Mahabharata, Book 13, Section CLIअनुशासनपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 13.151.

151Sanskrit adhyāya 13.151 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

`पराशर उवाच।
ततः श्रुतिसमापन्नः संस्कृश्च यथाविधि।
चौलोपनयनं तस्य यथावत्क्रियते द्विजैः।।
ततोऽष्टमे स वर्षे तु व्रतोपनयनादिभिः।
क्रियाभिर्विधिदृष्टाभिर्ब्रह्मत्वमुपनीयते।।
गायत्रेण छन्दसा तु संस्कृतश्चरितव्रतः।
अधीयमानो मेधावी शुद्धात्मा नियतव्रतः।।
अचिरेणैव कालेन साङ्गान्वेदानवाप्नुते।
समावृत्तः स धर्मात्मा समावृत्तिक्रियस्तथा।।
याजनाध्यापनरतः कुशले कर्मणि स्थितः।
अग्निहोइत्रपरो नित्यं देवतातिथिपूजकः।।
यजते विविधैर्यज्ञैर्जपयज्ञैस्तथैव च।
न्यायागतधनान्वेषी न्यायवृत्तस्तपोधनः।।
सर्वभूतहितश्चैव सर्वशास्त्रविशारदः।
स्वदारपरितुष्टात्मा क्रतुगामी जितेन्द्रियः।।
परापवादविरतः सत्यव्रतपरः सदा।
स कालपरिणामात्तु संयुतः कालधर्मणा।।
संस्कृतश्चाग्निहोत्रेण यथावद्विधिपूर्वकम्।
सोमलोकमवाप्नोति देहन्यासान्न संशयः।।
तत्र सोमप्रभैर्देवैरग्निष्वात्तैश्च भास्वरैः।
तथा बर्हिषदैश्चैव देवैराङ्गिरसैरपि।।
विश्वेभिश्चैव देवैश्च तथा ब्रह्मर्षिभिः पुनः।
देवर्षिभिश्चाप्रतिमैस्तथैवाप्सरसां गणैः।
साध्यैः सिद्धैश्च सततं सत्कृतस्तत्र मोदते।।
जातरूपमयं दिव्यमर्कतुल्यं मनोजवम्।
देवगन्धर्वसंकीर्णं विमानमधिरोहति।।
सौम्यरूपा मनःकान्तास्तप्तकाञ्चनभूषणाः।
सोमकन्या विमानस्थं रमयन्ति मुदान्विताः।।
स तत्र रमते प्रीतः सह देवैः सहर्षिभिः।
लोकान्सर्वाननुचरन्दीप्ततेजा मनोजवः।।
सभां कामजवीं चापि नित्यमेवाभिगच्छति।
सर्वलोकेश्वरमृषिं नमस्कृत्य पितामहम्।।
परमेष्ठिरनन्तश्रीर्लोकानां प्रभवाप्ययः।
यतः सर्वाः प्रवर्तन्ते सर्गप्रलयविक्रियाः।
स तत्र वर्तते श्रीमान्द्विशतं द्विजसत्तम।।
अथ कालक्षयात्तस्मात्स्थानादावर्तते पुनः।
जातिधर्मांस्तथा सर्वान्सर्गादावर्तनानि च।।
अशाश्वतमिदं सवेमिति चिन्त्योपलभ्य च।
शाश्वतं दिव्यमचलमदीनमपनर्भवम्।।
आस्थास्यत्यभयं नित्यं यत्रावृत्तिर्न विद्यते।
यत्रि गत्वा न म्रियते जन्म चापि न विद्यते।।
गर्भक्लेशामयाः प्राप्ता जायता च पुनः पुनः।
कायक्लेशाश्च विविधा द्वन्द्वानि विविधानि च।।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखानि ईर्ष्याद्वेषकृतानि च।
तत्रतत्रोपभुक्तानि न क्वचिच्छाश्वती स्थितिः।।
एवं स निश्चयं कृत्वा निर्मुच्यि ग्रहबन्धनात्।
छित्त्वा भार्यामयं पाशं तथैवापत्यसम्भवम्।।
यतिधर्ममुपाश्रित्यि गुरुशुश्रूषणे रतः।
अचिरेणैव कालेन श्रेयः समभिगच्छति।।
योगशास्त्रं च साङ्ख्यं च विदित्वा सोऽर्थतत्वतः।
अनुज्ञातश्च गुरुणा यथाशास्त्रमवस्थितः।।
पुण्यतीर्थानुसेवी च नदीनां पुलिनाश्रयः।
शून्यागारनिकेतश्च वनवृक्षगुहाशयः।।
अरण्यानुचरो नित्यं देवारण्यनिकेतनः।
एकरात्रं द्विरात्रं वा न क्वचित्सज्जते द्विजः।।
शीर्णपर्णभुगेवापि वने चरति भिक्षुकः।
न भोगार्थमनुप्रेत्य यात्रामात्रं समश्नुते।।
धर्मलब्धं समश्नाति न कामात्किञ्चिदश्नुते।
युगमात्रदृगध्वानं क्रोशादूर्ध्वं न गच्छति।।
समो मानावमानाभ्यां समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।
सर्वभूताभयकरस्तथैवाभयदक्षिणः।।
निर्द्वन्द्वो निर्नमस्कारो निरानन्दपरिग्रहः।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः सर्वभूतनिराश्रयः।।
परिसङ्ख्यानतत्वज्ञस्तदा सत्यरतः सदा।
ऊर्ध्वं नाधो न तिर्यक्च न किञ्चिदभिकामयेत्।।
एवं हि रममाणस्तु यतिधर्मं यथाविधि।
कालस्य परिणामात्तु यथा पक्वफलं तथा।।
स विसृज्य स्वकं देहं प्रविशेद्ब्रह्म शाश्वतम्।
निरामयमनाद्यन्तं गुणसौम्यमचेतनम्।।
निरक्षरमबीजं च निरिन्द्रियमजं तथा।
अजय्यमक्षयं यत्तदभेद्यं सूक्ष्ममेव च।।
निर्गुणं च प्रकृतिमन्निर्विकारं च सर्वशः।
भूतभव्यभविष्यस्य कालस्य परमेश्वरम्।
अव्यक्तं पुरुषं क्षेत्रमानन्त्याय प्रपद्यते।।'।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि
दानधर्मपर्वणि एकपञ्चाशदधिकशततमोऽध्यायः।। 151 ।।

English Ganguli

"'Yudhishthira said, "Who deserve to be worshipped? Who are they unto whom we should bow? How, indeed, should we behave towards whom? What course of conduct, O grandsire, towards what classes of persons is regarded faultless?"

"'Bhishma said, "The humiliation of Brahmanas would humiliate the very deities. By bowing unto Brahmanas one does not, O Yudhishthira, incur any fault. They deserve to be worshipped. They deserve to have our salutations. Thou shouldst behave towards them as if they are thy sons. Indeed, it is those men endued with great wisdom that uphold all the worlds. The Brahmanas are the great causeways of Righteousness in respect of all the worlds. Their happiness consists in renouncing all kinds of wealth. They are devoted to the vow of restraining speech. They are agreeable to all creatures, and observant of diverse excellent vows. They are the refuge of all creatures in the universe. They are the authors of all the regulations which govern the worlds. They are possessed of great fame. Penances are always their great wealth. Their power consists in speech. Their energy flows from the duties they observe. Conversant with all duties, they are possessed of minute vision, so that they are cognizant of the subtlest considerations. They are of righteous desires. They live the observance of well-performed duties. They are the causeways of Righteousness. The four kinds of living creatures exist, depending upon them as their refuge. They are the path or road along which all should go. They are the guides of all. They are the eternal upholders of all the sacrifices. They always uphold the heavy burdens of sires and grandsires. They never droop under heavy weights even when passing along difficult roads like strong cattle. They are attentive to the requirements of Pitris and deities and guests. They are entitled to eat the first portions of Havya and Kavya. By the very food they eat, they rescue the three worlds from great fear. They are as it were, the Island (for refuge) for all worlds. They are the eyes of all persons endued with sight. The wealth they possess consists of all the branches of knowledge known by the name of Siksha and all the Srutis. Endued with great skill, they are conversant with the most subtle relations of things. They are well-acquainted with the end of all things, and their thoughts are always employed upon the science of the soul. They are endued with the knowledge of the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things, and they are persons in whom doubts no longer exist in consequence of feeling certain of their knowledge. They are fully aware of the distinctions between what is superior and what is inferior. They it is who attain to the highest end. Freed from all attachments, cleansed of all sins, transcending all pairs of opposites (such as heat and cold, happiness and misery, etc.), they are unconnected with all worldly things. Deserving of every honour, they are always held in great esteem by persons endued with knowledge and high souls. They cast equal eyes on sandal-paste and filth or dirt, on what is food and what is not food. They see with an equal eye their brown vestments of coarse cloth and fabrics of silk and animal skins. They would live for many days together without eating any food, and dry up their limbs by such abstention from all sustenance. They devote themselves earnestly to the study of the Vedas, restraining their senses. They would make gods of those that are not gods, and not gods of those that are gods. Enraged, they can create other worlds and other Regents of the worlds than those that exist. Through the course of those high-souled ones, the ocean became so saline as to be undrinkable. The fire of their wrath yet burns in the forest of Dandaka, unquenched by time. They are the gods of the gods, and the cause of all cause. They are the authority of all authorities. What man of intelligence and wisdom is there that would seek to humiliate them? Amongst them the young and the old all deserve honours. They honour one another (not in consequence of distinctions of age but) in consequence of distinctions in respect of penances and knowledge. Even the Brahmana that is destitute of knowledge is a god and is a high instrument for cleansing others. He amongst them, then, that is possessed of knowledge is a much higher god and like unto the ocean when full (to the brim). Learned or unlearned, Brahmana is always a high deity. Sanctified or unsanctified (with the aid of Mantras), Fire is ever a great deity. A blazing fire even when it burns on a crematorium, is not regarded as tainted in consequence of the character of the spot whereon it burns. Clarified butter looks beautiful whether kept on the sacrificial altar or in a chamber. So, if a Brahmana be always engaged in evil acts, he is still to be regarded as deserving of honour. Indeed, know that the Brahmana is always a high deity."'"