Mahabharata — Volume VIII (Dutt edition) — Chapter 73

MBh 8 73.1

व्यास उवाच प्रकृत्यास्तु विकारा ये क्षेत्रज्ञस्तैरधिष्ठितः। न चैनं ते प्रजानन्ति स त जानाति तानपि॥

vyāsa uvāca prakṛtyāstu vikārā ye kṣetrajñastairadhiṣṭhitaḥ| na cainaṃ te prajānanti sa ta jānāti tānapi||

Vyasa said The Sentiency is endued with all thse entities which are modifications of Nature. These do not know the Soul but the Soul knows them all.

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

MBh 8 73.2

तैश्चैवं कुरुते कार्यं मनःषष्ठैरिहेन्द्रियैः। सुदान्तैरिव संयन्ता दृढैः परमवाजिभिः॥

taiścaivaṃ kurute kāryaṃ manaḥṣaṣṭhairihendriyaiḥ| sudāntairiva saṃyantā dṛḍhaiḥ paramavājibhiḥ||

Like a good driver going on with the help of strong, well-trained, and very good horses along the paths he chooses, thc Soul acts with the help of these, called the senses, having the mind for their sixth.

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

MBh 8 73.3

इन्द्रियेभ्यः परे ह्या अर्थेभ्यः परमं मनः। मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्बुद्धेरात्मा महान् परः॥

indriyebhyaḥ pare hyā arthebhyaḥ paramaṃ manaḥ| manasastu parā buddhirbuddherātmā mahān paraḥ||

The objects of the senses are superior to the senses themselves. The mind is superior to those objects. The understanding is superior to the mind. Mahat or the principle of greatness is superior to the understanding.

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

MBh 8 73.4

महतः परमव्यक्तमव्यक्तात् परतोऽमृतम्। अमृतान्न परं किंचित् सा काष्ठा सा परा गतिः॥

mahataḥ paramavyaktamavyaktāt parato'mṛtam| amṛtānna paraṃ kiṃcit sā kāṣṭhā sā parā gatiḥ||

Superior to Mahat is the Prakriti. Superior to the Prakriti is Brahma. There is nothing superior to Brahma. That is the highest limit of goodness and the highest end.

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

MBh 8 73.5

एवं सर्वेषु भूतेषु गूढोऽऽत्मा न प्रकाशते। दृश्यते त्वम्यया बुद्ध्या सूक्ष्मया सूक्ष्मदर्शिभिः॥

evaṃ sarveṣu bhūteṣu gūḍho''tmā na prakāśate| dṛśyate tvamyayā buddhyā sūkṣmayā sūkṣmadarśibhiḥ||

The Supreme Soul is hidden in every creature. It is not so manifest that ordinary men can see. Only Yogins with subtile vision see the Supreme Soul with the help of their keen and subtile understandings.

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

MBh 8 73.6

अन्तरात्मनि संलीय मनःषष्ठानि मेधया। इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थांश्च बहुचिन्त्यमचिन्तयन्॥ ध्यानेनोपरमं कृत्वा विद्यासम्पादितं मनः। अनीश्वरः प्रशान्तात्मा ततोऽर्छत्यमृतं पदम्॥

antarātmani saṃlīya manaḥṣaṣṭhāni medhayā| indriyāṇīndriyārthāṃśca bahucintyamacintayan|| dhyānenoparamaṃ kṛtvā vidyāsampāditaṃ manaḥ| anīśvaraḥ praśāntātmā tato'rchatyamṛtaṃ padam||

Merging the senses having the mind for their sixth and all the objects of the senses into the inner self by the help of the understanding, and meditating upon the three states of consciousness, viz., the object thought, the act of thinking, and the thinker, and abstaining by contemplation from every kind of enjoyment, replenishing his mind with the knowledge that he is Brahma's self, laying aside at the same time all consciousness of power, and there by making his Soul perfectly tranquil, the Yogin attains to immortality.

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

MBh 8 73.7

इन्द्रियाणां तु सर्वेषां वश्यात्मा चलितस्मृतिः। आत्मनः सम्प्रदानेन मर्यो मृत्युमुपाश्नुते॥

indriyāṇāṃ tu sarveṣāṃ vaśyātmā calitasmṛtiḥ| ātmanaḥ sampradānena maryo mṛtyumupāśnute||

That person, however, who becomes the slave of all his senses and whose ideas of right and wrong have been confounded, already subject as he is to death, actually meets with death by such surrender of self.

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

MBh 8 73.8

आहत्य सर्वसंकल्पान् सत्त्वे चित्तं निवेशयेत्। सत्त्वे चित्तं समावेश्य ततः कालंजरो भवेत्॥

āhatya sarvasaṃkalpān sattve cittaṃ niveśayet| sattve cittaṃ samāveśya tataḥ kālaṃjaro bhavet||

Destroying all desires, one should drown the gross understanding into one's subtile Understanding. Having thus drowned the gross into the subtile Understanding, one is sure to become a second Kalanjara mountain.

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

MBh 8 73.9

चित्तप्रसादेन यति हातीह शुभाशुभम्। प्रसन्नात्माऽऽत्मनि स्थित्वा सुखमत्यन्तमश्नुते॥

cittaprasādena yati hātīha śubhāśubham| prasannātmā''tmani sthitvā sukhamatyantamaśnute||

By purifying his heart, the Yogin gets over both righteousness and its opposite. By purifying his hcart and by living in his own true nature, he acquires the highest happiness.

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

MBh 8 73.10

लक्षणं तु प्रसादस्य यथा स्वप्ने सुखं स्वपेत्। युञ्जनात्मानमात्मनि। निवाते वा यथा दीपो दीप्यमानो न कम्पते॥

lakṣaṇaṃ tu prasādasya yathā svapne sukhaṃ svapet| yuñjanātmānamātmani| nivāte vā yathā dīpo dīpyamāno na kampate||

The sign of that purity of heart is that one who has acquired it experiences that state of unconsciousness which is similar to that of dreamless slumber. The Yogin who has acquired that state lives like the steady flame of a lamp which burns in a place where the atmosphere is perfectly still.

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

MBh 8 73.11

एवं पूर्वापरे काले लध्वाहारो विशुद्धात्मा पश्यत्यात्मानमात्मनि॥

evaṃ pūrvāpare kāle ladhvāhāro viśuddhātmā paśyatyātmānamātmani||

Being sparing in diet, and having purified his heart, that Yogin who applies his Soul to the Soul, sees the Soul in the Soul.

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

MBh 8 73.12

रहस्यं सर्ववेदानामनैतिह्यमनागमम्। आत्मप्रत्ययिकं शास्त्रमिदं पुत्रानुशासनम्॥

rahasyaṃ sarvavedānāmanaitihyamanāgamam| ātmapratyayikaṃ śāstramidaṃ putrānuśāsanam||

This topic, O son, intended for your instruction, is the essence of all the Vedas. The truths expounded in it cannot be understood by the help of inference alone or by that of mere study of the scriptures. One must understand in himself by the help of faith.

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

MBh 8 73.13

धर्माख्यानेषु सर्वेषु सत्याख्याने च यद् वसु। दशेदमृक्सहस्राणि निर्मथ्यामृतमुद्धतम्॥

dharmākhyāneṣu sarveṣu satyākhyāne ca yad vasu| daśedamṛksahasrāṇi nirmathyāmṛtamuddhatam||

By churning the riches contained in all religious works and in all topics based on truth, as also the ten thousand Riches, this ambrosia has been acquired.

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

MBh 8 73.14

नवनीतं यथा दनः काष्ठादग्निर्यथैव च। तथैव विदुषां ज्ञानं पुत्र हेतोः समुद्धृतम्॥

navanītaṃ yathā danaḥ kāṣṭhādagniryathaiva ca| tathaiva viduṣāṃ jñānaṃ putra hetoḥ samuddhṛtam||

As butter from curds and fire from wood, so this has been raised for the sake of my son,-this which forms the knowledge of all truly wise men.

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

MBh 8 73.15

स्नातकानामिदं शास्त्रं वाच्यं पुत्रानुशासनम्। तदिदं नाप्रशान्ताय नादान्तायातपस्वि ने॥

snātakānāmidaṃ śāstraṃ vācyaṃ putrānuśāsanam| tadidaṃ nāpraśāntāya nādāntāyātapasvi ne||

This topic, O son, fraught with solid instruction, is intended for Brahmana who having studied the Vedas, have become householders. It should never be delivered to one who is not of tranquil soul, or one is not selfcontrolled, or who one who has not practised penances.

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

MBh 8 73.16

नोदविदुषे वाच्यं तथा नानुगताय च। नासूयकाजानृजवे न चानिर्दिष्टकारिणे॥

nodaviduṣe vācyaṃ tathā nānugatāya ca| nāsūyakājānṛjave na cānirdiṣṭakāriṇe||

It should not be delivered to one who is not conversant with the Vedas, or one who do not humbly wait upon his preceptor, or one who is not shorn of malice, or one who is not possessed of sincerity and candour, or one who is of reckless conduct.

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

MBh 8 73.17

न तर्कशास्त्रदग्धाय तथैव पिशुनाय च। श्लाघिने श्लाघनीयाय प्रशान्ताय तपस्विने॥ इदं प्रियाय पुत्राय शिष्यायानुगताय च। रहस्यधर्मं वक्तव्यं नान्यस्मै तु कथंचन॥

na tarkaśāstradagdhāya tathaiva piśunāya ca| ślāghine ślāghanīyāya praśāntāya tapasvine|| idaṃ priyāya putrāya śiṣyāyānugatāya ca| rahasyadharmaṃ vaktavyaṃ nānyasmai tu kathaṃcana||

It should never be delivered to one whose intellect has been consumed by disputation, or one who is vile or low. This topic containing the quintessence of duties, should be communicated to that person, however, who is possessed of fame, or who deserves praise, or who is of tranquil soul, or possessed of ascetic merit, to a Brahimana who is such to one's son or dutiful disciple, but on no account should it be delivered to others.

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

MBh 8 73.18

यद्यप्यस्य महीं दद्याद् रत्नपूर्णामिमां नरः। इदमेव ततः श्रेय इति मन्येत तत्त्ववित्॥

yadyapyasya mahīṃ dadyād ratnapūrṇāmimāṃ naraḥ| idameva tataḥ śreya iti manyeta tattvavit||

If any person gives away the entire Earth with all her treasures, to one conversant with truth, the latter should still consider the gifts of This knowledge as very much superior to that gift.

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

MBh 8 73.19

अतो गुह्यतरार्थं तदध्यात्ममतिमानुषम्। यत् तन्महर्षिभिर्दृष्टं वेदान्तेषु च गीयते॥ तत् तेऽहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यामि यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि।।२

ato guhyatarārthaṃ tadadhyātmamatimānuṣam| yat tanmaharṣibhirdṛṣṭaṃ vedānteṣu ca gīyate|| tat te'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi yāmi yanmāṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi||2

I shall now describe to you a subject which is a greater mystery than this, a subject connected with the Soul, which is above the ordinary understandings of human beings, which has been seen by the foremost of Rishis, what has been treated in the Upanishads, and which forms the topic of your inquiry.

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

MBh 8 73.20

यच्च ते मनसि वर्तते परं यत्र चासित तव संशयः क्वचित्। श्रूयतामयमहं तवाग्रतः पुत्र किं हि कथयामि ते पुनः॥

yacca te manasi vartate paraṃ yatra cāsita tava saṃśayaḥ kvacit| śrūyatāmayamahaṃ tavāgrataḥ putra kiṃ hi kathayāmi te punaḥ||

Tell me what, after this, is in your mind? Tell me in what you have still any doubt? Listen, for here I am. So son, seated before you! Upon what, indeed, shall I once more discourse to you.

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