तुलाधार उवाच सद्भिर्वा यदि वासद्भिः पन्थानमिमतास्थितम्। प्रत्यक्षं क्रियतां साधु ततो ज्ञास्यसि तद् यथा॥
Tuladhara said See with your own eyes, O Jajali, who, amongst the good or otherwise, have followed this path of duty which I have spoken of! You will understand properly how the truth stands.
एते शकुन्ता बहवः समन्ताद् विचरन्ति ह। तवोत्तमाङ्गे सम्भूताः श्येनाश्चान्याश्च जायतः॥
See, many birds are roving in the sky! Amongst them are those who were brought up on your head, as also many hawks and many others of different kinds.
आहूयैनान् महाब्रह्मन् विशमानांस्ततस्ततः। पश्येमान् हस्तपादैश्च श्लिष्टान् देहेषु सर्वशः॥
See, O Brahmana, those birds have got their wings and legs for entering their respective nests. Call them, O twice-born one.
सम्भावयन्ति पितरं त्वया सम्भाविताः खगाः। असंशयं पिता वै त्वं पुत्रानाहूय जाजले॥
There, those birds, treated affectionately by you, are showing their love for you who are their father! Forsooth, you are their father, O Jajali! Do you call your children!
भीष्म उवाच ततो जाजलिना तेन समाहूताः पतत्रिणः। वाचमुच्चारयन्ति स्म धर्मस्य वचनात् किल॥
Bhishma continued-Then those birds, summoned by Jajali, answered according to the dictates of that religion which preaches abstention from injury to any creature.
अहिंसादिकृतं कर्म इह चैव परत्र च। श्रद्धां निहन्ति वै ब्रह्मन् सा हता हन्ति तं नरम्॥
All acts that done without injuring any creature come to use both here and hereafter. Those acts, however, that injure others, destroy faith, and faith being destroyed, brings ruin on the destroyer.
समानां श्रद्दधानानां संयतानां सुचेतसाम्। कुर्वतां यज्ञ इत्येव न यज्ञो जातु नेष्यते॥
The sacrifice of those who regard equally both acquisition and non-acquisition, who are endued with faith, who are self controlled, who have tranquil minds, and who celebrate sacrifices from a sense of duty yield fruits.
श्रद्धा वैवस्वती सेयं सूर्यस्य दुहिता द्विज। सावित्री प्रसवित्री च बहिर्वाङ्मनसी ततः॥
Faith in Brahma is the daughter of the SunGod, O twice-bom one. She is the protectress and the giver of good birth. Faith is superior to the merit begotten by recitations and meditation.
वाग्वृद्धं त्रायते श्रद्धा मनोवृद्धं च भारत। श्रद्धावृद्धं वाङ्मनसी न कर्म त्रातुमर्हति॥
An act vitiated by faulty speech is saved by Faith. An act sullied by defect of mind is saved by Faith. But neither speech nor mind can save an act which is sullied by want of Faith.
अत्र गाथा ब्रह्मगीताः कीर्तयन्ति पुराविदः। शुचेरश्रद्दधानस्य श्रद्दधानस्य चाशुचेः॥ देवा वित्तममन्यन्त सदृशं यज्ञकर्मणि। श्रोत्रियस्य कदर्यस्य वदान्यस्य च वाधुषेः॥
Men who know the past recite in this connection the following verse sung by Brahman. The gods regard as equal the offerings in sacrifices of a person who is pure but wanting in Faith, and of another who is impure but has Faith. After mature consideration the gods have considered equal the food, again, of a person conversant with the Vedas but miserly in conduct, and that of a usurer who is liberal in conduct.
मीमांसित्वोभयं देवाः सममन्नमकल्पयन्। प्रजापतिस्तानुवाच विषमं कृतमित्युत॥ श्रद्धापूतं वदान्यस्य हतमश्रद्धयेतरत्। भोज्यमन्नं वदान्यस्य कदर्यस्य न वाधुषेः॥
The supreme Lord of all creatures, then told them that they had committed a mistake, The food of a liberal person is purified by Faith. The food, however, of the person who has Faith is lost for such want of Faith. The food of a liberal usurer can be accepted but not the food of a miser.
अश्रद्दधान एवैको देवानां नाहते हविः। तस्यैवान्नं न भोक्तव्यमिति धर्मविदो विदुः॥
Only one person in the world viz., he who has no Faith, is unfit to make offerings to the gods. The food of only such a man is unfit to be eaten. This is the opinion of men who know duties.
अश्रद्धा परमं पापं श्रद्धा पापप्रमोचिनी। जहाति पापं श्रद्धावान् सर्पो जीर्णामिव त्वचम्॥
Want of Faith is a great sin. Faith is a purifier of sins. Like a snake casting off its slough, the man of Faith succeeds in shaking off all his sins.
ज्यायसी या पवित्राणां निवृत्तिः श्रद्धया सह। निवृत्तशीलदोषो य: श्रद्धावान् पूत एव सः॥
The religion of abstention with Faith is superior to all shortcomings of conduct, he who follows Faith, becomes purified.
किं तस्य तपसा कार्यं किं वृत्तेन किमात्मना। श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः॥
What need has such a person of penances, or of conduct, or of endurance? Every man has Faith. Faith, however, is of three sorts, viz., as partaking of the nature of the qualities of goodness, darkness, and ignorance, and according to the nature of Faith which one has, one is named.
इति धर्मः समाख्यातः सद्भिर्धर्मार्थदर्शिभिः। वयं जिज्ञासमानास्तु सम्प्राप्ता धर्मदर्शनात्॥
Person gifted with goodness and endued with insight into the true import of morality have thus described the subject of duties. We have, on enquiry, got all this from the sage Dharınadarshana.
श्रद्धां कुरु महाप्राज्ञ ततः प्राप्स्यसि यत् परम्। श्रद्धावाश्रद्दधानश्च धर्मश्चैव हि जाजले। स्ववर्त्मनि स्थितश्चैव गरीयानेव जाजले॥
O you of great wisdom, adopt Faith, for you will then acquire what is superior. He who believes (in the sayings of the Shrutis), and who acts according to their sense, is, indeed, of righteous soul. O Jajali, he who follows his own path is surely a superior person.
भीष्म उवाच ततोऽचिरेण कालेन तुलाधारः स एव च। दिवं गत्वा महाप्राज्ञौ विहरेतां यथासुखम्॥ स्वं स्वं स्थानमुपागम्य स्वकर्मफलनिर्जितम्। एवं बहुविधार्थं च तुलाधारेण भाषितम्॥
Bhishma said After a short time Tuladhara and Jajali, both of whom had been gifted with great wisdom, ascended to heaven and played there in great happiness, having reached their respective places won by their respective deeds. Tuladhara had spoken many truths of this sort.
सम्यक् चेदमुपालब्धो धर्मश्चोक्तः सनातनः। तस्य विख्यातवीर्यस्य श्रुत्वा वाक्यानि स द्विजः॥
That great person understood this religion perfectly. These eternal duties were accordingly declared by him.
तुलाधारस्य कौन्तेय शान्तिमेवान्वपद्यत। एवं बहुमतार्थं च तुलाधारेण भाषितम्। यथौपम्योपदेशेन किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि।॥
O son of Kunti, having heard these words of Tuladhara of celebrated energy, the twiceborn Jajali betook himself to tranquillity. In this way many truths of deep sense were spoken by Tuladhara, illustrated by examples for instruction. What other truths do you wish to hear?