युधिष्ठिर उवाच कथं नु युक्तः पृथिवीं चरेदस्मद्विधो नृपः। नित्यं कैश्च गुणैर्युक्तः संगपाशाद् विमुच्यते॥
Yudhishthira said How, O grandfather, should a king like us act in this world, keeping in view the great object of acquisition? What attributes, again, should he always possess so that he may be liberated from attachments.
भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्येऽहमितिहासं पुरातनम्। अरिष्टनेमिना प्रोक्तं सगरायानुपृच्छते॥
Bhishma said-I shall in this connection recite to you the old narrative that was uttered by Arishtanemi to Sagara who had sought his advice.
सगर उवाच किं श्रेयः परमं ब्रह्मन् कृत्वेह सुखमश्नुते। कथं न शोचेन्न क्षुभ्येदेतदिच्छामि वेदितुम्॥
Sagara said What is that good, O Brahmana, by doing which one may enjoy happiness here? How, indeed, may one avoid grief and agitation? I wish to know all this.
भीष्म उवाच एवमुक्तस्तदा तार्क्ष्यः सर्वशास्त्रविदां वरः। विबुध्य सम्पदं चाग्र्यां सद्वाक्यमिदमब्रवीत्॥
Bhishma said Thus addressed by Sagara, Arishtanemi of Tarkshya's race, conversant with all the scriptures, considering the enquiries ad deserving fully of his instructions, said these words:सुखं मोक्षसुखं लोके न च मूढोऽवगच्छति।
प्रसक्तः पुत्रपशुषु धनधान्यसमाकुलः॥
The happiness of Liberation is true happiness in the world. The ignorant man knows is not, attached, as he is, to children and animals and possessed of riches and corn.
सक्तबुद्धिरशान्तात्मा न शक्यं तच्चिकित्सितुम्। स्नेहपाशसितो मूढो न स मोक्षाय कल्पते॥
The understanding that is attached to worldly objects and the longing mind baffle all skilful treatment. The ignorant man who is bound is the fetters of affection cannot acquire Liberation.
स्नेहजानिह ते पाशान् वक्ष्यामि शृणु तान् मम। सकर्णकेन शिरसा शक्याः श्रोतुं विजानता॥
I shall now describe to you all the fetters which originate from the affections. Hear them with attention. Indeed, they can be heard with profit by one who is endued with knowledge.
सम्भाव्य पुत्रान् कालेन यौवनस्थान् विवेश्य च। समर्थान् जीवने ज्ञात्वा मुक्तश्चर यथासुखम्॥
Having procreated children in due time and married them when they become young men, and having found them to be competent for earning their livelihood, do you free youself from all attachments and rove about happily.
भार्यां पुत्रवती वृद्धां लालितां पुत्रवत्सलाम्। ज्ञात्वा प्रजहि कालेन परार्थमनुदृश्य च॥
When you find you dear consort grown old in years and attached to the son she has given birth to, do you leave her in time, keeping in view the highest object of acquisition.
सापत्यो निरपत्यो वा मुक्तश्चर यथासुखम्। इन्द्रियैरिन्द्रियार्थांस्त्वमनुभूय यथाविधि॥
Whether you get a son or not, having, during the first years of your life, duly enjoyed with your senses the objects thereof, liberate yourself from attachments and rove about in happiness.
कृतकौतूहलस्तेषु मुक्तश्चर यथासुखम्। उपपत्त्योपलब्धेषु लोकेषु च समो भव॥
Having satisfied the senses with their objects, you should suppress the desire of further indulging them. Liberating yourself from attachments, you should rove in happiness, contenting yourself with what is got without exertion and previous calculation, and loO king impartially towards all creatures and objects.
एष तावत् समासेन तव संकीर्तितो मया। मोक्षार्थो विस्तरेणाथ भूयो वक्ष्यामि तच्छृणु॥
Thus, O son, have I told you briefly. Hear me now, for I shall tell you fully, the desirability of the acquisition of Liberation.
मुक्ता वीतभया लोके चरन्ति सुखिनो नराः। सक्तभावा विनश्यन्ति नरास्तत्र न संशयः॥
Those persons who live in this world shorn of attachments and fear, succeed in acquiring happiness. Those persons, however, who are attached to worldly objects, forsooth, meet with destruction,
आहारसंचयाश्चैव तथा कीटपिपीलिकाः। असक्ताः सुखिनो लोके सक्ताश्चैव विनाशिनः॥
Worms and ants are engaged in the acquisition of food and are seen to die in the search. They who are shorn or attachments are happy, while they who are attached to worldly objects meet with destruction.
स्वजने न च ते चिन्ता कर्तव्या मोक्षबुद्धिना। इमे मया विनाभूता भविष्यन्ति कथं त्विति॥
If you wish to acquire Liberation you should never place your thoughts on your relatives, thinking, How shall these live without me?
स्वयमुत्पद्यते जन्तुः स्वयमेव विवर्धते। सुखदुःखे तथा मृत्यु स्वयमेवाधिगच्छति॥
A living creature takes birth by himself, and, grow by himself, and acquires happiness and misery, and death by himself.
भोजनाच्छादने चैव मात्रा पित्रा च संग्रहम्। स्वकृतेनाधिगच्छन्ति लोके नास्त्यकृतं पुरा॥
In this world people enjoy and obtain good and cloth and other acquisitions acquired by either their parents or themselves. This is the result of the acts of pristine lives, for nothing can be had in this life which is not the result of the past.
धात्रा विहितभक्ष्याणि सर्वभूतानि मेदिनीम्। लोके विपरिधावन्ति रक्षितानि स्वकर्मभिः॥
All creatures live on the Earth, protected by their own acts, and acquiring their food as the result of what is ordained by Him who allots the fruits of acts.
स्वयं मृत्पिण्डभूतस्य परतन्त्रस्य सर्वदा। को हेतुः स्वजनं षोष्टुं रक्षितुं वादृढात्मनः॥
A man is but a lump of clay, and always depends completely on their forces. A man, being thus so weak, what rational motive can one have for protecting and feeding his relatives?
स्वजनं हि यदा मृत्युर्हन्त्येव तव पश्यतः। कृतेऽपि यत्ने महति तत्र बोद्धव्यमात्मना॥
When your relatives are carried away by Death in your very presence and despite you utmost efforts to save them, that circumstance alone should awaken you.
जीवन्तमपि चैवैनं भरणे रक्षणे तथा। असमाप्ते परित्यज्य पश्चादपि मरिष्यसि॥
In the very life-time of your relatives and before own duty is completed of feeding and protecting them, you may yourself die and leave them.
यदा मृतं च स्वजनं न ज्ञास्यसि कदाचन। सुखितं दुःखितं वापि ननु बोद्धव्यमात्मना॥
After your relatives have been carried away from this world by death, you cannot know what becomes of them there,—that is, whether they are happy or miserable. This fact ought to awaken you.
मृते वा त्वयि जीवे वा यदा भोक्ष्यति वै जनः। स्वकृतं ननु बुद्ध्वैवं कर्तव्यं हितमात्मनः॥
When on account of the fruits of their own acts your relatives can maintain themselves in this world whether you live or die, thinking of this you should do what is for your own wellbeing.
एवं विजानल्लोकेऽस्मिन् कः कस्येत्यभिनिश्चितः। मोक्षे निवेशय मनो भूयश्चाप्युपधारय॥
When such is the case, who is the world is to be considered as whose? Do you, therefore, think of acquiring Liberation. Hear now what more I shall say to you.
क्षुत्पिपासादयो भावा जिता यस्येह देहिनः। क्रोधोलोभस्तथा मोहः सत्त्वन् मुक्त एव सः॥
That man of firm Soul, forsooth, liberated who has conquered hunger and thirst and such other states of the body, as also anger and cupidity and error.
द्यूते पाने तथा स्त्रीषु मृगयायां च यो नरः। न प्रमाद्यति सम्मोहात् सततं मुक्त एव सः॥
That man is always liberated who does not forget himself, through folly, by indulging in gambling and drinking and concubinage and the chase.
दिवसे दिवसे नाम रात्रौ रात्रौ पुमान् सदा। भोक्तव्यमिति यः खिन्नो दोषबुद्धिः स उच्यते॥
That man who is really affected by sorrow for being compelled to eat every day and every night for maintaining life, is said to be congnisant of the faults of life.
आत्मभावं तथा स्त्रीषु मुक्तमेव पुनः पुनः। यः पश्यति सदा युक्तो यथावन्मुक्त एव सः॥
Once who, as the outcome of careful reflection, considers his repeated births as due to sexual congress with women, is held to be freed from attachments.
सम्भवं च विनाशं च भूताना चेष्टितं तथा। यस्तत्त्वतो विजानाति लोकेऽस्मिन् मुक्त एव सः॥
That man is certainly Liberated who knows truly the nature of the birth, the destruction, and the acts of living creatures.
प्रस्थं वाहसहस्रेषु यात्रार्थं चैव कोटिषु। प्रासादे मञ्चकं स्थानं यः पश्यति स मुच्यते॥
That man becomes certainly freed who seeks only a handful of corn, for the support of life, from amidst millions upon millions of carts loaded with gain, and who finds no difference between a shad of bamboo and reeds and a palace.
मृत्युनाभ्याहतं लोकं व्याधिभिश्चोपपीडितम्। अवृत्तिकर्शितं चैव यः पश्यति स मुच्यते॥
That man becomes certainly freed who seeks the world as afflicted by death, disease and famine.
यः पश्यति स संतुष्टो न पश्यंश्च विहन्यते। यश्चाप्यल्पेन संतुष्टो लोकेऽस्मिन् मुक्त एव सः॥
Indeed, one who sees the world to consist of eaters and edibles, and who is never affected by pleasure and pain begotten by illusion, is considered as liberated.
अग्नीषोमाविदं सर्वमिति यश्चानुपश्यति। न च संस्पृश्यते भावैरद्भुतैर्मुक्त एव सः॥
One, who sees all the objects in the form of Fire and Soma, he is never affected by wonderful pleasures and is considered as liberated.
पर्यङ्कशय्या भूमिश्च समाने यस्य देहिनः। शालयश्च कदन्नं च यस्य स्यान्मुक्त एव सः॥
That man who considers a soft bed on a fine bed-stead and the hard ground as equal, and who considers good shali rice and hard thick rice as equal, is liberated.
क्षौमं च कुशचीरं च कौशेयं वल्कलानि च। आविकं चर्म च समं यस्य स्यान्मुक्त एव सः॥
That man who considers linen and cloth made of grass as equal, and who considers cloth of silk and barks of trees as the same, and who sees no difference between cleans sheepskin and unclean leather, is liberated.
पञ्चभूतसमुद्भूतं लोकं यश्चानुपश्यति। तथा च वर्तते दृष्ट्वा लोकेऽस्मिन् मुक्त एव सः॥
That man who considers this world as the result of the combination of the five principal elements, and who acts in this world, keeping this notion foremost, is liberated.
सुखदुःखे समे यस्य लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ। इच्छाद्वेषौ भयोद्वेगौ सर्वथा मुक्त एव सः॥
That man who considers pleasure and pain in the same light and gain and loss as equal, and victory and defeat as the same to whom like and dislike are the same, and who is unmoved under fear and anxiety, is perfectly liberated.
रक्तमूत्रपुरीषाणां दोषाणां संचयांस्तथा। शरीरं दोषबहुलं दृष्ट्वा चैव विमुच्यते॥
That man who considers his body which had so many inperfections, to be only a mass of blood, urine and excreta, as also of disorders and diseases, is liberated,
वलीपलितसंयोगे कायँ वैवर्ण्यमेव च। कुब्जभावं च जरया यः पश्यति स मुच्यते॥
That man becomes liberated who always recollects that this body, when possessed by decrepitude, becomes assailed by wrinkless and white hairs and leanness and paleness of complexion and a bending of the form.
पुंस्त्वोपघातं कालेन दर्शनोपरमं तथा। बाधिर्यं प्राणमन्दत्वं यः पश्यति स मुच्यते॥
That man who considers his body as subject to loss of power, weakness of sight, deafness, and loss of strength, is liberated.
गतानृषींस्तथा देवानसुरांश्च तथा गतान्। लोकादस्मात् परं लोकं यः पश्यति स मुच्यते॥
That man who knows that the very Rishis, the gods, and the Asuras are beings that have to depart form their respective spheres to other regions, is liberated.
प्रभावैरन्वितास्तैस्तैः पार्थिवेन्द्राः सहस्रशः। ये गताः पृथिवींत्यत्वा इति ज्ञात्वा विमुच्यते॥
That man who knows that thousands of kings possessed of even great power have dies, succeeds in becoming liberated.
अर्थांश्च दुर्लभाँल्लोके क्लेशांश्च सुलभांस्तथा। दुःखं चैव कुटुम्बार्थे यः पश्यति स मुच्यते॥
That man who knows that in this world the acquisition of objects is always hard, that pain of profuse, and that the maintenance of relative is always painful becomes liberated.
अपत्यानां च वैगुण्यं जनं विगुणमेव च। पश्यन् भूयिष्ठशो लोके को मोक्षं नाभिपूजयेत्॥
Seeing the abundant faults of children and of other men, who is there that would worship Liberation?
शास्त्राल्लोकाच्च यो बुद्धः सर्वं पश्यति मानवः। असारमिव मानुष्यं सर्वथा मुक्त एव सः॥
That man who, enlightened by the scriptures and the experience of the world sees every human concern in this world to be unreal, becomes liberated.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा मम वचो भवांश्चरतु मुक्तवत्। गार्हस्थ्ये यदि वा मोक्षे कृता बुद्धिरविक्लवा॥
Remembering these words of mine, do you act like one who has become liberated, whether it is a life of domesticity that you would lead or pursue Liberation without allowing your understanding to be confounded.
तत् तस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा सम्यक् स पृथिवीपतिः। मोक्षजैश्च गुणैर्युक्तः पालयामास च प्रजाः॥
Hearing these words of his with attention, king Sagara, acquired those virtues which yield liberation and continued, with their help to rule his subjects.