Mahābhārata · Adhyāya 12.342
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12.342.1
गृहस्थो ब्रह्मचारी वा वानप्रस्थोऽथ भिक्षुकः ।
य इच्छेत्सिद्धिमास्थातुं देवतां कां यजेत सः ॥ १२.३४२.१ ॥
Whether householder, celibate student, forest-dweller or mendicant — which deity should he worship who wishes to attain perfection?
12.342.2
कुतो ह्यस्य ध्रुवः स्वर्गः कुतो नैःश्रेयसं परम् ।
विधिना केन जुहुयाद्दैवं पित्र्यं तथैव च ॥ १२.३४२.२ ॥
By what means does one attain enduring heaven and the highest good? By what rite should he offer oblations to the gods and to the ancestors?
12.342.3
मुक्तश्च कां गतिं गच्छेन्मोक्षश्चैव किमात्मकः ।
स्वर्गतश्चैव किं कुर्याद्येन न च्यवते दिवः ॥ १२.३४२.३ ॥
Into what state does the liberated man go, and what is the nature of liberation? Having reached heaven, what should one do so as not to fall from heaven?
12.342.4
देवतानां च को देवः पितॄणां च पिता तथा ।
तस्मात्परतरं यच्च तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥ १२.३४२.४ ॥
Who is the god among the gods, and the father of the ancestors? Tell me what is higher than even these, O grandsire.
12.342.5
गूढं मां प्रश्नवित्प्रश्नं पृच्छसे त्वमिहानघ ।
न ह्येतत्तर्कया शक्यं वक्तुं वर्षशतैरपि ॥ १२.३४२.५ ॥
O sinless one, you who know the questions ask me here a hidden question. It cannot be told by reasoning even in hundreds of years.
12.342.6
ऋते देवप्रसादाद्वा राजञ्ज्ञानागमेन वा ।
गहनं ह्येतदाख्यानं व्याख्यातव्यं तवारिहन् ॥ १२.३४२.६ ॥
Without the grace of the gods, or without the attainment of knowledge, O king — this teaching is profound. O slayer of foes, it is for you to expound it.
12.342.7
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् ।
नारदस्य च संवादमृषेर्नारायणस्य च ॥ १२.३४२.७ ॥
Here too people cite this ancient story, the dialogue of Nārada and the sage Nārāyaṇa.
12.342.8
नारायणो हि विश्वात्मा चतुर्मूर्तिः सनातनः ।
धर्मात्मजः संबभूव पितैवं मेऽभ्यभाषत ॥ १२.३४२.८ ॥
Nārāyaṇa is the soul of the universe, four-formed and eternal; born of the son of Dharma's nature, so my father spoke to me.
12.342.9
कृते युगे महाराज पुरा स्वायंभुवेऽन्तरे ।
नरो नारायणश्चैव हरिः कृष्णस्तथैव च ॥ १२.३४२.९ ॥
O great king, in the Kṛta age, in former times, during the Svāyambhuva interval: Nara and Nārāyaṇa, and likewise Hari and Kṛṣṇa.
12.342.10
तेषां नारायणनरौ तपस्तेपतुरव्ययौ ।
बदर्याश्रममासाद्य शकटे कनकामये ॥ १२.३४२.१० ॥
Of them, Nārāyaṇa and Nara, the two imperishable ones, reached the hermitage of Badarī and performed austerities in a golden chariot.
12.342.11
अष्टचक्रं हि तद्यानं भूतयुक्तं मनोरमम् ।
तत्राद्यौ लोकनाथौ तौ कृशौ धमनिसंततौ ॥ १२.३४२.११ ॥
That vehicle had eight wheels, was yoked with the elements, and was most delightful; there the two primal lords of the worlds were lean, covered with veins.
12.342.12
तपसा तेजसा चैव दुर्निरीक्ष्यौ सुरैरपि ।
यस्य प्रसादं कुर्वाते स देवौ द्रष्टुमर्हति ॥ १२.३४२.१२ ॥
By austerity and radiance those two are hard to behold even for the gods; he to whom they show grace is able to see those gods.
12.342.13
नूनं तयोरनुमते हृदि हृच्छपचोदितः ।
महामेरोगिंरेः शृङ्गात्प्रत्युतो गन्धमादनम् ॥ १२.३४२.१३ ॥
Surely, by their consent, impelled by the curse of the heart in the heart, turning back from the peak of great Meru toward Gandhamādana.
12.342.14
नारदः सुमहद्भूतं सर्वलोकानचीचरत् ।
तं देशमगमद्राजन्वदर्याश्रममाशुगः ॥ १२.३४२.१४ ॥
Nārada, the very great being, wandered through all the worlds; O king, swiftly he went to that region, the hermitage of Badarī.
12.342.15
तयोराह्निकवेलायां तस्य कौतूहलं त्वभूत् ।
इदं तदास्पदं कृत्स्नं यस्मिँल्लोकाः प्रतिष्ठिताः ॥ १२.३४२.१५ ॥
At the time of their daily rite, curiosity arose in him: this is the entire abode in which the worlds are established.
12.342.16
सदेवासुरगन्धर्वाः सकिन्नरमहोरगाः ।
एका मूर्तिरियं पूर्वं जाता भूयश्चतुर्विधा ॥ १२.३४२.१६ ॥
With gods, asuras, gandharvas, kinnaras and great serpents — this one form was born at first, and again became fourfold.
12.342.17
धर्मस्य कुलसंताने धर्मादेभिर्विवर्धितः ।
अहो ह्यनुगृहीतोऽद्य धर्म एभिः सुरैरिह ॥ १२.३४२.१७ ॥
In the lineage of Dharma, nourished by these from Dharma — oh! Today Dharma has indeed been favored here by these gods.
12.342.18
नरनारायणाभ्यां च कृष्णेन हरिणा तथा ।
अत्र कृष्णो हरिश्चैव कस्मिंश्चित्कारणान्तरे ॥ १२.३४२.१८ ॥
By Nara and Nārāyaṇa, and likewise by Kṛṣṇa and Hari — here Kṛṣṇa and Hari too, for some other cause.
12.342.19
स्थितौ धर्मसुतावेतौ तथा तपसि धिष्ठितौ ।
एतौ हि परमं धाम काऽनयोराह्निकक्रिया ॥ १२.३४२.१९ ॥
These two, the sons of Dharma, abide established in austerity. These two are the supreme abode. What is the daily rite of these two?
12.342.20
पितरौ सर्वभूतानां दैवतं च यशस्विनौ ।
कां देवतां तु यजतः पितॄन्वा कान्महामती ॥ १२.३४२.२० ॥
These two glorious ones are the parents and the deity of all beings. Which deity should one who sacrifices worship, or the ancestors, O greatly wise one?
12.342.21
इति संचिन्त्य मनसा भक्त्या नारायणस्य तु ।
सहसा प्रादुरभवत्समीपे देवयोस्तदा ॥ १२.३४२.२१ ॥
Having thus pondered in his mind, with devotion to Nārāyaṇa, then suddenly he appeared near those two gods.
12.342.22
कृते दैवे च पित्र्ये च ततस्ताभ्यां निरीक्षितः ।
पूजितश्चैव विधिना यथाप्रोक्तेन शास्त्रतः ॥ १२.३४२.२२ ॥
When the divine and ancestral rites were performed, then those two beheld him and worshipped him duly, as prescribed according to the scriptures.
12.342.23
तद्दृष्ट्वा महदाश्चर्यमपूर्वं विधिविस्तरम् ।
उपोपविष्टः सुप्रीतो नारदो भगवानृषिः ॥ १२.३४२.२३ ॥
Seeing that great wonder and the unprecedented extent of the rite, the blessed sage Nārada, greatly pleased, sat down nearby.
12.342.24
नारायणं संनिरीक्ष्य प्रसन्नेनान्तरात्मना ।
नमस्कृत्य महादेवमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ १२.३४२.२४ ॥
Looking well upon Nārāyaṇa with a serene inner self, and bowing to Mahādeva, he spoke these words.
12.342.25
वेदेषु सपुराणेषु साङ्गोपाङ्गेषु गीयसे ।
त्वमजः शाश्वतो धाता माता मृतमनुत्तमम् ॥ १२.३४२.२५ ॥
You are sung in the Vedas and the Purāṇas, with their limbs and sub-limbs. You are unborn, eternal, the sustainer, the mother, and the supreme immortal.
12.342.26
प्रतिष्ठितं भूतभव्यं त्वयि सर्वमिदं जगत् ।
चत्वारो ह्याश्रमा देव सर्वे गार्हस्थ्यमूलकाः ॥ १२.३४२.२६ ॥
This entire world, what has been and what will be, is established in you. O god, all four life-stages are rooted in the householder's life.
12.342.27
यजन्ते त्वामहरहर्नानामूर्तिसमास्थितम् ।
पिता माता च सर्वस्य देवतानां च शाश्वतम्।
कं त्वद्य यजसे देवं पितरं कं न विद्महे ॥ १२.३४२.२७ ॥
They worship you day by day, you who abide in many forms. You are the eternal father and mother of all, and of the gods too. Which god do you worship today? Which father do we not know?
12.342.28
कमर्चसि महाभाग तन्मे प्रब्रूहि पृच्छतः ॥ १२.३४२.२८ ॥
O greatly fortunate one, whom do you worship? Tell me this, I who ask.
12.342.29
अवाच्यमेतद्वक्तव्यमात्मगुह्यं सनातनम् ।
तव भक्तिमतो ब्रह्मन्वक्ष्यामि तु यथातथम् ॥ १२.३४२.२९ ॥
This cannot be spoken, yet it must be told: the eternal secret of the self. O brahmin, since you are devoted, I will tell it to you as it truly is.
12.342.30
यत्तत्सूक्ष्ममविज्ञेयमव्यक्तमचलं ध्रुवम् ।
इन्द्रियैन्द्रियार्थैश्च सर्वभूतैश्च वर्जितम् ॥ १२.३४२.३० ॥
That which is subtle, unknowable, unmanifest, unmoving and fixed, apart from the senses, the objects of the senses, and all beings.
12.342.31
स ह्यन्तरात्मा भूतानां क्षेत्रज्ञश्चेति कथ्यते ।
त्रिगुणव्यतिरिक्तो वै पुरुषश्चेति कल्पितः ॥ १२.३४२.३१ ॥
He is the inner self of beings, and he is called the knower of the field. He is conceived as the Person who is beyond the three guṇas.
12.342.32
तस्मादव्यक्तमुत्पन्नं त्रिगुणं द्विजसत्तम ।
अव्यक्ताव्यक्तभावस्था या सा प्रकृतिरव्यया ॥ १२.३४२.३२ ॥
Therefore, best of the twice-born, from the unmanifest arose the manifest, consisting of the three guṇas. That which abides in both the unmanifest and the manifest states is the imperishable Prakṛti.
12.342.33
तां योनिमावयोर्विद्धि योसौ सदसदात्मकः ।
आवाभ्यां पूज्यते यो हि दैवे पित्र्ये च कल्प्यते ॥ १२.३४२.३३ ॥
Know that as the source of us both. It is of the nature of being and non-being; it is what we two worship, and what is prescribed in rites for the gods and for the ancestors.
12.342.34
नास्ति तस्मात्परोऽन्यो हि पिता देवोऽथवा द्विज ।
आत्मा हि नौ स विज्ञेयस्ततस्तं पूजयावहे ॥ १२.३४२.३४ ॥
O twice-born, there is no other father or god higher than that. He is to be known as the self of us both; therefore let us two worship him.
12.342.35
तेनैषा प्रथिता ब्रह्मन्मर्यादा लोकमाविनी ।
दैवं पित्र्यं च कर्तव्यमिति तस्यानुशासनम् ॥ १२.३४२.३५ ॥
By him this established boundary, O Brahmin, pervading the worlds, was set down: the rites for the gods and for the ancestors are to be performed. Such is his instruction.
12.342.36
ब्रह्मा स्थाणुर्मनुर्दक्षो भृगुर्धर्मस्तथा यमः ।
मरीचिरङ्गिराश्चात्रिः पुलस्त्यः पुलहः क्रतुः ॥ १२.३४२.३६ ॥
Brahmā, Sthāṇu, Manu, Dakṣa, Bhṛgu, Dharma and likewise Yama, Marīci, Aṅgiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha and Kratu.
12.342.37
वसिष्ठः परमेष्ठी च विवस्वान्सोम एव च ।
कर्दमश्चापि यः प्रोक्तः क्रोधो विक्रीत एव च ॥ १२.३४२.३७ ॥
Vasiṣṭha, Parameṣṭhin, Vivasvān, Soma, Kardama, and he who is also named Krodha and Vikrīta.
12.342.38
एकविंशतिरुत्पन्नास्ते प्रजापतयः स्मृताः ।
तस्य देवस्य मर्यादां पूजयन्तः सनातनीम् ॥ १२.३४२.३८ ॥
These twenty-one lords of creatures are remembered as having been born, honouring the eternal ordinance of that god.
12.342.39
दैवं पित्र्यं च सततं तस्य विज्ञाय तत्त्वतः ।
आत्मप्राप्तानि च ततो जानन्ति द्विजसत्तमाः ॥ १२.३४२.३९ ॥
Knowing him truly, and constantly performing the rites of gods and ancestors, the best of the twice-born also come to know what is attained by the self.
12.342.40
स्वर्गस्था अपि ये केचित्तान्नमस्यन्ति देहिनः ।
ते तत्प्रसादाद्गच्छन्ति तेनादिष्टफलां गतिम् ॥ १२.३४२.४० ॥
Those embodied beings who bow to some of those dwelling in heaven go, by his grace, to a destiny whose fruit has been ordained by him.
12.342.41
ये हीनाः सप्तदशभिर्गुणैः कर्मभिरेव च ।
कलाः पञ्चदश त्यक्त्वा ते मुक्ता इति निश्चयः ॥ १२.३४२.४१ ॥
Those who are free from the seventeen qualities and from actions, and who have abandoned the fifteen parts, are liberated — this is the certainty.
12.342.42
मुक्तानां तु गतिर्ब्रह्मन्क्षेत्रज्ञ इति कल्पिता ।
स हि सर्वगतिश्चैव निर्गुणश्चैव कथ्यते ॥ १२.३४२.४२ ॥
O brahmin, the destination of the liberated is conceived as the knower of the field; he is said to be all-pervading and also without qualities.
12.342.43
दृश्यते ज्ञानयोगेन आवां च प्रसृतौ ततः ।
एवं ज्ञात्वा तमात्मानं पूजयावः सनातनम् ॥ १२.३४२.४३ ॥
By the yoga of knowledge he is seen, and from there we two came forth. Knowing thus that eternal self, let us worship him.
12.342.44
तं वेदाश्चाश्रमाश्चैव नानातनुसमाश्रितम् ।
भक्त्या संपूजयन्त्यद्य गतिं चैषां ददाति सः ॥ १२.३४२.४४ ॥
Him, dwelling in many bodies, the Vedas and the stages of life now worship with devotion, and he bestows their goal.
12.342.45
ये तु तद्भाविता लोके ह्येकान्तित्वं समास्थिताः ।
एतदभ्यधिकं तेषां यत्ते तं प्रविशन्त्युत ॥ १२.३४२.४५ ॥
But for those in the world who, absorbed in him, abide in single-minded devotion, this is greater still: indeed they enter into him.
12.342.46
इति गुह्यसमुद्देशस्तव नारद कीर्तितः ।
भक्त्या प्रेम्णा च विप्रर्षे अस्मद्भक्त्या च ते श्रुतः ॥ १२.३४२.४६ ॥
Thus, Nārada, the exposition of the secret has been declared to you. O sage among brahmins, through devotion and love, and through your devotion to us, you have heard it.