Mahabharata, Book 12, Section XXशान्तिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 12.20.

20Sanskrit adhyāya 12.20 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

वैशंपायन उवाच।
अस्मिन्वाक्यान्तरे वक्ता देवस्थानो महातपाः।
अभिनीततरं वाक्यमित्युवाच युधिष्ठिरम्।।
देवस्थान उवाच।
यद्वचः फल्गुनेनोक्तं न ज्यायोऽस्ति धनादिति।
अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि तदेकान्तमनाः शृणु।।
अजातशत्रो धर्मेण कृत्स्ना ते वसुधा जिता।
तां जित्वा च वृथा राजन्न परित्यक्तुमर्हसि।।
चतुष्पदी हि निःश्रेणी ब्रह्मण्येषा प्रतिष्ठिता।
तां क्रमेण महाबाहो यथावज्जय पार्थिव।
तस्मात्पार्थ महायज्ञैर्यजस्व बहुदक्षिणैः।।
स्वाध्याययज्ञा ऋषयो ज्ञानयज्ञास्तथाऽपरे।
कर्मनिष्ठाश्च बुद्ध्यर्थास्तपोनिष्ठाश्च पार्थिव।।
वैखानसानां कौन्तेय वचनं श्रूयते यथा।।
ईहेत धनहेतोर्यस्तस्यानीहा गरीयसी।
भूयान्दोषो हि वर्धेत यस्तत्कर्म समाश्रयेत्।।
कृत्स्नं च धनसंहारं कुर्वन्ति विधिकारणात्।
आत्मना तृपितो बुद्ध्या भ्रूणहत्यां न बुध्यते।।
अनर्हते यद्ददाति न ददाति यदर्हते।
अर्हानर्हापरिज्ञानाद्दानधर्मोऽपि दुष्करः।।
यज्ञाय सृष्टानि धनानि धात्रा
यज्ञादिष्टः पुरुषो रक्षिता च।
तस्मात्सर्वं यज्ञ एवोपयोज्यं
धनं ततोऽनन्तर एव कामः।।
यज्ञैरिन्द्रो विविधै रत्नवद्भि
र्देवान्सर्वानभ्ययाद्भूरितेजाः।
तेनेन्द्रत्वं प्राप्य विभ्राजतेऽसौ
तस्माद्यज्ञे सर्वमेवोपयोज्यम्।।
महादेवः सर्वयज्ञे महात्मा
हुत्वाऽऽत्मानं देवदेवो बभूव।
विश्वाँल्लोकान्व्याप्य विष्टभ्य कीर्त्या
विराजते द्युतिमान्कृत्तिवासाः।।
आविक्षितः पार्थिवोऽसौ मरुत्तो
वृद्ध्या शक्रं योऽजयद्देवराजम्।
यज्ञे यस्य श्रीः स्वयं सन्निविष्टा
यस्मिन्भाण्डं काञ्चनं सर्वमासीत्।।
हरिश्चन्द्रः पार्थिवेन्द्रः श्रुतस्ते
यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा पुण्यभाग्वीतशोकः।
ऋद्ध्या शक्रं योऽजयन्मानुषः सं
स्तस्माद्यज्ञे सर्वमेवोपयोज्यम्।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि
राजधर्मपर्वणि विंशोऽध्यायः।। 20।।

English Ganguli

"Vaisampayana said, 'After Yudhishthira had stopped, the great ascetic Devasthana, possessed of eloquence, said these words, fraught with reason, unto the king.

"'Devasthana said, "Phalguna has told thee that there is nothing superior to wealth. I shall discourse to thee on that subject. Listen to me with undivided attention. O Ajatasatru, thou hast righteously won the earth. Having won her, it behoves thee not, O king, to abandon her without cause. Four modes of life are indicated in the Vedas. Do thou, O king, duly pass through them, one after another. At present thou shouldst, therefore, perform great sacrifices with profuse presents. Amongst the very Rishis, some are engaged in the sacrifice represented by Vedic study, and some in that presented by knowledge. Therefore, O Bharata, thou must know that the very ascetics also are addicted to action. The Vaikhanasas, however, are said to preach that he who does not seek for wealth is superior to him that seeks for it.[65] I think that he who would follow that precept would incur many faults. Men collect together diverse things (for the performance of sacrifices) simply because of the (Vedic) ordinance. He who, tainted by his own understanding, giveth away wealth to an undeserving person without giving it to the deserving, doth not know that he incurs the sin of killing a foetus.[66] The exercise of the duty of charity after discriminating the deserving from the undeserving is not easy. The Supreme Ordainer created wealth for sacrifice, and He created man also for taking care of that wealth and for performing sacrifice. For this reason the whole of one's wealth should be applied to sacrifice. Pleasure would follow from it as a natural consequence. Possessed of abundant energy, Indra, by the performance of diverse sacrifices with profuse gifts of valuables, surpassed all the gods. Having got their chiefship by that means, he shineth in heaven. Therefore, everything should be applied to sacrifices. Clad in deer-skins, the high-souled Mahadeva, having poured his own self as a libation in the sacrifice called Sarva, became the first of gods, and surpassing all creatures in the universe and prevailing over them by means of that achievement, shines in resplendence. King Marutta, the son of Avikshit, by the profusion of his wealth, vanquished Sakra himself, the chief of the gods. In the great sacrifice he performed, all the vessels were of gold, and Sree herself came in person. Thou hast heard that the great king Harischandra, having performed sacrifices, earned great merit and great happiness. Though a man, he nevertheless vanquished Sakra by his wealth. For this reason everything should be applied to sacrifice."'"