महाभारतम् — ३.२०१

मार्कण्डेय उवाच ।

एवमुक्तस्तु विप्रेण धर्मव्याधो युधिष्ठिर ।
प्रत्युवाच यथा विप्रं तच्छृणुष्व नराधिप ॥

M N Dutt Markandeya said : O Yudhishthira, O ruler of men, hear what the virtuous fowler said to that Brahmana when he was thus asked by him.

व्याध उवाच ।

३.२०१.२

विज्ञानार्थं मनुष्याणां मनः पूर्वं प्रवर्तते ।
तत्प्राप्य कामं भजते क्रोधं च द्विजसत्तम ॥

M N Dutt The Fowler said : O foremost of Brahmanas, men's minds are first bent towards acquiring knowledge. When that is acquired, they indulge in their desires and anger.

३.२०१.३

ततस्तदर्थं यतते कर्म चारभते महत् ।
इष्टानां रूपगन्धानामभ्यासं च निषेवते ॥

M N Dutt For that end, they labour and perform great works and indulge in their much desired pleasures of beauty, of flavour.

३.२०१.४

ततो रागः प्रभवति द्वेषश्च तदनन्तरम् ।
ततो लोभः प्रभवति मोहश्च तदनन्तरम् ॥

M N Dutt The mind of one possessed by greed and mistake and affected by attachment and hatred is never bent to virtue. One then begins with hypocrisy to do deeds which are good.

३.२०१.५

तस्य लोभाभिभूतस्य रागद्वेषहतस्य च ।
न धर्मे जायते बुद्धिर्व्याजाद्धर्मं करोति च ॥

M N Dutt When men are thus influenced by avarice, envy and attachment, their understanding does not lean towards virtue; and they then practise the very mockery of virtue.

३.२०१.६

व्याजेन चरते धर्ममर्थं व्याजेन रोचते ।
व्याजेन सिध्यमानेषु धनेषु द्विजसत्तम ।
तत्रैव रमते बुद्धिस्ततः पापं चिकीर्षति ॥

M N Dutt O foremost of Brahmanas, practising virtue with hypocracy, they remain satisfied in acquiring wealth by dishonourable means. And with the wealth thus acquired, their intelligence becomes attached to the evil ways; they were then filled with the desire to commit sins. O foremost of Brahmanas, when their friends and the learned men remonstrate.

३.२०१.७

सुहृद्भिर्वार्यमाणश्च पण्डितैश्च द्विजोत्तम ।
उत्तरं श्रुतिसंबद्धं ब्रवीति श्रुतियोजितम् ॥

३.२०१.८

अधर्मस्त्रिविधस्तस्य वर्धते रागदोषतः ।
पापं चिन्तयते चापि ब्रवीति च करोति च ॥

३.२०१.९

तस्याधर्मप्रवृत्तस्य गुणा नश्यन्ति साधवः ।
एकशीलाश्च मित्रत्वं भजन्ते पापकर्मिणः ॥

३.२०१.१०

स तेनासुखमाप्नोति परत्र च विहन्यते ।
पापात्मा भवति ह्येवं धर्मलाभं तु मे शृणु ॥

३.२०१.११

यस्त्वेतान्प्रज्ञया दोषान्पूर्वमेवानुपश्यति ।
कुशलः सुखदुःखेषु साधूंश्चाप्युपसेवते ।
तस्य साधुसमारम्भाद्बुद्धिर्धर्मेषु जायते ॥

M N Dutt All sinful men are of this nature. Now hear about the virtuous man. He discerns evils by means of his spiritual sight. He is able to discriminate between happiness and misery. He is full of respectful attention to men of virtue; and by practising virtues, his mind becomes inclined to virtue.

ब्राह्मण उवाच ।

३.२०१.१२

ब्रवीषि सूनृतं धर्मं यस्य वक्ता न विद्यते ।
दिव्यप्रभावः सुमहानृषिरेव मतोऽसि मे ॥

M N Dutt The Brahmana said : You have given a true exposition of virtue which none else is able to do. Your spiritual power is great and you appear to me to be a great Rishi.

व्याध उवाच ।

३.२०१.१३

ब्राह्मणा वै महाभागाः पितरोऽग्रभुजः सदा ।
तेषां सर्वात्मना कार्यं प्रियं लोके मनीषिणा ॥

M N Dutt The Fowler said: are The greatly powerful Brahmanas worshipped with the same honours as our ancestors. They are before others always propitiated with offerings of food. Wisemen in this world do what is pleasing to them with all their heart.

३.२०१.१४

यत्तेषां च प्रियं तत्ते वक्ष्यामि द्विजसत्तम ।
नमस्कृत्वा ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ब्राह्मीं विद्यां निबोध मे ॥

M N Dutt O foremost of Brahmanas, after having bowed down to Brahmanas as a class I shall now tell you what is pleasing to them. Learn now the Brahma Philosophy,

३.२०१.१५

इदं विश्वं जगत्सर्वमजय्यं चापि सर्वशः ।
महाभूतात्मकं ब्रह्मन्नातः परतरं भवेत् ॥

M N Dutt This whole universe, which is unconquerable and which abounds in great elements, is Brahma (himself). There is nothing high than this.

३.२०१.१६

महाभूतानि खं वायुरग्निरापस्तथा च भूः ।
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धश्च तद्गुणाः ॥

M N Dutt Earth, air, water and sky are the great elements. Form, flavour, sound, touch and taste are their characteristic properties.

३.२०१.१७

तेषामपि गुणाः सर्वे गुणवृत्तिः परस्परम् ।
पूर्वपूर्वगुणाः सर्वे क्रमशो गुणिषु त्रिषु ॥

M N Dutt These latter also have their (own peculiar) properties correlated to each other. Of the three qualities they are characterised by each in order of priority.

३.२०१.१८

षष्ठस्तु चेतना नाम मन इत्यभिधीयते ।
सप्तमी तु भवेद्बुद्धिरहंकारस्ततः परम् ॥

M N Dutt The sixth property is consciousness which is called mind. The seventh is intelligence and then follows Egoism,

३.२०१.१९

इन्द्रियाणि च पञ्चैव रजः सत्त्वं तमस्तथा ।
इत्येष सप्तदशको राशिरव्यक्तसंज्ञकः ॥

३.२०१.२०

सर्वैरिहेन्द्रियार्थैस्तु व्यक्ताव्यक्तैः सुसंवृतः ।
चतुर्विंशक इत्येष व्यक्ताव्यक्तमयो गुणः ।
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं किं भूयो श्रोतुमिच्छसि ॥

M N Dutt Then are the five senses, then the soul, then the moral qualities, called, Sattva, Raja and Tama. These seventeen are said to be the unknown or incomprehensible qualities. I have told you all this, what else do you wish to know?

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