Mahabharata, Book 14, Section XLVIIआश्वमेधिकपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 14.47.

47Sanskrit adhyāya 14.47 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

ब्रह्मोवाच।
संन्यासं तप इत्याहुर्वृद्धा निश्चितवादिनः।
ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मयोनिस्था ज्ञानं ब्रह्म परं विदुः।।
अतिदूरात्मकं ब्रह्म वेदविद्याव्यपाश्रयम्।
निर्द्वन्द्वं निर्गुणं नित्यमचिन्त्यगुणमुत्तमम्।।
ज्ञानेन तपसा चैव धीराः पश्यन्ति तत्परम्।
निर्णिक्तमनसः पूता व्युत्क्रान्तरजसोऽमलाः।।
तपसा क्षेममध्वानं गच्छन्ति परमेश्वरम्।
संन्यासनिरता नित्यं ये च ब्रह्मविदो जनाः।।
तपः प्रदीप इत्याहुराचारो धर्मसाधकः।
ज्ञानं वै परमं विद्यात्संन्यासं तप उत्तमम्।।
यस्तु वेद निराबाधं ज्ञानं तत्त्वविनिश्चयात्।
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं स सर्वविदिहोच्यते।।
यो विद्वान्सहवासं च विवासं चैव पश्यति।
तथैवेकत्वनानात्वे स दुःखात्प्रतिमुच्यते।।
यो न कामयते किञ्चिन्न किञ्चिदवमन्यते।
इह लोकस्थ एवैष ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते।।
प्रधानगुणतत्त्वज्ञः सर्व भूतविधानवित्।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः।।
निर्द्वन्द्वो निर्नमस्कारो निःस्वधाकार एव च।
निर्गुणं नित्यमद्वन्द्वं प्रशमेनैव गच्छति।।
हित्वा गुणमयं सर्वं कर्म जन्तुः शुभाशुभम्।
उभे सत्यानृते हित्वा मुच्यते नात्र संशयः।।
अव्यक्तबीजप्रभवो बुद्धिस्कन्धमयो महान्।
महाहङ्कारविटप इन्द्रियान्तरकोटरः।।
महाभूतविशाखश्च विशेषप्रतिशाखवान्।
सदापत्रः सदापुष्पः शुभाशुभफलोदयः।।
आजीव्यः सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्मवृक्षः सनातनः।
एनं छित्त्वा च भित्त्वा च तत्त्वज्ञानासिना बुधः।।
हित्वा सङ्गमयान्पाशान्मृत्युजन्मजरोदयान्।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः।।
द्वाविमौ पक्षिणौ नित्यौ संक्षेपौ चाप्यचेतनौ।
एताभ्यां तु परो योन्यश्चेतनावान्स उच्यते।।
अचेतनः सत्वसङ्ख्याविमुक्तः
सत्त्वात्परं चेतयतेऽन्तरात्मा।
स क्षेत्रवित्सर्वसङ्ख्यातबुद्धि-
र्गुणातिगो मुच्यते सर्वपापैः।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आश्वमेधिकपर्वणि
अनुगीतापर्वणि सप्तचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः।। 47 ।।

English Ganguli

"'"'Brahma said, "The ancients who were utterers of certain truth, say that Renunciation is penance. Brahmanas, dwelling in that which has Brahman for its origin, understand Knowledge to be high Brahman.[143] Brahman is very far off, and its attainments depends upon a knowledge of the Vedas. It is free from all pairs of opposites, it is divested of all qualities; it is eternal; it is endued with unthinkable qualities: it is supreme. It is by knowledge and penance that those endued with wisdom behold that which is the highest. Verily, they that are of untainted minds, that are cleansed of every sin, and that have transcended all passion and darkness (succeed in beholding it). They who are always devoted to renunciation, and who are conversant with the Vedas, succeed in attaining to the supreme Lord who is identical with the path of happiness and peace, by the aid of penance. Penance, it has been said, is light. Conduct leads to piety. Knowledge is said to be the highest. Renunciation is the best penance. He who understands self through accurate determination of all topics, which is unperturbed, which is identical with Knowledge, and which resides in all entities, succeeds in going everywhere. The learned man who beholds association, and dissociation, and unity in diversity, is released from misery. He who never desires for anything, who despises nothing, becomes eligible, even when dwelling in this world, for assimilation with Brahman. He who is conversant with the truths about qualities of Pradhana, and understands the Pradhana as existing in all entities who is free from mineness and egoism, without doubt becomes emancipated. He who is freed from all pairs of opposites, who does not bend his head to any body, who has transcended the rites of Swadha, succeeds by the aid of tranquillity alone in attaining to that which is free from pairs of opposites, which is eternal, and which is divested of qualities. Abandoning all action, good or bad, developed from qualities, and casting off both truth and falsehood, a creature, without doubt, becomes emancipated. Having the unmanifest for the seed of its origin, with the understanding for its trunk, with the great principle of egoism for its assemblage of boughs, with the senses for the cavities of its little sprouts, with the (five) great elements for its large branches, the objects of the senses for its smaller branches, with leaves that are ever present, with flowers that always adorn it and with fruits both agreeable and disagreeable always produced, is the eternal tree of Brahman which forms the support of all creatures. Cutting and piercing that tree with knowledge of truth as the sword, the man of wisdom, abandoning the bonds which are made of attachment and which cause birth, decrepitude and death, and freeing himself from mineness and egoism, without doubt, becomes emancipated. These are the two birds, which are immutable, which are friends, and which should be known as unintelligent. That other who is different from these two is called the Intelligent. When the inner self, which is destitute of knowledge of nature, which is (as it were) unintelligent, becomes conversant with that which is above nature, then, understanding the Kshetra, and endued with an intelligence that transcends all qualities and apprehends everything, one becomes released from all sins."'"'"