Bhagavatapurana 4.22: atha dvāviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

4.22.1

/0 maitreya uvāca
janeṣu pragṛṇatsv evaṃ pṛthuṃ pṛthula-vikramam /
tatropajagmur munayaś catvāraḥ sūrya-varcasaḥ //

Maitreya said: / While the people were thus extolling Pṛthu of broad stride, / four sages, radiant like the sun, arrived there.

1. When people were thus singing the praise of Prithu of great prowess, there came in four sages brilliant like the sun.

4.22.2

tāṃs tu siddheśvarān rājā vyomno 'vatarato 'rciṣā /
lokān apāpān kurvāṇān sānugo 'caṣṭa lakṣitān //

The king, along with his retinue, beheld those masters of perfection descending from the sky, / purifying the worlds with their luster, recognized [by all].

2. Waited upon by his attendants the king too saw those foremost sages descending from heaven and made known (to be Sanaka and others) by their glory which absolves the worlds from sin.

4.22.3

tad-darśanodgatān prāṇān pratyāditsur ivotthitaḥ /
sa-sadasyānugo vainya indriyeśo guṇān iva //

Rising as though wishing to reclaim his life-breaths that had gone out at their sight, / Vena's son stood up with his courtiers and attendants, as the lord of the senses rises with the faculties.

3. As if to recover the life breaths that went forth at their sight, the king, son of Vena, rose (and went forth) along with his courtiers and attendants, even as (jiva) lord of the senses goes forth to the objects of sense.

4.22.4

gauravād yantritaḥ sabhyaḥ praśrayānata-kandharaḥ /
vidhivat pūjayāṃ cakre gṛhītādhyarhaṇāsanān //

Constrained by reverent awe, courteous, his neck bent in humility, / he duly worshiped them once they had accepted the seat of honor and offerings.

4. Impelled by his feelings of esteem the worthy king bent his head in modesty and duly worshipped the sages who accepted the *Arghya* and seat (offered to them).

4.22.5

tat-pāda-śauca-salilair mārjitālaka-bandhanaḥ /
tatra śīlavatāṃ vṛttam ācaran mānayann iva //

Having washed his hair with the water that cleansed their feet, / he seemed to honor their conduct, practicing the way of the virtuous.

5. The king purified his head with the drops of water with which he washed their feet and observed the course of (approved by) the pious, in order to show that he held them in esteem.

4.22.6

hāṭakāsana āsīnān sva-dhiṣṇyeṣv iva pāvakān /
śraddhā-saṃyama-saṃyuktaḥ prītaḥ prāha bhavāgrajān //

To those elder brothers of Śiva, seated upon golden thrones like fires upon their own altars, / he spoke, delighted, endowed with faith and self-restraint:

6. Possessed of faith and self-discipline, and in great delight, the king spoke to the elder brothers of Siva, who took their golden seats and shone like the three sacrificial fires in their proper places.

4.22.7

/0 pṛthur uvāca
aho ācaritaṃ kiṃ me maṅgalaṃ maṅgalāyanāḥ /
yasya vo darśanaṃ hy āsīd durdarśānāṃ ca yogibhiḥ //

Pṛthu said: / Ah, what auspicious deed have I performed, O abodes of auspiciousness, / that I should have the sight of you, who are difficult to see even for yogins?

7. Prithu said:—What meritorious acts, O Sages, abode of all auspiciousness, must I have done so that I am now blessed with a visit by you who are hardly seen even by yogins.

4.22.8

kiṃ tasya durlabhataram iha loke paratra ca /
yasya viprāḥ prasīdanti śivo viṣṇuś ca sānugaḥ //

What is difficult for that person to obtain in this world or in the next, / with whom the brāhmaṇas are pleased, and Śiva, and Viṣṇu with His attendants?

8. Is there anything unattainable in this or the other world for him with whom sages, Siva and Vishnu with their attendants are pleased?

[In the world here or hereafter there is nothing unattainable for him to whom sages, God Siva and Vishnu with their attendants graciously reveal themselves.]

4.22.9

naiva lakṣayate loko lokān paryaṭato 'pi yān /
yathā sarva-dṛśaṃ sarva ātmānaṃ ye 'sya hetavaḥ //

People do not at all perceive you, even as you wander through the worlds, / just as people do not perceive the all-seeing Self, who is the cause of this [universe].

9. People do not perceive them, though they are ranging through the world even as all do not see those that are causes of this (world); people do not see Atman the seer of all, (them who are the causes of perceiving the Omniscient Lord).

4.22.10

adhanā api te dhanyāḥ sādhavo gṛha-medhinaḥ /
yad-gṛhā hy arha-varyāmbu- tṛṇa-bhūmīśvarāvarāḥ //

Though destitute, those householders are blessed and virtuous, / whose homes are graced with the best water worthy of welcome, grass, ground, and humble masters.

10. Poor as they be, those righteous house-holders are blessed, in whose house water, a mat and (some) accommodation, (as well as) the landlord and his servants, are ready for (the service of) the worshipful.

4.22.11

vyālālaya-drumā vai teṣv ariktākhila-sampadaḥ /
yad-gṛhās tīrtha-pādīya- pādatīrtha-vivarjitāḥ //

Indeed, those houses are like trees harboring venomous serpents, even if filled with every wealth, / which are devoid of the water that has washed the feet of Him whose feet are places of pilgrimage.

11. Like unto the trees that harbour venomous serpents are (indeed) those houses which brimming as they be with all kinds of wealth are destitute of (not purified with) the holy water of the feet of Sri Narayana's devotees.

4.22.12

svāgataṃ vo dvija-śreṣṭhā yad-vratāni mumukṣavaḥ /
caranti śraddhayā dhīrā bālā eva bṛhanti ca //

Welcome to you, O best of the twice-born! / Resolute seekers of liberation, while still boys, undertake with faith your great vows.

12. O foremost sages, most welcome is the visit paid by you who are, young as you are, bent upon seeking salvation and who with a resolute mind, practise even great austerities. (or whose course of great austerities other beginners practise).

4.22.13

kaccin naḥ kuśalaṃ nāthā indriyārthārtha-vedinām /
vyasanāvāpa etasmin patitānāṃ sva-karmabhiḥ //

Is all well with us, O masters—we who take sense objects to be the supreme goal, / fallen by our own actions into this pit of distress?

13. O Lord, is there possibly any good to us who regard the objects of sense as the purpose of man and have by force of our own Karma fallen into this (Samsara) thickly sown with miseries?

4.22.14

bhavatsu kuśala-praśna ātmārāmeṣu neṣyate /
kuśalākuśalā yatra na santi mati-vṛttayaḥ //

An inquiry into well-being is not appropriate toward you who delight in the Self, / in whom there are no mental states concerning good or bad fortune.

14. Towards you that have found delight in Atman (self) no enquiry after welfare should be indulged in; for, mental activities relating to welfare or its opposite are absent from you.

4.22.15

tad ahaṃ kṛta-viśrambhaḥ suhṛdo vas tapasvinām /
sampṛcche bhava etasmin kṣemaḥ kenāñjasā bhavet //

Therefore, full of confidence in you, friends of the austere, / I ask: by what means may well-being be attained easily in this cyclic existence?

15. Therefore I take courage and request you who are the wel wishers of the distressed to explain how happiness (salvation) may be surely attained here.

4.22.16

vyaktam ātmavatām ātmā bhagavān ātma-bhāvanaḥ /
svānām anugrahāyemāṃ siddha-rūpī caraty ajaḥ //

Clearly, the unborn Lord, the Self of those who possess the Self and the cultivator of the self, / wanders the earth in the form of perfected beings to bestow grace upon His own.

16. Evidently the Unborn (Narayana) who shines as the Atman of sages and who is the glorious Lord that reveals Himself (at His will) is going about this earth as a Siddha to show His grace unto His devotees.

4.22.17

/0 maitreya uvāca
pṛthos tat sūktam ākarṇya sāraṃ suṣṭhu mitaṃ madhu /
smayamāna iva prītyā kumāraḥ pratyuvāca ha //

Maitreya said: / Hearing that well-spoken speech of Pṛthu, essential, well-formed, measured, and sweet, / the Kumāra replied, as if smiling with affection.

17. Maitreya said:—Having heard that proper address, full of

reason and import, brief and delightful, Kumara smilingly and graciously spoke (unto him).

4.22.18

/0 sanat-kumāra uvāca
sādhu pṛṣṭaṃ mahārāja sarva-bhūta-hitātmanā /
bhavatā viduṣā cāpi sādhūnāṃ matir īdṛśī //

Sanatkumāra said: / Well asked, O great king, by you whose self seeks the good of all beings, / and who are wise; such indeed is the mind of the virtuous.

18. Sanatkumara said:—Great king, very good enquiry is made by thee whose mind is set upon the good of all beings, though thou knowest it, and such is the course (character) of the mind of the righteous.

4.22.19

saṅgamaḥ khalu sādhūnām ubhayeṣāṃ ca sammataḥ /
yat-sambhāṣaṇa-sampraśnaḥ sarveṣāṃ vitanoti śam //

The meeting of the virtuous is approved by both parties, / for conversation and inquiries between them extend peace to all.

19. Most desired indeed is the meeting of the righteous on both sides; since their conversation and discourses advance the happiness of all.

4.22.20

asty eva rājan bhavato madhudviṣaḥ pādāravindasya guṇānuvādane /
ratir durāpā vidhunoti naiṣṭhikī kāmaṃ kaṣāyaṃ malam antar-ātmanaḥ //

There is already in you, O king, an unswerving loving attachment to reciting the glories of the slayer of Madhu's lotus feet— / a rare attachment that shakes off desire, the staining impurity within the heart.

20. Certainly thou hast, O King, that rare enthusiasm necessary to make others discourse upon the excellent attributes of the lotus-like feet of Vishnu, the enemy of Madhu—(that firm enthusiasm) which washes off the tenacious dirt of desire abiding in the heart.

4.22.21

śāstreṣv iyān eva suniścito nṛṇāṃ kṣemasya sadhryag-vimṛśeṣu hetuḥ /
asaṅga ātma-vyatirikta ātmani dṛḍhā ratir brahmaṇi nirguṇe ca yā //

In the scriptures, when correctly reflected upon, only this much is firmly determined as the cause of well-being for human beings: / non-attachment to what is other than the Self, and firm, loving attachment to the Self, Brahman beyond the qualities.

21. In sastras that constitute thoroughly reasoned enquiry, the cause or means of heavenly happiness for men is (made out to be) but this—absence of attachment to things other than Atman and (finding) constant delight in Atman who is Brahman destitute of attributes.

4.22.22

sā śraddhayā bhagavad-dharma-caryayā jijñāsayādhyātmika-yoga-niṣṭhayā /
yogeśvaropāsanayā ca nityaṃ puṇya-śravaḥ-kathayā puṇyayā ca //

That [attachment arises] through faith, through the practice of dharma dedicated to the Lord, through spiritual inquiry and devotion to adhyātma-yoga, / through the constant worship of the masters of yoga, and through the sacred narration of Him whose renown is purifying,

22. That delight (together with renunciation) comes through pious duties towards the glorious Lord, from a desire to know (various secrets), from being firm in the yoga of self-control, through contemplation of the Lord of yoga and daily listening to the holy stories of the Lord whose name is sacred;

4.22.23

arthendriyārāma-sagoṣṭhy-atṛṣṇayā tat-sammatānām aparigraheṇa ca /
vivikta-rucyā paritoṣa ātmani vinā harer guṇa-pīyūṣa-pānāt //

through lack of thirst for gatherings of those whose delight is in wealth and the senses, through non-acceptance of what they approve, / through delight in solitude, and contentment in the Self, without cease from drinking the nectar of Hari's qualities,

23. By getting rid of the desire to associate with those who revel in the senses and in their objects, by avoiding such things as gratify them (senses), by finding delight in seclusion when realising the blissfulness of self, but not when a draught of the nectar of Hari’s glories is available;

4.22.24

ahiṃsayā pāramahaṃsya-caryayā smṛtyā mukundācaritāgrya-sīdhunā /
yamair akāmair niyamaiś cāpy anindayā nirīhayā dvandva-titikṣayā ca //

through non-violence, through the conduct of the supreme ascetics, through remembrance of the supreme nectar of Mukunda's deeds, / through desireless restraints and observances, through refraining from blame, through freedom from selfish striving, and through forbearance toward the pairs of opposites,

24. By harmlessness, by living as a _paramahamsa_, by realising what is good to self, by imbibing the peerless nectar of Sri Mukunda’s deeds, by acts of self-control and self-denial, by eschewing desires and (the habit of) censuring (other courses), by refraining from activity (towards gaining worldly objects and their protection), and by patiently undergoing the opposite states (such as heat and cold);

4.22.25

harer muhus tatpara-karṇa-pūra- guṇābhidhānena vijṛmbhamāṇayā /
bhaktyā hy asaṅgaḥ sad-asaty anātmani syān nirguṇe brahmaṇi cāñjasā ratiḥ //

and through devotion expanding continually by the recitation of Hari's qualities, an adornment for the ears of those devoted to Him; / then there will easily be non-attachment to the non-Self, both gross and subtle, and loving attachment to Brahman beyond the qualities.

25. From devotion that grows by the constant singing of Sri Hari’s glories which form the grace to the ears of His voteries, surely arises the absence of attachment to _Un-Atman_, subtle and gross; as also infinite delight in Brahman unassailed by _gunas_.

4.22.26

yadā ratir brahmaṇi naiṣṭhikī pumān ācāryavān jñāna-virāga-raṃhasā /
dahaty avīryaṃ hṛdayaṃ jīva-kośaṃ pañcātmakaṃ yonim ivotthito 'gniḥ //

When firm loving attachment to Brahman arises, the person who has a spiritual teacher, / by the swift force of knowledge and dispassion, burns up the fivefold sheath of the individual soul, the heart emptied of potency, just as fire that has arisen burns up its source.

26. When his (finding) delight in Brahman becomes confirmed and when he has found a proper preceptor, (then) like the rising fire burning its own source, man with the force of his wisdom and renu-

nciation burns out the heart of five elements enveloping his self, so completly that it does not revive at all.

4.22.27

dagdhāśayo mukta-samasta-tad-guṇo naivātmano bahir antar vicaṣṭe /
parātmanor yad-vyavadhānaṃ purastāt svapne yathā puruṣas tad-vināśe //

With his latent impressions burnt away, freed from all their qualities, he no longer perceives outside or inside his self / that which was formerly an obstruction between the soul and the Supreme Self, just as a person [perceives no division] upon the dissolution of a dream.

27. The environment having been burnt out and all its qualities along with it, he sees, like one who has risen from a dream, nothing within or without self, on the destruction of what stood before between Paramatman and Atman.

4.22.28

ātmānam indriyārthaṃ ca paraṃ yad ubhayor api /
saty āśaya upādhau vai pumān paśyati nānyadā //

Only while the mind with its latent impressions remains as a conditioning factor / does a person perceive the self, the sense objects, and that which is beyond both, but never otherwise.

28. Only when the environment of antakkarana (mind) continues to be in force, man percieves his self the object of sense and what is beyond them both (as separate existences), [i.e., he sees this world of difference only in the waking and dreaming states,], but not in any other state (i.e., sleep).

4.22.29

nimitte sati sarvatra jalādāv api pūruṣaḥ /
ātmanaś ca parasyāpi bhidāṃ paśyati nānyadā //

When there is an operative cause—such as water—a person everywhere perceives / a distinction between himself and another, but never otherwise.

29. And in the world also, only when water or mirror and other conditions are present, man sees the difference of self from any other thing (viz., reflection), but not otherwise (i.e., in the absence of those conditions).

4.22.30

indriyair viṣayākṛṣṭair ākṣiptaṃ dhyāyatāṃ manaḥ /
cetanāṃ harate buddheḥ stambas toyam iva hradāt //

When the mind contemplates [sense objects], drawn away by the senses attracted to their objects, / it robs the intellect of its awareness, as a clump of reeds drains water from a pool.

30. The mind of those who think of wordly things is distracted by the senses which are in their turn drawn away by the objects, and (as such) it takes away the power of reasoning from intellect (as imperceptibly) as the reed sucks up by its roots the water of the pool.

4.22.31

bhraśyaty anusmṛtiś cittaṃ jñāna-bhraṃśaḥ smṛti-kṣaye /
tad-rodhaṃ kavayaḥ prāhur ātmāpahnavam ātmanaḥ //

Continuous recollection is destroyed; for the mind, loss of knowledge follows upon the destruction of memory. / The wise declare the obstruction of that [knowledge] to be the soul's destruction of its own self.

31. Next to reasoning power memory is lost; memory gone wisdom goes; and this loss (of wisdom), sages say, is the loss of Atman through Atman.

4.22.32

nātaḥ parataro loke puṃsaḥ svārtha-vyatikramaḥ /
yad-adhy anyasya preyastvam ātmanaḥ sva-vyatikramāt //

In this world there is no greater destruction of a person's true interest than this:
that he cherishes something else more dearly than his self, out of neglect for himself.

32. In the world man has no loss of self-interest worse than obliviating his self for whose sake every other object becomes dear unto him.

4.22.33

arthendriyārthābhidhyānaṃ sarvārthāpahnavo nṛṇām /
bhraṃśito jñāna-vijñānād yenāviśati mukhyatām //

Dwelling intently upon wealth and sense objects is the destruction of every goal of humanity;
fallen away from knowledge and realization thereby, a person enters into the condition of trees and beasts.

33. Constant thinking of objects and of the gratification of the senses brings about the loss of all purpose to man; and thereby he loses his knowledge both direct and indirect and attains to inanimate nature.

4.22.34

na kuryāt karhicit saṅgaṃ tamas tīvraṃ titīriṣuḥ /
dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣāṇāṃ yad atyanta-vighātakam //

One who desires to cross over intense darkness should never cultivate attachment,
which is the absolute obstacle to dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation.

34. He who seeks to pass out of the suffocating darkness (samsara) should never form attachments to anything whatever; for that is the worst obstruction to the attainment of the four-fold purpose, viz., *Dharma, Artha, Kama* and *Moksha*.

4.22.35

tatrāpi mokṣa evārtha ātyantikatayeṣyate /
traivargyo 'rtho yato nityaṃ kṛtānta-bhaya-saṃyutaḥ //

Even among these, liberation alone is desired as the ultimate goal,
because the aims of the three pursuits are constantly attended by fear of death.

35. And of these purposes Moksha alone is admitted to be the final and supreme goal; for the other three are ever subject to the fear of Time.

4.22.36

pare 'vare ca ye bhāvā guṇa-vyatikarād anu /
na teṣāṃ vidyate kṣemam īśa-vidhvaṃsitāśiṣām //

Whatever states there are, higher or lower, arising subsequently from the agitation of the guṇas,
there is no security for them, since their hopes are brought to ruin by the Lord.

36. (Brahma and other) higher Jivas as well as lower Jivas (like us) who come to be born (here) when the *gunas* are agitated *i.e.*, during creation, do not find the happy goal, since their hopes (blessings) are blighted by *Isa* (the *Ruling Time*).

4.22.36.p1

tat tvaṃ narendra jagatām atha tasthūṣāṃ ca $ dehendriyāsu-dhiṣaṇātmabhir āvṛtānām &

Therefore, O king of men, of moving beings and of the unmoving, / enveloped by body, senses, vital breaths, intellect, and ego,

37. (Since devotion to Un-Atman tends to evil), do thou, O king, know thyself to be Him (Him to be the one really existing) who shines in the heart of (all) mobile and immobile, which are invested with Ahankara, the body and other environments; and who as one directing the Jiva, shines distinctly on all sides.

4.22.37

yaḥ kṣetravit-tapatayā hṛdi viśvag āviḥ % pratyak cakāsti bhagavāṃs tam avehi so 'smi //

the Lord who shines as the ruler of the knower of the field, manifested everywhere in the heart as the innermost Self—know that 'He I am.'

4.22.37.p2

yasminn idaṃ sad-asad-ātmatayā vibhāti $ māyā viveka-vidhuti sraji vāhi-buddhiḥ &

In whom this creative power, consisting of existence and non-existence, appears, / and disappears upon discernment, like the notion of a snake in a garland—

38. I resort to Him who is eternally blessed, absolutely pure, perfect wisdom and Truth itself, who over powers Prakriti defiled by Karma, and, resting on whom Maya itself seems to be this world of great and small things, (or of cause and effect), vanishing on the dawn of discriminating wisdom, like the misapprehension of a rope as a serpent.

4.22.37.p3

yasminn idaṃ sad-asad-ātmatayā vibhāti $ māyā viveka-vidhuti sraji vāhi-buddhiḥ &

in whom this creative power, consisting of existence and non-existence, appears, / and disappears upon discernment, like the notion of a snake in a garland—

4.22.38

taṃ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-viśuddha-tattvaṃ % pratyūḍha-karma-kalila-prakṛtiṃ prapadye //

unto Him whose truth is eternally free, immaculate, and utterly pure, / who has repelled material nature turgid with karma, I surrender.

4.22.38.p2

yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā $ karmāśayaṃ grathitam udgrathayanti santaḥ &

Through devotion expressing love for the petals of whose lotus feet / the virtuous devotees untie the knot of accumulated karma—

39. Do thou find thy asylum in Vasudeva through devotion to the glory of the toes of whose lotus-like feet, the righteous cut the knot of Karma (Ahankara) at the heart; — an achievement that cannot be attained even by ascetics who only control their senses and keep their mind vacant.

4.22.38.p3

yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā $ karmāśayaṃ grathitam udgrathayanti santaḥ &

through devotion expressing love for the petals of whose lotus feet / the virtuous devotees untie the knot of accumulated karma—

4.22.39

tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo 'pi ruddha- % sroto-gaṇās tam araṇaṃ bhaja vāsudevam //

not in like manner can ascetics whose minds are empty, though they have blocked / the torrent of the senses. Worship Him, Vāsudeva, as your refuge!

4.22.39.p2

kṛcchro mahān iha bhavārṇavam aplaveśāṃ $ ṣaḍ-varga-nakram asukhena titīrṣanti &

Great and painful here is the ocean of worldly existence for those without a boat;
with hardship do they attempt to cross it, infested by the crocodiles of the six faculties.

40. Great is the difficulty here (in crossing the sea of Samsara) for those who have not found the Lord for their boat; for indeed by painful means (i. e., by means of yoga and other efforts) they hope to cross the Samsara which abounds in the alligators of six fold passions; therefore do thou make thy boat the worshipful feet of the glorious Lord and cross over the impassable sea of misery.

4.22.39.p3

kṛcchro mahān iha bhavārṇavam aplaveśāṃ $ ṣaḍ-varga-nakram asukhena titīrṣanti &

Great and painful here is the ocean of worldly existence for those without a boat;
with hardship do they attempt to cross it, infested by the crocodiles of the six faculties.

4.22.40

tat tvaṃ harer bhagavato bhajanīyam aṅghriṃ % kṛtvoḍupaṃ vyasanam uttara dustarārṇam //

Therefore, make the adorable feet of the Lord Hari your raft, / and cross over the calamity, the ocean difficult to cross.

4.22.41

/0 maitreya uvāca
sa evaṃ brahma-putreṇa kumāreṇātma-medhasā /
darśitātma-gatiḥ samyak praśasyovāca taṃ nṛpaḥ //

Maitreya said:
Having thus had the path of the self fully revealed by the Kumāra, the son of Brahmā, whose intellect rested in the self,
the king praised him and spoke to him.

41. Maitreya said:— Sanatkumara, son of Brahma, seer of (Para) Brahman, having thus expounded the true nature of Atman, the king praised him with a full heart and said (as follows):—

4.22.42

/0 rājovāca
kṛto me 'nugrahaḥ pūrvaṃ hariṇārtānukampinā /
tam āpādayituṃ brahman bhagavan yūyam āgatāḥ //

The king said:
Grace was previously bestowed upon me by Hari, compassionate to the afflicted;
to fulfill that, O venerable sage, O holy lord, you have arrived.

42. The king said:— Hari tender to the afflicted had formerly conferred a blessing on me; and, O worshipful Brahman Sage! you have (all) come to make it a fact.

4.22.43

niṣpāditaś ca kārtsnyena bhagavadbhir ghṛṇālubhiḥ /
sādhūcchiṣṭaṃ hi me sarvam ātmanā saha kiṃ dade //

And it has been accomplished in its entirety by your compassionate selves;
for all I possess, together with myself, is the remnant left by the virtuous; what then shall I offer?

43. And the blessing has in its entirety been made a fact by your worshipful selves, full of compassion (mercy). Everything that could be called mine, including myself belongs to the Righteous themselves and it has been conferred on me as their grace; then what could I give (them)?

4.22.44

prāṇā dārāḥ sutā brahman gṛhāś ca sa-paricchadāḥ /
rājyaṃ balaṃ mahī kośa iti sarvaṃ niveditam //

Life breaths, wife, sons, O brāhmaṇa, houses together with their furnishings,
kingdom, army, the earth, and treasury: all this is thus dedicated [to you].

44. O Sage, (my) life, wife, children and the house with all its appurtenances; the kingdom and the army, the land and treasure, thus everything is offered (to them).

4.22.45

sainā-patyaṃ ca rājyaṃ ca daṇḍa-netṛtvam eva ca /
sarva lokādhipatyaṃ ca veda-śāstra-vid arhati //

Command of the army, kingship, leadership in punishment,
and sovereignty over the whole world are indeed deserved by the knower of the Veda and sacred texts.

45. Only he who knows the Vedas and Sastras deserves the command of the army, the dominion, the power of directing martial policy, and the lordship over all the world.

4.22.46

svam eva brāhmaṇo bhuṅkte svaṃ vaste svaṃ dadāti ca /
tasyaivānugraheṇānnaṃ bhuñjate kṣatriyādayaḥ //

The brāhmaṇa eats only his own, wears his own, and gives his own;
it is only by his grace that kṣatriyas and others partake of food.

46. It is the Brahmin who eats his own (bread), wears his own (clothing) and gives his own (property); (while) the Kshatriya and others merely eat his food simply through his kindness, (therefore they have no right to make gifts).

4.22.46.p1

yair īdṛśī bhagavato gatir ātma-vāda $ ekāntato nigamibhiḥ pratipāditā naḥ &

By you, versed in the scriptures, by whom such a goal of the Lord, / the doctrine of the self, has been conclusively demonstrated to us—

47. May those, who, possessed of conclusive insight into Vedas and abounding in mercy, have, in their discourse on Atman shed on us such true light of the Almighty Lord, be ever pleased with their own deeds! Who is it that could do them anything in return, except by joining his own hands (in supplication), (or), and become an object of ridicule?

4.22.47

tuṣyantv adabhra-karuṇāḥ sva-kṛtena nityaṃ % ko nāma tat pratikaroti vinoda-pātram //

may you of boundless mercy remain ever satisfied by your own deed; / for who indeed could repay that, [any return being merely] an object of amusement?

4.22.48

/0 maitreya uvāca
ta ātma-yoga-pataya ādi-rājena pūjitāḥ /
śīlaṃ tadīyaṃ śaṃsantaḥ khe 'bhavan miṣatāṃ nṛṇām //

Maitreya said:
Worshiped by the primal king, those masters of spiritual yoga,
praising his character, rose into the sky while men looked on.

48 Maitreya said — Those lords of Atma-yoga worshipped by the first (ancient) king, commended his piety and rose into the sky while men stood witnessing.

4.22.49

vainyas tu dhuryo mahatāṃ saṃsthityādhyātma-śikṣayā /
āpta-kāmam ivātmānaṃ mena ātmany avasthitaḥ //

The son of Vena, foremost among the great, established through instruction in the spiritual self,
abiding in the self, regarded himself as one who has achieved all desires.

49. Prithu, too, foremost among the great, and (already) firm in devotion to Atman considered himself as one having accomplished his purpose by their teachings regarding Atman and concentration (of mind on Atman).

4.22.50

karmāṇi ca yathā-kālaṃ yathā-deśaṃ yathā-balam /
yathocitaṃ yathā-vittam akarod brahma-sāt-kṛtam //

And he performed actions according to time, according to place, according to ability,
according to propriety, and according to wealth, making them an offering to Brahman.

50. He also performed his righteous duties at due times and places, according to his might and means and property, and offered up everything to Brahman.

4.22.51

phalaṃ brahmaṇi sannyasya nirviṣaṅgaḥ samāhitaḥ /
karmādhyakṣaṃ ca manvāna ātmānaṃ prakṛteḥ param //

Surrendering the fruit to Brahman, detached and composed,
he regarded the self as overseer of actions and beyond material nature.

51. Resigning the fruit to Brahman, rid of all attachment serene in mind, and realising Atman who is distinct from Prakriti and only the witness of (all) activity, (the king performed his duties).

4.22.52

gṛheṣu vartamāno 'pi sa sāmrājya-śriyānvitaḥ /
nāsajjatendriyārtheṣu niraham-matir arkavat //

Though residing in household life, endowed with imperial fortune,
he did not cling to sense objects, free from egoism, like the sun.

52. Though a house-holder endowed with the splendour of imperial majesty, he was like the sun free from attachment to the objects of sense and (also) free from Ahankara.

4.22.53

evam adhyātma-yogena karmāṇy anusamācaran /
putrān utpādayām āsa pañcārciṣy ātma-sammatān //

Thus performing his duties in accordance with spiritual yoga,
he begot five sons upon Arcis who were equal to himself:

53 & 54. Thus properly and regularly doing his pious duties with his mind and heart devoted to Atman he had by his queen Archis five sons who came up to his ideal, namely Vijitaswa, Dhumrakesa, Dravina, and Vrika.

4.22.54

vijitāśvaṃ dhūmrakeśaṃ haryakṣaṃ draviṇaṃ vṛkam /
sarveṣāṃ loka-pālānāṃ dadhāraikaḥ pṛthur guṇān //

Vijitāśva, Dhūmrakeśa, Haryakṣa, Draviṇa, and Vṛka.
Pṛthu alone possessed the qualities of all the guardians of the world.

54. And one Prithu was possessed of the qualities of *all* the Lokapalas (*i. e.*, Indra and other protectors of the world).

4.22.55

gopīthāya jagat-sṛṣṭeḥ kāle sve sve 'cyutātmakaḥ /
mano-vāg-vṛttibhiḥ saumyair guṇaiḥ saṃrañjayan prajāḥ //

For the protection of the creation of the world, each in its proper time, his nature dedicated to Acyuta,
he delighted the subjects by gentle movements of mind and speech and through his qualities.

55. For the protection of the created world, the Lord of changeless nature appears at proper times, to delight creatures with His thoughts and utterances and with His charming qualities.

4.22.56

rājety adhān nāmadheyaṃ soma-rāja ivāparaḥ /
sūryavad visṛjan gṛhṇan pratapaṃś ca bhuvo vasu //

He bore the title 'king' (rājan) like a second king Soma (the moon),
and like the sun he gave, collected, and shone down upon the wealth of the earth.

56. He bore the name of *Raja*, like another Somaraja, (the excellent juice of *Soma*), giving and taking the wealth of the Earth and also shedding heat and light (*i. e.* controlling the world).

4.22.57

durdharṣas tejasevāgnir mahendra iva durjayaḥ /
titikṣayā dharitrīva dyaur ivābhīṣṭa-do nṛṇām //

Unassailable in brilliance like fire, invincible like Mahendra,
in endurance like the earth, and bestower of human desires like heaven;

57. By his majesty he was irresistible like Agni and unconquerable like Mahendra; in forbearance like the earth and in yielding men what they desire he was like the celestial region (*i. e.*, Svarga).

4.22.58

varṣati sma yathā-kāmaṃ parjanya iva tarpayan /
samudra iva durbodhaḥ sattvenācala-rāḍ iva //

he showered satisfaction according to desire like the rain-cloud,
unfathomable like the ocean, and like the king of mountains in firmness of being;

58. Like the cloud he showered in full measure all that was desired, bringing delight to creatures; like the sea he was too deep to be understood; and in strength of spirit he was like Meru (king of mountains).

4.22.59

dharma-rāḍ iva śikṣāyām āścarye himavān iva /
kuvera iva kośāḍhyo guptārtho varuṇo yathā //

like the King of Justice (Dharmarāja) in discipline, like the Himālaya in wonders,
rich in store like Kubera, and with concealed purposes like Varuṇa;

59. In measuring out punishment he was like the god Dharma,

ruler of righteousness and in wonderful characteristics he was like the Himalayas; he was, like Kubera, rich in treasures; and like Varuna he was possessed of secreted wealth.

4.22.60

mātariśveva sarvātmā balena mahasaujasā /
aviṣahyatayā devo bhagavān bhūta-rāḍ iva //

the self of all through force, majesty, and vigor, like the wind (Mātariśvan);
in unendurableness like the divine Lord, the ruler of beings (Śiva);

60. Like the god Vayu he was present everywhere; and also in respect of strength, enterprise and resoluteness; and in being irresistible he was like the worshipful god Rudra.

4.22.61

kandarpa iva saundarye manasvī mṛga-rāḍ iva /
vātsalye manuvan nṛṇāṃ prabhutve bhagavān ajaḥ //

like Kandarpa in beauty, high-spirited like the king of beasts (the lion),
in affection toward men like Manu, and in sovereignty like the unborn Lord (Brahmā);

61. He resembled Manmatha in beauty and was undaunted like the king of beasts; like Manu he was loving and in his lordship over men he was like the worshipful god Brahma.

4.22.62

bṛhaspatir brahma-vāde ātmavattve svayaṃ hariḥ /
bhaktyā go-guru-vipreṣu viṣvaksenānuvartiṣu /
hriyā praśraya-śīlābhyām ātma-tulyaḥ parodyame //

a Bṛhaspati in discourse on Brahman, in self-mastery Hari Himself;
in devotion to cows, gurus, and brāhmaṇas, and to the followers of Viṣvaksena;
with modesty and humble disposition, matchless in exerting himself for others;

62. In Vedic discourses he was Brihaspati and in conquest of senses he was Sri Hari; in devotion to cows, elders, preceptors and wise brahmins who are all votaries of Vishnu, in modesty, humility and in good nature and in labouring for others' benefit he was like himself.

4.22.63

kīrtyordhva-gītayā pumbhis trailokye tatra tatra ha /
praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṣu strīṇāṃ rāmaḥ satām iva //

by fame sung on high by men everywhere throughout the three worlds,
he entered into the cavities of women's ears, as Rāma enters the ears of the virtuous.

63. By his fame loudly sung by good men at different places in the three worlds he had reached the ears of women even as the great Rama has the ears of the virtuous.