुणांश् च दोषांश् च सर्वान् सगुणो ह्य् अतीतः अतीतसर्वावरणो ऽखिलात्मा तेनावृतं यद् भुवनान्तरालम्
sa sarvabhūtaprakṛtir guṇāṃś ca doṣāṃś ca sarvān saguṇo hy atītaḥ atītasarvāvaraṇo 'khilātmā tenāvṛtaṃ yad bhuvanāntarālam
He is the material nature of all beings; though possessed of qualities, he has transcended all qualities and faults; having gone beyond all coverings, he is the Self of everything, and by him is covered whatever lies within the worlds.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.72
समस्तकल्याणगुणात्मको हि स्वशक्तिलेशादृतभूतसर्गः इच्छागृहीताभिमतोरुदेहः संसाधिताशेषजगद्धितो ऽसौ
samastakalyāṇaguṇātmako hi svaśaktileśādṛtabhūtasargaḥ icchāgṛhītābhimatorudehaḥ saṃsādhitāśeṣajagaddhito 'sau
For he consists of all auspicious qualities; the creation of beings is undertaken by a mere fraction of his own power; he takes on at will vast bodies as he pleases; by him the welfare of the entire world is accomplished.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.73
तेजोबलैश्वर्यमहावरोधः स्ववीर्यशक्त्यादिगुणैकराशिः परः पराणां सकला न यत्र क्लेशादयः सन्ति परापरेशे
tejobalaiśvaryamahāvarodhaḥ svavīryaśaktyādiguṇaikarāśiḥ paraḥ parāṇāṃ sakalā na yatra kleśādayaḥ santi parāpareśe
He holds within himself a great store of splendour, strength and sovereignty; he is the single mass of the qualities of his own valour, power and the rest; higher than the highest—in him, the lord of the higher and the lower, none of the afflictions and the rest exist at all.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 234.74
स ईश्वरो व्यष्टिसमष्टिरूपो ऽव्यक्तस्वरूपः प्रकटस्वरूपः सर्वेश्वरः सर्वदृक् सर्ववेत्ता समस्तशक्तिः परमेश्वराख्यः
sa īśvaro vyaṣṭisamaṣṭirūpo 'vyaktasvarūpaḥ prakaṭasvarūpaḥ sarveśvaraḥ sarvadṛk sarvavettā samastaśaktiḥ parameśvarākhyaḥ
He is the Lord, whose form is both individual and collective, whose nature is unmanifest and whose nature is manifest, the lord of all, the all-seeing, the all-knowing, possessed of every power, called the Supreme Lord.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 234.75
संज्ञायते येन तद् अस्तदोषं शुद्धं परं निर्मलम् एकरूपम् संदृश्यते वाप्य् अथ गम्यते वा तज् ज्ञानम् अज्ञानम् अतो ऽन्यद् उक्तम्
saṃjñāyate yena tad astadoṣaṃ śuddhaṃ paraṃ nirmalam ekarūpam saṃdṛśyate vāpy atha gamyate vā taj jñānam ajñānam ato 'nyad uktam
That by which that faultless, pure, supreme, stainless, single-formed (reality) is fully known, or seen, or reached—that is knowledge; anything other than this is called ignorance.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition