Verses on Sāṃkhya 3.1

3.1

yady evaṃ tadā dṛṣṭavyatirekeṇāpy ānuśravikaḥ śrutipraṇītaḥ svargādisādhanarūpo yajñādir hetur astu | nākapṛṣṭhe 'pi tāpatrayāsambhavāt | tatraikāntikam ātyantikaṃ vānuśrave vede śrūyate | guruṇoktaṃ paścād vedaṃ śṛṇvanti śiṣyā ity anuśravo vedaḥ | tatra bhava ānuśravikaḥ | śrauto yajñādirūpo 'yaṃ duḥkhatrayapratīkārahetur ucito 'sti | evaṃ hy āha --- "tarati mṛtyuṃ, tarati śokaṃ, tarati pāpmānaṃ, tarati brahmahatyāṃ yo 'śvamedhena yajate" [śatapathabrāhmaṇa 13 |3 |1 |1] iti | yac cainaṃ devāḥ punar apy āhuḥ ---

If so, then let there be, apart from perceived [means], the scriptural [cause] prescribed by the Veda, consisting of sacrifices and the like as means to heaven and so forth, because the threefold misery cannot exist on the summit of heaven. There, in tradition—the Veda—an invariable and final [cessation] is heard. Because students hear (śṛṇvanti) the Veda subsequently (paścāt) as spoken by the teacher (guruṇā), tradition (anuśrava) is the Veda. What originates therein is "scriptural" (ānuśravika). This scriptural [means], consisting of sacrifice and the like, is suitable as a cause for counteracting the threefold suffering. For it says thus: "He crosses over death, he crosses over grief, he crosses over evil, he crosses over the murder of a Brahmin, who sacrifices with the horse sacrifice." And the gods also say of this: