Mahabharata — Volume VIII (Dutt edition) — Chapter 68

MBh 8 68.1

शुक उवाच यदिदं वेदवचनं कुरु कर्म त्यजेति च। कां दिशं विद्यया यान्ति कां च गच्छन्ति कर्मणाशा ॥

śuka uvāca yadidaṃ vedavacanaṃ kuru karma tyajeti ca| kāṃ diśaṃ vidyayā yānti kāṃ ca gacchanti karmaṇāśā ||

Shuka said The injunctions of the Vedas are twofold. They once lay down the command,Do all acts. They again declare renounce acts.-I ask-where do persons go by the help of Knowledge and where by the help of acts.

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

MBh 8 68.2

एतद् वै श्रोतुमिच्छामि तद् भवान् प्रब्रवीतु मे। एतच्चान्योन्यवरूप्ये वर्तेते प्रतिकूलतः॥

etad vai śrotumicchāmi tad bhavān prabravītu me| etaccānyonyavarūpye vartete pratikūlataḥ||

I wish to hear this. Do tell me this. Indeed, these injunctions about knowledge and acts are dissimilar and even contradictory.

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

MBh 8 68.3

भीष्म उवाच इत्युक्तः प्रत्युवाचेदं पराशरसुतः सुतम्। कर्मविद्यामयावेतौ व्याख्यास्यामि क्षराक्षरौ॥ यां दिशं विद्यया यान्ति यां च गच्छन्ति कर्मणा। शृणुष्वैकमना वत्स गह्वरं ह्येतदन्तरम्॥

bhīṣma uvāca ityuktaḥ pratyuvācedaṃ parāśarasutaḥ sutam| karmavidyāmayāvetau vyākhyāsyāmi kṣarākṣarau|| yāṃ diśaṃ vidyayā yānti yāṃ ca gacchanti karmaṇā| śṛṇuṣvaikamanā vatsa gahvaraṃ hyetadantaram||

Bhishma said Thus addressed, the son of Parasara said to his son,-I shall explain to you the two paths, viz., the destructible and the indestructible, resting respectively upon acts and knowledge. Listen with rapt attention, O child, to me as I point out to you the place which is reached by one with the help of knowledge, and that other place which is reached with the help of acts. The difference between these two places is as great as the endless firmament.

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

MBh 8 68.4

अस्ति धर्म इति प्रोक्तं नास्तीत्यत्रैव यो वदेत्। तस्य पक्षस्य सदृशमिदं मम भवेद् व्यथा।॥

asti dharma iti proktaṃ nāstītyatraiva yo vadet| tasya pakṣasya sadṛśamidaṃ mama bhaved vyathā|||

The question which you have asked me has given me such pain as an athestic talk gives to a religious man.

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

MBh 8 68.5

द्वाविमावथ पन्थानौ यत्र वेदाः प्रतिष्ठिताः। प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो धर्मो निवृत्तौ च सुभाषितः॥ कर्मणा बध्यते जन्तुर्विद्यया तु प्रमुच्यते। तस्मात् कर्म न कुर्वन्ति यतयः पारदर्शिनः॥

dvāvimāvatha panthānau yatra vedāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ| pravṛttilakṣaṇo dharmo nivṛttau ca subhāṣitaḥ|| karmaṇā badhyate janturvidyayā tu pramucyate| tasmāt karma na kurvanti yatayaḥ pāradarśinaḥ||

These are the two paths upon which the Vedas are settled: the duties (Acts) indicated by action and those based on renunciation described so beautifully.By acts a living creature is destroyed. By knowledge, whoever, he becomes free. Therefore, Yogins, who see the other sides of the ocean of life, never perform acts.

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

MBh 8 68.6

कर्मणा जायते प्रेत्य मूर्तिमान् षोडशात्मकः। विद्यया जायते नित्यमव्यक्तं ह्यव्ययात्मकम्॥

karmaṇā jāyate pretya mūrtimān ṣoḍaśātmakaḥ| vidyayā jāyate nityamavyaktaṃ hyavyayātmakam||

Through acts one is compelled to take rebirth, after death which a body composed of the sixteen ingredients. Through knowledge, however, one becomes metamorphosed into that which is Eternal, is Eternal, Unmanifest, and Immutable.

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

MBh 8 68.7

कर्म त्वेके प्रशंसन्ति स्वल्पबुद्धिरता नराः। तेन ते देहजालानि रमयन्त उपासते॥

karma tveke praśaṃsanti svalpabuddhiratā narāḥ| tena te dehajālāni ramayanta upāsate||

Little-witted persons speak highly of acts. On account of this they have to assume bodies ceaselessly.

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

MBh 8 68.8

ये स्म बुद्धिं परां प्राप्ता धर्मनैपुण्यदर्शिनः। न ते कर्म प्रशंसन्ति कूपं नद्यां पिबन्निव॥

ye sma buddhiṃ parāṃ prāptā dharmanaipuṇyadarśinaḥ| na te karma praśaṃsanti kūpaṃ nadyāṃ pibanniva||

Those men, who have keen perceptions about duties and who have attained to that high understanding, never speak highly of acts even as persons, who depend for their drinking water upon the supply of streams never speak highly of wells and tanks.

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

MBh 8 68.9

कर्मणः फलमाप्नोति सुखदुःखे भवाभवौ। विद्यया तदवाप्नोति यत्र गत्वा न शोचति॥ यत्र गत्वा न म्रियते यत्र गत्वा न जायते। न पुनर्जायते यत्र यत्र गत्वा न वर्तते॥ यत्र तद् ब्रह्म परममव्यक्तमचलं ध्रुवम्। अव्याकृतमनायासमव्यक्तं चावियोगि च॥ द्वन्द्वैर्न यत्र बाध्यन्ते मानसेन च कर्मणा। समाः सर्वत्र मैत्राश्च सर्वभूतहिते रताः॥

karmaṇaḥ phalamāpnoti sukhaduḥkhe bhavābhavau| vidyayā tadavāpnoti yatra gatvā na śocati|| yatra gatvā na mriyate yatra gatvā na jāyate| na punarjāyate yatra yatra gatvā na vartate|| yatra tad brahma paramamavyaktamacalaṃ dhruvam| avyākṛtamanāyāsamavyaktaṃ cāviyogi ca|| dvandvairna yatra bādhyante mānasena ca karmaṇā| samāḥ sarvatra maitrāśca sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ||

The fruit of acts consist of pleasure and pain, of existence and non-existence. By knowledge one attains to that where there is no occasion for grief; where one becomes freed from both birth and death; where one not subject to decrepitude; where one gets over the state of conscious existence; where is Brahma which is Supreme, Unmanifest, immutable, ever-existent, imperceptible, above the reach of pain, immortal, and transcending destruction; where all become freed from the influence of all pairs of opposites as also of wish or purpose. Raching that stage, they regard everything equally, become universal friends and devoted to the well being of all creatures. There is a huge gulf, O son, between one given to knowledge and one given to acts.

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

MBh 8 68.10

विद्यामयोऽन्यः पुरुषस्तात कर्ममयोऽपरः। विद्धि चन्द्रमसं दर्शे सूक्ष्मया कलया स्थितम्॥

vidyāmayo'nyaḥ puruṣastāta karmamayo'paraḥ| viddhi candramasaṃ darśe sūkṣmayā kalayā sthitam||

Know that without suffering destruction, the man of knowledge exists for ever like the moon on the last day of the dark fortnight existing in a subtile form.

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

MBh 8 68.11

तदेतदृषिणा प्रोक्तं विस्तरेणानुमीयते। नवजं शशिनं दृष्ट्वा वक्रतन्तुमिवाम्बरे॥

tadetadṛṣiṇā proktaṃ vistareṇānumīyate| navajaṃ śaśinaṃ dṛṣṭvā vakratantumivāmbare||

The great Rishi had described this more fully. Regarding the man given to acts his nature may be inferred from seeing the new moon which appears like a bent thread in the sky.

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

MBh 8 68.12

एकादशविकारात्मा कलासम्भारसम्भृतः। मूर्तिमानिति तं विद्धि तात कर्मगुणात्मकम्॥

ekādaśavikārātmā kalāsambhārasambhṛtaḥ| mūrtimāniti taṃ viddhi tāta karmaguṇātmakam||

Know, O son, that the man of acts is born again with a body with eleven elements for its component parts which are the results of modification, and with a subtile form which represents a total of sixteen.

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

MBh 8 68.13

देवो यः संश्रितस्तस्मिन्नब्बिन्दुरिव पुष्करे। क्षेत्रमं तं विजानीयान्नित्यं योगजितात्मकम्॥

devo yaḥ saṃśritastasminnabbinduriva puṣkare| kṣetramaṃ taṃ vijānīyānnityaṃ yogajitātmakam||

The god who resides in that (material) form, like a drop of water on a lotus leaf, should be known as Kshetrajna (Soul) which is Eternal and which gets over by Yoga both the mind and the understanding.

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

MBh 8 68.14

तमो रजश्च सत्त्वं च विद्धि जीवगुणात्मकम्। जीवमात्मगुणं विद्यादात्मानं परमात्मनः॥

tamo rajaśca sattvaṃ ca viddhi jīvaguṇātmakam| jīvamātmaguṇaṃ vidyādātmānaṃ paramātmanaḥ||

Goodness, darkness, and ignorance are the qualities of the Understanding. The understanding is the attribute of the individual soul living within the body. The individual soul, in its turn, emanates froin the Supreme Soul.

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

MBh 8 68.15

सचेतनं जीवगुणं वदन्ति स चेष्टते जीवयते च सर्वम्। ततः परं क्षेत्रविदो वदन्ति प्राकल्पयद् यो भुवनानि सप्त॥

sacetanaṃ jīvaguṇaṃ vadanti sa ceṣṭate jīvayate ca sarvam| tataḥ paraṃ kṣetravido vadanti prākalpayad yo bhuvanāni sapta||

The body with the soul is said to be the attribute of individual soul. It is individual soul which acts and causes all bodies to live. He who has created the seven worlds is said by those who are acquainted with what is Kshatra to be above individual soul.

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