युधिष्ठिर उवाच अतः परं महाबाहो यच्छ्रेयस्तद् वदस्व मे। न तृप्याम्यमृतस्येव वचसस्ते पितामह॥
Yudhishthira said O you of great arms, tell me, after this, what is beneficial for us, O grandfather, I am never satiated with your words which seem to me like ambrosia.
किं कर्म पुरुषः कृत्वा शुभं पुरुषसत्तम। श्रेयः परमवाप्नोति प्रेत्य चेह च तद् वद॥
What are those good acts, O best of men, by doing which a man succeeds in obtaining what is for his greatest good, both in the world, and in the next, O giver of boons.
भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि यथापूर्वं महायशाः। पराशरं महात्मानं पप्रच्छ जनको नृपः॥
Bhishma said-Regarding it I shall describe to you what the celebrated king Janaka had enquired, in days of great Parashara.
किं श्रेयः सर्वभूतानामस्मिल्लोके परत्र चा यद् भवेत् प्रतिपत्तव्यं तद् भवान् प्रब्रवीतु मे॥
What is beneficial for all creatures both in this world and the next? Do you tell me what should be known by all about it.
ततः स तपसा युक्तः सर्वधर्मविधानवित्। नृपायानुग्रहमना मुनिर्वाक्यमथाब्रवीत्॥
Thus accosted Parashara, endued with great ascetic merit and conversant with the ordinances of every religion, said these words, desirous of favouring the king.
पराशर उवाच धर्म एव कृतः श्रेयानिह लोके परत्र च। तस्माद्धि परमं नास्ति यथा प्राहुर्मनीषिणः॥
Parashara said Virtue acquired by acts is of supreme benefit both in this world and the next. The sages of old have said that there is nothing higher than virtue.
प्रतिपद्य नरो धर्म स्वर्गलोके महीयते। धर्मात्मकः कर्मविधिर्देहिनां नृपसत्तम॥ तस्मिन्नाश्रमिणः सन्तः स्वकर्माणीह कुर्वते॥
By accomplishing the sacred duties a man becomes honoured in heaven. The virtue, again, of embodied creatures, O best of kings, consists in the ordinances on the subject of acts. All good men belonging to the several modes of life, fixing their faith on virtue, perform their respective duties.
चतुर्विधा हि लोकेऽस्मिन् यात्रा तात विधीयते। मा यत्रावतिष्ठन्ते सा च कामात् प्रवर्तते॥
Four modes of life, O child, have been laid down in this world. Wherever men live the means of maintenance come to them of themselves.
सुकृतासुकृतं कर्म निषेव्य विविधैः क्रमैः। दशार्धप्रविभक्तानां भूतानां बहुधा गतिः॥
Doing by different means virtuous or sinful acts, living creatures, when dissolved into their five constituent elements, attain to various ends.
सौवर्ण राजतं चाप यथा भाण्डं निषिच्यते। तथा निषिच्यते जन्तुः पूर्वकर्मवशानुगः॥
As vessels of white brass, when steeped in liquified gold or silver, get the hue of these metals, so a living creature, who is entirely dependant upon the acts of his pristine lives, takes his colour from the nature of those acts.
नाबीजाज्जायते किंचिन्नाकृत्वा सुखमेधते। सुकृतैर्विन्दते सौख्यं प्राप्य देहक्षयं नरः॥
Nothing can originate without a seed. No one can acquire happiness without having performed acts capable of bringing on happiness. When one's body is dissolved, he succeeds in acquiring happiness only on account of the good acts of pristine lives.
दैवं तात न पश्यामि नास्ति दैवस्य साधनम्। स्वभावतो हि संसिद्धा देवगन्धर्वदानवाः॥
The sceptic argues, O child, saying,-I do not see that anything in this world is the result of destiny or the virtuous and sinful deeds of pristine lives. Inference cannot settle the existence or operation of destiny. The gods, the Gandharvas and the Danavas have become what they are on account of their own nature.
प्रेत्य जातिकृतं कर्म न स्मरन्ति सदा जनाः। ते वै तस्य फलप्राप्तौ कर्म चापि चतुर्विधम्॥
People never recollect in their next lives the acts done by them in pristine ones. For explaining the acquisition of fruits in any particular life people seldom name the four sorts of acts alleged to have been performed in pristine lives.
लोकयात्राश्रयश्चैव शब्दो वेदाश्रयः कृतः। शान्त्यर्थं मनसस्तात नैतद् वृद्धानुशासनम्॥
The declarations have the Vedas for their authority have been made for guiding the conduct of men in his world, and for tranquillizing the minds of men. These, O child, cannot represent the saying of truly wise men.
चक्षुषा मनसा वाचा कर्मणा च चतुर्विधम्। कुरुते यादृशं कर्म तादृशं प्रतिपद्यते॥
This opinion is wrong. In sooth, one acquires the fruits of whatever among the four sorts of acts one does with the eye, the mind, the tongue, and muscles.
निरन्तरं च मिश्रं च लभते कर्म पार्थिव। कल्याणं यदि वा पापं न तु नाशोऽस्य विद्यते॥
As the fruit of his acts, O king, a person, sometimes acquires happiness wholly, sometimes misery in the same way, and sometimes happiness and misery united together. Whether virtuous or sinful, acts are never destroyed.
कदाचित् सुकृतं तात कूटस्थमिव तिष्ठति। मज्जमानस्य संसारे यावद् दुःखाद् विमुच्यते॥
Sometimes, 0 child, the happiness consequent on good acts remains concealed and covered in such a way that it does not shew itself in the case of the person who is sinking in life's ocean till his sorrows disappear.
ततो दुःखक्षयं कृत्वा सुकृतं कर्म सेवते। सुकृतक्षयाद् दुष्कृतं तद् विद्धि मनुजाधिप॥
After sorrow has been dissipated, one begins to enjoy (the fruits of) his good acts. And know, O king, that upon the exhaustion of the fruits of good deeds, those of sinful ones begain to throw themselves.
दमः क्षमा धृतिस्तेजः संतोषः सत्यवादिता। ह्रीरहिंसाव्यसनिता दाक्ष्यं चेति सुखावहाः॥
Self-control, forgiveness, patience, energy, contentment, truthfulness, modesty, abstention from injury, freedom from the evil practices called Vyasana, and cleverness,—these yield happiness.
दुष्कृते सुकृते चापि न जन्तुर्नियतो भवेत्। नित्यं मन:समाधाने प्रयतेत विचक्षणः॥
No creature is perpetually subject to the fruits of his good or bad acts. The wise man should always try to collect and concentrate his mind.
नायं परस्य सुकृतं दुष्कृतं चापि सेवते। करोति यादृशं कर्म तादृशं प्रतिपद्यते॥
One never has to enjoy or endure the good and bad deeds of another. Indeed, one enjoys and endures the fruits of only those acts that he does oneself.
सुखदुःखे समाधाय पुमानन्येन गच्छति। अन्येनैव जनः सर्वः संगतो यश्च पार्थिवः॥
The person who renounces both happiness and misery walks along a particular path. Those men, however, O king, who allow themselves to be attached to all worldly objects, walk along an entirely different path.
परेषां यदसूयेत न तत् कुर्यात् स्वयं नरः। यो ह्यसू युस्तथायुक्तः सोऽवहासं नियच्छति॥
A person should not himself do that act which, if done by another, will bring censure on him. Indeed, by doing an act that one censures in others, one meets with ridicule.
भीरू राजन्यो ब्राह्मणः सर्वभक्ष्यो वैश्योऽनीहावान् हीनवर्णोऽलसञ्च। विद्वांश्चाशीलो वृत्तहीनः कुलीन: सत्याद् विभ्रष्टो धार्मिकः स्त्री च दुष्टा॥ मूर्यो वक्ता नृपहीनं च राष्ट्रम्। एते सर्वे शोच्यतां यान्ति राजन् यश्चायुक्तः स्नेहहीनः प्रजासु॥
A Kshatriya shorn of courage, a Brahmana who takes every sort of food, a Vaishya shorn of exertion, a Shudra who is idle, learned person without good conduct, one of high birth but shorn of righteous conduct, a Brahmana fallen away from truth, a woman who is unchastc and wicked, a Yogin endued with attachments, one that cooks food for his own self, an ignorant person employed in making a discourse, a kingdom without a king, and king who cherishes no love for his subjects and who is shorn of Yoga,-these all, O king, are deserving of pity.