शुक उवाच वर्तमानस्थैवात्र वानप्रस्थाश्रमे यथा। योक्तव्योऽऽत्मा कथं शक्त्या वेद्यं वै कासता परम्॥
Shuka said While living satisfying duly the duties of the forest life, how should one, who tries to attain to that which is the highest object of knowledge, set his soul on Yoga according to be best of his power?
व्यास उवाच प्राप्य संस्कारमेताभ्यामाश्रमाभ्यां ततः परम्। यत्कार्यं परमार्थ तदिहैकमनाः शृणु॥ तु
Vyasa said Having acquired purity by the practice of the first two modes of life, viz., Brahmacharya and domesticity, one should, thereafter, set his mind on Yoga in the third mode of life. Listen now with rapt attention to what should be done for attaining to the highest object of acquisition.
कषायं पाचयित्वाऽऽशु श्रेणिस्थानेषु च त्रिषु। प्रव्रजेच्च परं स्थानं पारिवाज्यमनुत्तमम्॥
Having conquered all shortcomings of the mind of heart by easy means in the practice of the first three modes of life, one should pass into the best and the highest of all the modes, viz., Sannyasa or Renunciation.
तद् भवानेवमभ्यस्य वर्ततां श्रूयतां तथा। एक एव चरेद् धर्मं सिद्ध्यर्थमसहायवान्॥
Do you then pass your days, having acquired the purity. Listen also to me. One should, alone and without anybody to help him or bear him company, practise Yoga for achieving success.
एकश्चरति यः पश्यन् न जहाति न हीयते। अनग्निरनिकेतश्च ग्राममन्नार्थमाश्रयेत्॥
One who practises Yoga without any one in his company, who sees everything as repetition of his own self, and who never discard anything, never falls away from Liberation. Without keeping the sacrificial fires and without a fixed dwelling, such a person should enter a village for only begging his food.
अश्वस्तनविधाता स्यान्मुनिर्भावसमाहितः। लध्वाशी नियताहारः सकृदन्ननिषेविता॥
He should provide himself for the day without keeping any thing in store for the morrow. He should practise penances, with heat fixed on the Supreme. Eating little and that even under proper restrictions, he should not take more than one meal in a day.
कपालं वृक्षमूलानि कुचैलमसहायता। उपेक्षा सर्वभूतानामेतावद् भिक्षुलक्षणम्॥
The other marks of a mendicant are the human skull, protection under trees, rags for wearing, companionless solitude, and indifference to all creatures.
यस्मिन् वाचः प्राविशन्ति कूपे त्रस्ता द्विपा इव। न वक्तारं पुनर्यान्ति कैवल्याश्रमे वसेत्॥
That person into whom words enter like terrified elephants into a well, and from whom they never return to the speaker, is fit to lead this mode of life which had Libcration for its end.
नैव पश्येन्न शृणुयादवाच्यं जातु कस्यचित्। ब्राह्मणानां विशेषेण नैव ब्रूयात् कथंचन॥
The mendicant should never mind the evil deeds of any person. He should never hear vilifications of others. He should especially guard against reviling a Brahmana.
यद् ब्राह्मणस्य कुशलं तदेव सततं वदेत्। तूष्णीमासीत निन्दायां कुर्वन् भैषज्यमात्मनः॥
He should always say only what is pleasant to the Brahmanas. When anything is said against him, he should remain perfectly silent. Such silence is the medical treatment prescribed for him.
येन पूर्णमिवाकाशं भवत्येकेन सर्वदा। शून्यं येन जनाकीर्णं तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
That person for whose single self the spot he occupies becomes like the eastern sky, and who can regard as perfectly lonely a spot teeming with thousands of men and things, is considered by the gods to be a true Brahmana.
येन केनचिदाच्छन्नो येन केनचिदाशितः। यत्र क्वचन शायी च तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
The gods know him for a Brahmana who puts on whatever comes by the way, who lives upon whatever he gets, and who sleeps on what ever spot he finds.
अहेरिव गणाद् भीतः सौहित्यानरकादिव। कुणपादिव च स्त्रीभ्यस्तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
The gods regard him as a Brahmana who fears company like a snake; the full measure of gratification (from foods and drinks) as of hell; and women as a corpse.
न क्रुद्ध्येन प्रहृष्येच्च मानितोऽमानितश्च यः। सर्वभूतेष्वभयदस्तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
The gods know him as a Brahmana who is never glad when honoured and never angry when insulted, and who has given assurances of mercy to all creatures.
नाभिनन्देत मरणं नाभिनन्देत जीवितम्। कालमेघ प्रतीक्षते निदेशं भृतको यथा॥
One following the last mode of life should not regard death with joy. Nor should he regard life with joy. He should only wait for his hour like a servant waiting for his master's command.
अनभ्याहतचित्त स्यादनभ्याहतवाग् भवेत्। निर्मुक्तः सर्वपापेभ्यो निरमित्रस्य किं भयम्॥
He should purify his heart of all shortcomings. He should purify his speech of all faults. He should purge himself of all sins. Shorn as he is of enemies what fear can attack him.
अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यो भूतानामभयं ततः। तस्य मोहाद् विमुक्तस्य भयं नास्ति कुतश्चन॥
He who fears no creature and whom no creature fears, can have no fear from any quarter, freed as he is from every form of mistake.
यथा नागपदेऽन्यानि पदानि पदगामिनाम्। सर्वाण्येवापिधीयन्ते पदजातानि कौञ्जरे॥
As the foot-prints of all other creatures moving upon legs are engulfed within those of elephants, likewise all ranks and conditions are absorbed within Yoga.
एवं सर्वमहिंसायां धर्मार्थमपिधीयते। अमृतः स नित्यं वसति यो हिंसां न प्रपद्यते॥
Similarly, every other duty and observance is encompassed within the one duty of abstention froin injury. He who avoids injuring other creatures, lives an eternal life of joy.
अहिंसकः समः सत्यो धृतिमान् नियतेन्द्रियः। शरण्यः सर्वभूतानां गतिमाप्नोत्यनुत्तमाम्॥
One who abstains from injury, who regards all creatures impartially, who is devoted to truth, who is gifted with fortitude, who has his senses under restraints, and who extends protection to all beings, attains to a peerless end.
एवं प्रज्ञानतृप्तस्य निर्भयस्य निराशिषः। न मृत्युरतिगो भावः स मृत्युमधिगच्छति॥
The state of death cannot with selfknowledge, who is shorn of fear, desire and expectancy. On the other hand, such a person conquers death.
विमुक्तं सर्वसङ्गेभ्यो मुनिमाकाशवत् स्थितम्। अस्वमेकचरं शान्तं तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
The gods know him for a Brahmana who is freed from attachments of every kind, who practises penances, who lives like space which while containing everything is yet unattached to all things, who has nothing which he can call his own, who reads a lonely life, and who possesses equanimity of soul.
जीवितं यस्य धर्मार्थं धर्मो हर्यर्थमेव च। अहोरात्राश्च पुण्यार्थं तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
The gods regard him as a Brahmana whose life is for the practice of righteousness, whose righteousness is for the behoof of them who wait dutifully upon him, and whose days and nights exist only for acquiring religious merit.
निराशिषमनारम्भं निर्नमस्कारमस्तुतिम्। निर्मुक्तं बन्धनैः सर्वैस्तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः॥
The gods regard him as a Brahmana who is shorn of desire, who never struggles (for worldly emoluments), who never lowers his head to any one, who never flatters another, and who is shorn of all sorts of attachment.
सर्वाणि भूतानि सुखे रमन्ते सर्वाणि दुःखस्य भृशं त्रसन्ते। तेषां भयोत्पादनजातखेदः कुर्यान्न कर्माणि हि श्रद्दधानः॥
All creatures are filled with pleasure at the prospect of happiness or miserable at the prospect of grief. The man of faith, therefore who should feel sorry at the prospect of afflicting other other creatures, must abstain absolutely from all acts.
दानं हि भूताभयदक्षिणायाः सर्वाणि दानान्यधितिष्ठतीह। तीक्ष्णां तनुं यः प्रथमं जहाति सोऽऽनन्त्यमाप्नोत्यभयं प्रजाभ्यः॥
The gift of assurances of harmlessness to all creatures is superior in point of merit all other gifts. He who, at the beginning, promises abstention from injury, acquires Liberation whence is the assurance of harınlessness to all creatures.
उत्तान आस्येन हविर्जुहोति लोकस्य नाभिर्जगतः प्रतिष्ठा। तस्याङ्गमङ्गानि कृताकृतं च वैश्वानरः सर्वमिदं प्रपेदे॥
That man who does not put into his open mouth even the five or six inouthfuls which are sanctioned for the forest recluse, is said to be the navel of the world, and the refuge of the universe. The fire occupies the head and other limbs, as also the acts good and bad.
प्रादेशमाने हृदि निःसृतं यत् तस्मिन् प्राणानात्मयाजी जुहोति। तस्याग्निहोत्रं हुतमात्मसंस्थं सर्वेषु लोकेषु सदेवकेषु॥
Such a man, who performs a sacrifice in his own self, makes a libation of his senses and mind into the fire which lives within the limited space of his own heart. On account again of his pouring such a libation into such a fire within his own self, the universe with all creatures including the very celestials, becomes pleased.
देवं त्रिधातुं त्रिवृतं सुपर्णं ये विद्युरग्रयां परमात्मतां च। ते सर्वलोकेषु महीयमाना देवाः समाः सुकृतं वदन्ति॥
They, who know the Sentiency which is endued with effulgence, which is covered with T: three sheaths, which has three qualities for its characteristics, to be Ishvara partaking of that which is highest, viz., the nature of the Supreme Soul, are respected of all the worlds. They very gods with all human beings applaud their merits.
मथो निरुक्तं परमार्थतां च। सर्वं शरीरात्मनि यः प्रवेद तस्यैव देवाः स्पृहयन्ति नित्यम्॥
He who succeeds is seeing in the Soul which lives in his own body all the Vedas, ether and the other objects of perception, the rituals of the scriptures, all those entities which are perceptible in sound only, and the superior nature of the Supreme Soul, adored of the very gods as the foremost of all beings.
भूमावसक्तं दिवि चाप्रमेयं हिरण्मयं योऽण्डजमण्डमध्ये। पतत्रिणं पक्षिणमन्तरिक्ष यो वेद भोग्यात्मनि रश्मिदीप्तः॥
He who sees in the Soul which lives within his body that foremost of beings which is not attached to the Earth, which is not attached to the Earth, which is immeasurable in even the limitless sky, which is made of gold, which is begotten of the egg and lives within the egg, which is equipped with many feathers, and which has two wings like a bird, and which is rendered effulgent by many rays of light is adored of the very gods as the foremost of all beings.
आवर्तमानमजरं विवर्तनं षण्णाभिकं द्वादशारं सुपर्व। यस्येदमास्ये परियाति विश्वं तत्कालचक्रं निहितं गुहायाम्॥
The very gods adore him in whose understanding is set the wheel of Time, which is constantly revolving, which knows no deterioration, which devours the span of existence of every creature, which has the six seasons for its naves, which is equipped with twelve radii consisting of the twelve months, which has excellent joints, and towards whose gaping mouth goes on this universe.
यः सम्प्रसादो जगतः शरीरं सर्वान्स लोकानधिगच्छतीह। स्ते वै तृप्तास्तर्पयन्त्यास्यमस्य॥
The Supreme Soul is the huge unconsciousness of dreamless sleep. That Unconsciousness form the body of the universe. It pervades all created things. Sentiency occupying a portion of that capacious unconsciousness, pleases the gods. These last, being pleased, gratify the open mouth of the unconsciousness.
तेजोमयो नित्यमयः पुराणो लोकाननन्तानभयानुपैति। भूतानि यस्मान्न वसन्ते कदाचित्स भूतानां न त्रसते कदाचित्॥
Endued with effulgence as also with the principle of eternity, Sentiency is without a beginning. It wins infinite regions of eternal happiness. He whom no creature fears, has never to fear any creature.
अगर्हणीयो न च गर्हतेऽनयान्स वै विप्रः परमात्मानमीक्षेत्। विनीतमोहो व्यपनीतकल्मषो न चेह नामुत्र च सोऽन्नमृच्छति॥
He who never does anything blameable and who never censures another, is said to be a truly twice-born one. Such a man succeeds in seeing the Supreme Soul. He whose ignorance has been removed and whose sins have been washed away, never enjoys either here or hereafter the happiness that is enjoyed by others.
अरोषमोहः समलोष्टकाञ्चनः प्रहीणकोशो गतसंधिविग्रहः। श्वरन्नुदासीनवदेष भिक्षुकः॥
A person following the fourth mode of life wanders on the Earth like one not attached to anything. Such a person is shorn of anger and crror. Such a person regards equally a clod of earth and a lump of gold. such a man never keeps anything in store for his use. Such a person has no friends and enemies. Such a person does not care praise or blame, and the agreeable and the disagreeable.