Mahabharata — Volume VIII (Dutt edition) — Chapter 118

MBh 8 118.1

पराशर उवाच मनोरथरथं प्राप्य इन्द्रियाख्यहयं नरः। रश्मिभिर्ज्ञानसम्भूतैर्यो गच्छति स बुद्धिमान्॥

parāśara uvāca manoratharathaṃ prāpya indriyākhyahayaṃ naraḥ| raśmibhirjñānasambhūtairyo gacchati sa buddhimān||

Parashara said That man, who, having got this car, viz., his body endued with mind, goes on, restraining with the reins of knowledge the horses of the objects of the senses, should certainly be considered as an intelligent one.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.2

सेवाऽऽश्रितेन मनसा वृत्तिहीनस्य शस्यते। द्विजातिहस्तान्निर्वृत्ता न तु तुल्यात् परस्परात्॥

sevā''śritena manasā vṛttihīnasya śasyate| dvijātihastānnirvṛttā na tu tulyāt parasparāt||

The homage by a person whose mind depends on itself and who has renounced the means of livelihood, is worthy of high praise, that homage, namely, O twice born one, from one who has succeeded in getting over acts, but not acquired from the mutual discussion of men in the same state of progress.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.3

आयुर्न सुलभं लब्वा नावकर्षेद् विशाम्पते। उत्कर्षार्थं प्रयतेत नरः पुण्येन कर्मणा॥

āyurna sulabhaṃ labvā nāvakarṣed viśāmpate| utkarṣārthaṃ prayateta naraḥ puṇyena karmaṇā||

Having got the allotted period of life, O king, with such difficulty, one should not diminish it. On other hand, man should always try, by righteous deeds, for his gradual advancement.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.4

वर्णेभ्यो हि परिभ्रष्टो न वै सम्मानमर्हति। न तु यः सक्रियां प्राप्य राजसं कर्म सेवते॥

varṇebhyo hi paribhraṣṭo na vai sammānamarhati| na tu yaḥ sakriyāṃ prāpya rājasaṃ karma sevate||

Among the six different colours that individual Soul attains at different periods of his existence, he who falls away from a superior colour deserves blame and censure. Hence, one who has acquired the result of good decds should act in such a way as to avoid all acts sullied by the quality of Darkness.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.5

वर्णोत्कर्षमवाप्नोति नरः पुण्येन कर्मणा। दुर्लभं तमलब्ध्वा हि हन्यात् पापेन कर्मणा॥

varṇotkarṣamavāpnoti naraḥ puṇyena karmaṇā| durlabhaṃ tamalabdhvā hi hanyāt pāpena karmaṇā||

Man attains to a superior colour by pious deeds. Unable to acquire a superior colour for such acquisition is highly difficult, a person, by doing sinful deeds only kills himself.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.6

अज्ञानाद्धि कृतं पापं तपसैवाभिनिर्णदेत्। पापं हि कर्म फलति पापमेव स्वयं कृतम्।

ajñānāddhi kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tapasaivābhinirṇadet| pāpaṃ hi karma phalati pāpameva svayaṃ kṛtam|

All sinful deeds that are perpetrated unconsciously or in ignorance are destroyed by penances. A sinful deed, however, that is committed knowingly, yields much sorrow.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.7

तस्मात् पापं न सेवेत कर्म दुःखफलोदयम्॥

tasmāt pāpaṃ na seveta karma duḥkhaphalodayam||

Hence, one should never commit sinful deeds which have for their fruit only sorrow.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.8

पापानुबन्धं यत् कर्म यद्यपि स्यान्महाफलम्। तन्न सेवेत मेधावी शुचिः कुशलिनं यथा॥

pāpānubandhaṃ yat karma yadyapi syānmahāphalam| tanna seveta medhāvī śuciḥ kuśalinaṃ yathā||

The intelligent man would never do a sinful act even if it produce the greatest advantage, just as a person who is pure would never touch a Chandala.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.9

किं कष्टमनुपश्यामि फलं पापस्य कर्मणः। प्रत्यापन्नस्य हि ततो नात्मा तावद् विरोचते॥

kiṃ kaṣṭamanupaśyāmi phalaṃ pāpasya karmaṇaḥ| pratyāpannasya hi tato nātmā tāvad virocate||

How miserable is the fruit I behold of sinful deeds. Through sin the very vision of the sinner become perverse, and he mistakes his body and its unstable accompaniments for the soul.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.10

प्रत्यापत्तिश्च यस्येह बालिशस्य न जायते। तस्यापि सुमहांस्तापः प्रस्थितस्योपजायते॥

pratyāpattiśca yasyeha bāliśasya na jāyate| tasyāpi sumahāṃstāpaḥ prasthitasyopajāyate||

That foolish man who does not succeed in following Renunciation in this world becomes stricken with great grief when he goes to the next world.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.11

विरक्तं शोध्यते वस्त्रं न तु कृष्णोपसंहितम्। प्रयत्नेन मनुष्येन्द्र पापमेवं निबोध मे॥

viraktaṃ śodhyate vastraṃ na tu kṛṣṇopasaṃhitam| prayatnena manuṣyendra pāpamevaṃ nibodha me||

An uncoloured cloth, when dirty, can be purified, but not a piece of cloth which is dyed with black; so, O king, listen to me with care, is it the case with sin.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.12

स्वयं कृत्वा तु यः पापं शुभमेवानुतिष्ठति। प्रायश्चित्तं नरः कर्तुमुभयं सोऽश्नुते पृथक्॥

svayaṃ kṛtvā tu yaḥ pāpaṃ śubhamevānutiṣṭhati| prāyaścittaṃ naraḥ kartumubhayaṃ so'śnute pṛthak||

That man who, having knowingly perpetrated a sin, acts righteously for expiating that sin, has to enjoy and endure the fruits of his good and bad deeds separately.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.13

अज्ञानात् तु कृतां हिंसामहिंसा व्यपकर्षति। ब्राह्मणाः शास्त्रनिर्देशादित्याहुर्ब्रह्मवादिनः॥

ajñānāt tu kṛtāṃ hiṃsāmahiṃsā vyapakarṣati| brāhmaṇāḥ śāstranirdeśādityāhurbrahmavādinaḥ||

The Brahmavadins hold, under the authority of what has been sanctioned in the Vedas, that all acts of injury committed in ignorance are made good by virtuous acts.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.14

तथा कामकृतं नास्य विहिंसैवानुकर्षति। इत्याहुर्ब्रह्मशास्त्रज्ञा ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मवादिनः॥

tathā kāmakṛtaṃ nāsya vihiṃsaivānukarṣati| ityāhurbrahmaśāstrajñā brāhmaṇā brahmavādinaḥ||

A sin, however, however, that is committed knowingly is never repaired by righteousness. Thus the twice-born Brahmavadins who are conversant with the scriptures of Brahman.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.15

अहं तु तावत् पश्यामि कर्म यद् वर्तते कृतम्। गुणयुक्तं प्रकाशं वा पापेनानुपसंहितम्॥

ahaṃ tu tāvat paśyāmi karma yad vartate kṛtam| guṇayuktaṃ prakāśaṃ vā pāpenānupasaṃhitam||

But I hold that whatever acts are done, be they righteous or sinful, be they done knowingly or otherwise, they remain till their fruits are enjoyed or endured.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.16

यथा सूक्ष्माणि कर्माणि फलन्तीह यथातथम्। बुद्धियुक्तानि तानीह कृतानि मनसा सह॥

yathā sūkṣmāṇi karmāṇi phalantīha yathātatham| buddhiyuktāni tānīha kṛtāni manasā saha||

Whatever acts are done by the mind with full deliberation, yield, according to their grossness or subtility, fruits which are gross or subtile.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.17

भवत्यल्पफलं कर्म सेवितं नित्यमुल्बणम्। अबुद्धिपूर्वं धर्मज्ञ कृतमुग्रेण कर्मणा॥

bhavatyalpaphalaṃ karma sevitaṃ nityamulbaṇam| abuddhipūrvaṃ dharmajña kṛtamugreṇa karmaṇā||

Those acts, however, O you of righteous soul, which are fraught with great injury, if done in ignorance do, forsooth, produce consequences which lead to hell, with this difference that are disproportionate in point of gravity to the acts that produce them.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.18

कृतानि यानि कर्माणि दैवतैर्मुनिभिस्तथा। न चरेत् तानि धर्मात्मा श्रुत्वा चापि न कुत्सयेत्॥

kṛtāni yāni karmāṇi daivatairmunibhistathā| na caret tāni dharmātmā śrutvā cāpi na kutsayet||

As to those acts of the gods or repeated ascctics, a pious man should never do their like or, informed to them, should never censure them.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.19

संचिन्त्य मनसा राजन् विदित्वा शक्यमात्मनः। करोति यः शुभं कर्म स वै भद्राणि पश्यति॥

saṃcintya manasā rājan viditvā śakyamātmanaḥ| karoti yaḥ śubhaṃ karma sa vai bhadrāṇi paśyati||

That man, who, reflecting with his mind, O king, and ascertaining his own ability, performs pious deeds, forsooth, acquires what is for his well-being.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.20

नवे कपाले सलिलं संन्यस्तं हीयते यथा। नवेतरे तथाभावं प्राप्नोति सुखभावितम्॥ सतोयेऽन्यत् तु यत् तोयं तस्मिन्नेव प्रसिच्यते। वृद्धे वृद्धिमवाप्नोति सलिले सलिलं यथा॥ एवं कर्माणि यानीह बुद्धियुक्तानि पार्थिव। समानि चैव यानीह तानि पुण्यतमान्यपि॥

nave kapāle salilaṃ saṃnyastaṃ hīyate yathā| navetare tathābhāvaṃ prāpnoti sukhabhāvitam|| satoye'nyat tu yat toyaṃ tasminneva prasicyate| vṛddhe vṛddhimavāpnoti salile salilaṃ yathā|| evaṃ karmāṇi yānīha buddhiyuktāni pārthiva| samāni caiva yānīha tāni puṇyatamānyapi||

Water poured into an unbaked pitchers gradually becomes less and less and finally disappears altogether. If kept, however, in a baked vessel, it remains without its quantity being decreased. Similarly, acts done without thought with the help of the understanding do not become wholesome; while acts done with judgement remain with unmitigated excellence and produce happiness as their result. If into a vessel containing water other water be poured, the original water increases in quantity; so all acts done with judgement, be they just or otherwise, only increase one's stock of virtue.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.21

राज्ञा जेतव्याः : शत्रवश्चोन्नताश्च सम्यक् कर्तव्यं पालनं च प्रजानाम्। रन्त्ये मध्ये वा वनमाश्रित्य स्थेयम्॥

rājñā jetavyāḥ : śatravaśconnatāśca samyak kartavyaṃ pālanaṃ ca prajānām| rantye madhye vā vanamāśritya stheyam||

A king should subjugate his enemies and all who seek to assert their superiority, and he should properly rule and protect his subjects. One should ignite his sacred fires and pour libations on them in various sacrifices, and retiring into the woods in either his middle or old age, should live there.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 8 118.22

दमान्वितः पुरुषो धर्मशीलो भूतानि चात्मानमिवानुपश्येत्। गरीयसः पूजयेदात्मशक्त्या सत्येन शीलेन सुखं नरेन्द्र॥

damānvitaḥ puruṣo dharmaśīlo bhūtāni cātmānamivānupaśyet| garīyasaḥ pūjayedātmaśaktyā satyena śīlena sukhaṃ narendra||

Gifted with self-control, and possessed of righteous conduct, one should regard all creatures as his ownself. One should again respect his superiors. By the practice of truth and of good conduct, O king one is sure to acquire happiness.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)