Mahabharata — Volume II (Dutt edition) — Chapter 211
MBh 2 211.1
मार्कण्डेय उवाच एवमुक्तः स विप्रस्तु धर्मव्याधेन भारत। कथामकथयद् भूयो मनसः प्रीतिवधनीम्॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca evamuktaḥ sa viprastu dharmavyādhena bhārata| kathāmakathayad bhūyo manasaḥ prītivadhanīm||
Markandeya said : O descendant of Bharata, having been thus addressed by that Brahmana, the virtuous fowler again began to speak (on things) so pleasing to the mind.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.2
ब्राह्मण उवाच महाभूतानि यान्याहुः पञ्च धर्मभृतां वर। एकैकस्य गुणान् सम्यक् पञ्चानामपि मे वद॥
brāhmaṇa uvāca mahābhūtāni yānyāhuḥ pañca dharmabhṛtāṃ vara| ekaikasya guṇān samyak pañcānāmapi me vada||
The Brahmana said : O foremost of all virtuous men, it is said that there are five great elements. Will you describe to me in detail the properties of those five (elements)?
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.3
व्याध उवाच भूमिरापस्तथा ज्योतिर्वायुराकाशमेव च। गुणोत्तराणि सर्वाणि तेषां वक्ष्यामि ते गुणान्॥
vyādha uvāca bhūmirāpastathā jyotirvāyurākāśameva ca| guṇottarāṇi sarvāṇi teṣāṃ vakṣyāmi te guṇān||
The Fowler said: The earth, water, fire, air and sky, all have properties enter-lapping each other. I shall describe them to you.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.4
भूमिः पञ्चगुणा ब्रह्मन्नुदकं च चतुर्गुणम्। गुणास्त्रयस्तेजसि च त्रयश्चाकाशवातयोः॥
bhūmiḥ pañcaguṇā brahmannudakaṃ ca caturguṇam| guṇāstrayastejasi ca trayaścākāśavātayoḥ||
O Brahmana, the earth has five qualities, water four, fire three and the air and the sky together three.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.5
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धश्च पञ्चमः। एते गुणाः पञ्च भूमेः सर्वेभ्यो गुणवत्तरा॥
śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhaśca pañcamaḥ| ete guṇāḥ pañca bhūmeḥ sarvebhyo guṇavattarā||
Sound, touch, form, flavour and taste, these five qualities belong to earth.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.6
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसश्चापि द्विजोत्तम। अपामेते गुणा ब्रह्मन् कीर्तितास्तव सुव्रत॥
śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca rasaścāpi dvijottama| apāmete guṇā brahman kīrtitāstava suvrata||
O foremost of Brahmanas, O twice-borm one, O vow-observing Rishi, sound, touch, form and taste have been described to you as the properties of water.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.7
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च तेजसोऽथ गुणास्त्रयः। शब्दः स्पर्शश्च वायौ तु शब्दश्चाकाश एव तु॥
śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca tejaso'tha guṇāstrayaḥ| śabdaḥ sparśaśca vāyau tu śabdaścākāśa eva tu||
Sound, touch and form are the three properties of fire; sound and touch are the two properties of the air; and sound is the property of the sky.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.8
एते पञ्चदश ब्रह्मन् गुणा भूतेषु पञ्चसु। वर्तन्ते सर्वभूतेषु येषु लोकाः प्रतिष्ठिताः॥
ete pañcadaśa brahman guṇā bhūteṣu pañcasu| vartante sarvabhūteṣu yeṣu lokāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ||
O Brahmana, these fifteen fifteen properties inherent in five elements, exist in all substances of which this universe is composed.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.9
अन्योन्यं नातिवर्तन्ते सम्यक् च भवति द्विजा यदा तु विषमं भावमाचरन्ति चराचराः॥ तदा देही देहमन्यं व्यतिरोहति कालतः। आनुपूर्व्या विनश्यन्ति जायन्ते चानुपूर्वशः॥
anyonyaṃ nātivartante samyak ca bhavati dvijā yadā tu viṣamaṃ bhāvamācaranti carācarāḥ|| tadā dehī dehamanyaṃ vyatirohati kālataḥ| ānupūrvyā vinaśyanti jāyante cānupūrvaśaḥ||
O Brahmana, they are not opposed to one another; they exist in proper combination. When this universe is thrown into a state of chaos then every corporeal being in proper time assumes another body. It perishes also in due order.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.10
तत्र तत्र हि दृश्यन्ते धातवः पाञ्चभौतिकाः। यैरावृतमिदं सर्वं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम्॥ इन्द्रियैः सृज्यते यद् यत् तत् तद् व्यक्तमिति स्मृतम्। तदव्यक्तमिति ज्ञेयं लिङ्गचाह्यमतीन्द्रियम्॥
tatra tatra hi dṛśyante dhātavaḥ pāñcabhautikāḥ| yairāvṛtamidaṃ sarvaṃ jagat sthāvarajaṅgamam|| indriyaiḥ sṛjyate yad yat tat tad vyaktamiti smṛtam| tadavyaktamiti jñeyaṃ liṅgacāhyamatīndriyam||
There (everlastingly) exist the five elementary substances of which all the mobile and immobile world is composed. Whatever is perceptible by the senses is called Vyakta (manifest) and whatever is not perceptible by the senses is called Avyakta (not manifest).
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.11
यथास्वं चाहकाण्येषां शब्दादीनामिमानि तु। इन्द्रियाणि यदा देही धारयन्निव तप्यते॥ लोके विततमात्मानं लोकं चात्मनि पश्यति। परावरज्ञो यः शक्तः स तु भूतानि पश्यति॥
yathāsvaṃ cāhakāṇyeṣāṃ śabdādīnāmimāni tu| indriyāṇi yadā dehī dhārayanniva tapyate|| loke vitatamātmānaṃ lokaṃ cātmani paśyati| parāvarajño yaḥ śaktaḥ sa tu bhūtāni paśyati||
When a person engages in Tapa after having duly subdued his senses which have their own proper objective play in the external conditions of sound, form, then he sees that his own spirit pervades the whole universe and the universe is also reflected in him.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.12
पश्यतः सर्वभूतानि सर्वावस्थासु सर्वदा। ब्रह्मभूतस्य संयोगो नाशुभेनोपपद्यते॥ अज्ञानमूलं तं क्लेशमतिवृत्तस्य पौरुषम्। लोकवृत्तिप्रकाशेन ज्ञानमार्गेण गम्यते॥ अनादिनिधनं जन्तुमात्मयोनिं सदाव्ययम्। अनौपम्यममूर्तं च भगवानाह बुद्धिमान्॥
paśyataḥ sarvabhūtāni sarvāvasthāsu sarvadā| brahmabhūtasya saṃyogo nāśubhenopapadyate|| ajñānamūlaṃ taṃ kleśamativṛttasya pauruṣam| lokavṛttiprakāśena jñānamārgeṇa gamyate|| anādinidhanaṃ jantumātmayoniṃ sadāvyayam| anaupamyamamūrtaṃ ca bhagavānāha buddhimān||
He who is bound to the bonds of his previous Karma, although learned in the highest spiritual wisdom, is cognizant only of his own soul's objective existence, but the person whose soul is never affected by the objective conditions around is never subject to ills, owing to its absorption in the primal spirit of Brahma. When a person has overcome illusion, his manly virtues consisting the essence of spiritual wisdom turn to spiritual enlightenment which illuminates the intelligence of all beings. Such a being is called by the omnipotent, the intelligent one who is without beginning and without end, selfexistence, immutable, incorporeal and incomparable.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.13
तपोमूलमिदं सर्वं यन्मां विप्रानुपृच्छसि। इन्द्रियाण्येव संयम्य तपो भवति नान्यथा॥
tapomūlamidaṃ sarvaṃ yanmāṃ viprānupṛcchasi| indriyāṇyeva saṃyamya tapo bhavati nānyathā||
O Brahmana, what you have enquired of me is the result of self-discipline. This selfdiscipline can only be acquired by subduing the senses. It can not be acquired by any other means.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.14
इन्द्रियाण्येव तत् सर्वं यत् स्वर्गनरकावुभौ। निगृहीतविसृष्टानि स्वर्गाय नरकाय च॥
indriyāṇyeva tat sarvaṃ yat svarganarakāvubhau| nigṛhītavisṛṣṭāni svargāya narakāya ca||
Heaven and hell both are dependent on our senses. When subdued, they lead us to heaven and when indulged in, they lead us to hell.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.15
एष योगविधिः कृत्स्नो यावदिन्द्रियधारणम्। एतन्मूलं हि तपसः कृत्स्नस्य नरकस्य च।॥
eṣa yogavidhiḥ kṛtsno yāvadindriyadhāraṇam| etanmūlaṃ hi tapasaḥ kṛtsnasya narakasya ca|||
This subjugation of the senses is the highest means of attaining spiritual advancement; it is also at the root of all our spiritual degradation.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.16
इन्द्रियाणां प्रसङ्केन दोषमार्छन्त्यसंशयम। संनियम्य तु तान्येव ततः सिद्धिं समाप्नुयात्॥
indriyāṇāṃ prasaṅkena doṣamārchantyasaṃśayama| saṃniyamya tu tānyeva tataḥ siddhiṃ samāpnuyāt||
By indulging in them, a person contracts vices and by bringing them under control, he attains salvation.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.17
घण्णामात्मनि नित्यानामैश्वर्यं योऽधिगच्छति। न स पापैः कुतोऽनर्थैर्युज्यते विजितेन्द्रियः॥
ghaṇṇāmātmani nityānāmaiśvaryaṃ yo'dhigacchati| na sa pāpaiḥ kuto'narthairyujyate vijitendriyaḥ||
The self-controlled man who acquires over his six senses is never tainted with win; and consequently evil has no power over him.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.18
मात्मा नियन्तेन्द्रियाण्याहुरश्वान्। र्दान्तः सुखं याति रथीव धीरः॥
mātmā niyantendriyāṇyāhuraśvān| rdāntaḥ sukhaṃ yāti rathīva dhīraḥ||
Man's body has been compared with a chariot, his soul with a charioteer and his senses with the horses. A skillful man drives about without confusion, like an able charioteer with well-broken horses.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.19
षण्णामात्मनि युक्तानामिन्द्रियाणां प्रमाथिनाम्। यो धीरो धारयेद् रश्मीन् स स्यात् परमसारथिः॥
ṣaṇṇāmātmani yuktānāmindriyāṇāṃ pramāthinām| yo dhīro dhārayed raśmīn sa syāt paramasārathiḥ||
That man is an excellent driver who knows how to patiently wield the reins of these and horses, namely the six senses inherent in our nature.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.20
इन्द्रियाणां प्रसृष्टानां हयानामिव वर्त्मसु। धृतिं कुर्वीत सारथ्ये धृत्या तानि जयेद् ध्रुवम्॥
indriyāṇāṃ prasṛṣṭānāṃ hayānāmiva vartmasu| dhṛtiṃ kurvīta sārathye dhṛtyā tāni jayed dhruvam||
When our senses become ungovernable like horses on the road, we must patiently rein them in, for with patience we are sure to get the better of them.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.21
इन्द्रियाणां विचरतां यन्मनोऽनु विधीयते। तदस्य हरते बुद्धिं नावं वायुरिवाम्भसि॥
indriyāṇāṃ vicaratāṃ yanmano'nu vidhīyate| tadasya harate buddhiṃ nāvaṃ vāyurivāmbhasi||
When man's mind is overpowered by any one of these senses running wild, he loses his reason and becomes like a ship tossed by the tempest in the sea.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 2 211.22
येषु विप्रतिपद्यन्ते षट्सु मोहात् फलागमम्। तेष्वध्यवसिताध्यायी विन्दते ध्यानजं फलम्॥
yeṣu vipratipadyante ṣaṭsu mohāt phalāgamam| teṣvadhyavasitādhyāyī vindate dhyānajaṃ phalam||
Men are deceived by illusion in hoping to reap the fruit of those six things the effects of which are studied by persons of spiritual insight who thereby reap the fruits of their clear perception.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)