विष्णुपुराणम् — द्वितीयांशे चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः | viṣṇupurāṇam

श्रीपराशर उवाच ।

निशम्य तस्येति वचः परमार्थसमन्वितम् ।
प्रश्रयावनतो भूत्वा तमाह नृपतिर्द्विजम् ॥

Summary AI After hearing his words endowed with ultimate truth, the King bowed with humility and spoke to that dvija.

राजोवाच भगवन्यत्त्वया प्रोक्तं परमार्थमयं वचः ।
श्रुते तस्मिन्भ्रमन्तीव मनसो मम वृत्तयः ॥

Summary AI The King said, "O Lord, after hearing these words of yours full of ultimate truth, the functions of my mind seem to be wandering in confusion."

२.१४.३

एतद्विवेकविज्ञानं यदशेषेषु जन्तुषु ।
भवता दर्शितं विप्रतत्परं प्रकृतेर्महत् ॥

Summary AI "O vipra, this discriminative knowledge regarding all living beings that you have demonstrated is superior even to prakṛti and is truly great."

२.१४.४

नाहं वहामि शिबिकां शिविका न मयि स्थिता ।
शरीरमन्यदस्मत्तौ योनेयं शिबिका धृता ॥

Summary AI "I do not carry the palanquin, nor is the palanquin resting on me; the body is distinct from us, and it is by the body that this palanquin is held."

२.१४.५

गुणप्रवृत्त्या भूतानां प्रवृत्तिः कर्मचोदिता ।
प्रवर्तन्ते गुणा ह्येते किं ममेति त्वयोदितम् ॥

Summary AI "You said that the activity of beings, impelled by karma, occurs through the operation of the guṇas; indeed, it is these guṇas that act, so what is it to me?"

२.१४.६

एतस्मिन्परमार्थज्ञ मम श्रोत्रपथं गते ।
मनो विह्वलतामेति परमार्थार्थितां गतम् ॥

Summary AI "O knower of the ultimate truth, since these words have reached my ears, my mind, seeking the ultimate goal, has become agitated."

२.१४.७

पूर्वमेव महाभागं कपिलर्षिमहं द्विज ।
प्रष्टुमभ्युद्यतो गत्वा श्रेयः किं त्वत्र शंस मे ॥

Summary AI "O dvija, I was already prepared to go and question the illustrious sage Kapila; however, please tell me now what truly constitutes the highest good."

२.१४.८

तदन्तरे च भवता यदेत द्वाक्यमीरितम् ।
तेनैव परमार्थार्थं त्वयि चेतः प्रधावति ॥

Summary AI "In the meantime, because of the words spoken by you, my mind rushes toward you for the sake of understanding the ultimate truth."

२.१४.९

कपिलर्षिर्बागवतः सर्वभूतस्य वै द्विज ।
विष्णोरंशो जगन्मोहनाशायोर्वीमुपागतः ॥

Summary AI "O dvija, the sage Kapila, a portion of the Lord Viṣṇu who resides in all beings, has descended to the earth to destroy the delusions of the world."

२.१४.१०

स एव भगवान्नूनमस्माकं हितकाम्यया ।
प्रत्यक्षतामत्र गतो यथैतद्भावतोच्यते ॥

Summary AI "Surely that Lord himself has manifested here out of a desire for our welfare, given the nature of what you are saying."

२.१४.११

तन्मह्यं प्रणताय त्वं यच्छ्रेयः परमं द्विजः ।
तद्वदाखिल विज्ञानजलवीच्युदधिर्भवान् ॥

Summary AI "O dvija, you are like an ocean whose waves are all branches of knowledge. Therefore, tell me, who am bowed before you, what is the supreme good."

ब्राह्मण उवाच ।

२.१४.१२

भूप पृच्छसि किं श्रेयः परमार्थं नु पृच्छसि ।
श्रेयांस्यपरमार्थानि अशेषाणि च भूपते ॥

Summary AI The Brāhmaṇa replied: "O King, do you ask about the good or the ultimate truth? O Lord of the earth, all worldly 'goods' are not the ultimate truth."

२.१४.१३

देवताराधनं कृत्वा धनसम्पदमिच्छति ।
पुत्रानिच्छति राज्यं च श्रेयस्तस्यैव तन्नृप ॥

Summary AI "O King, one who worships the deities desiring wealth, sons, or a kingdom considers those very things to be his good."

२.१४.१४

कर्म यज्ञात्मकं श्रेयः फलं तत्प्राप्तिलक्षणम् ।
श्रेयः प्रधानं च फले तदेवानभिसंहिते ॥

Summary AI "Sacrificial action is a 'good', and the resulting fruit is also a 'good'. When the fruit is not sought after, that very action becomes a superior 'good'."

२.१४.१५

आत्मा ध्येयः सदा भुप योगयुक्तैस्तथा परम् ।
श्रेयस्तस्यैव संयोगः श्रेयो यः परमात्मनः ॥

Summary AI "O King, the self should always be meditated upon by those joined in yoga; thus, the supreme good is the union of the individual soul with the Paramātman."

२.१४.१६

श्रेयांस्येवमनेकानि शतशोय सहस्रसः ।
सन्त्यत्र परमार्थस्तु न त्वेते श्रूयतां च मे ॥

Summary AI "Thus, there are hundreds and thousands of such 'goods' here, but they are not the ultimate truth. Listen to me further."

२.१४.१७

धर्माय त्यज्यते किन्तु परमार्थो धनं यदि ।
व्ययश्च क्रियते कस्मात्कामप्राप्त्युपलक्षणः ॥

Summary AI "If wealth were the ultimate truth, why would it be given away for the sake of dharma? And why would it be spent for the attainment of desires?"

२.१४.१८

पुत्रश्चेत्परमार्थः स्यात्सो ऽप्यन्यस्य नरेश्वर ।
परमार्थभूतः सोन्यस्य परमार्थो हि तत्पिता ॥

Summary AI "O King, if a son were the ultimate truth, he too is the son of another. He is the ultimate truth for someone else, and his father is the ultimate truth for another."

२.१४.१९

एवं न परमार्थोस्ति जगत्यस्मिञ्चराचरे ।
परमार्थो हि कार्याणि कारणानामशेषतः ॥

Summary AI "In this way, there is nothing in this world of moving and unmoving beings that is the ultimate truth; for all effects arising from causes are not the ultimate truth."

२.१४.२०

राज्यादिप्राप्तिरत्रोक्ता परमार्थतया यदि ।
परमार्था भवन्त्यत्र न भवन्ति च वै ततः ॥

Summary AI "If the attainment of a kingdom and such are spoken of as the ultimate truth, they exist at one time and then surely cease to exist later."

२.१४.२१

ऋग्यजुःसामनिष्पाद्यं यज्ञकर्म मतं तव ।
परमार्थभूतं तत्रापि श्रुयतां गदतो मम ॥

Summary AI You consider sacrificial rituals performed through the Ṛg, Yajuḥ, and Sāma Vedas as the ultimate reality; however, listen to me as I speak further on that matter.

२.१४.२२

यत्तु निष्पाद्यते कार्यं मृदा कारणभूतया ।
तत्कारणानुगमनाज्ज्ञायते नृप मृण्मयम् ॥

Summary AI O King, whatever effect is produced from clay as the cause is known to be essentially composed of clay, following the nature of its cause.

२.१४.२३

एवं विनाशिभिर्द्रव्यैः समिदाज्यकुशादिभिः ।
निष्पाद्यते क्रिया या तु सा भवित्री विनाशिनी ॥

Summary AI Similarly, any ritual action performed with perishable substances such as firewood, clarified butter, and kuśa grass is itself destined to be perishable.

२.१४.२४

अनाशो परमार्थश्च प्राज्ञौरभ्युपगम्यते ।
तत्तु नाशि न सन्देहो नाशिद्रव्योपपादितम् ॥

Summary AI The wise accept the ultimate reality as imperishable; however, that which is produced from perishable materials is undoubtedly perishable.

२.१४.२५

तदेवाफलदं कर्म परमार्थो मतस्तव ।
मुक्तिसाधनभूतत्वात्परमार्थो न साधनम् ॥

Summary AI You regard that very selfless action as the ultimate reality; yet, because it is merely a means to liberation, the means itself is not the ultimate reality.

२.१४.२६

ध्यानं चैवात्मनो भूपु परमार्थार्थशब्दितम् ।
भेदकारि परेभ्यस्तु परमार्थो न भेदवान् ॥

Summary AI O King, meditation on the Atman is also called the ultimate goal, but it creates a distinction from others, whereas the ultimate reality is devoid of all distinctions.

२.१४.२७

परमात्मात्मनोर्योगः परमार्थ इतीष्यते ।
मिथ्यैतदन्यद्रव्यं हि नैति तद्द्रव्यतां यतः ॥

Summary AI The union of the Paramātman and the Atman is considered the ultimate reality by some, but this is false, for one substance cannot truly become another substance.

२.१४.२८

तस्माच्छ्रेयांस्यशेषाणि नृवैतानि न संशयः ।
परमार्थस्तु भूपाल संक्षेपाच्छ्रूयतां मम ॥

Summary AI O King, all these are undoubtedly forms of spiritual merit; however, O Ruler, listen to my brief explanation of what the ultimate reality truly is.

२.१४.२९

एको व्यापी समः शुद्धो निर्गुणः प्रकृतेः परः ।
जन्मवृद्ध्यादिरहित आत्मा सर्वगतोव्ययः ॥

Summary AI The Atman is one, all-pervasive, equal, pure, devoid of qualities, beyond primordial nature, free from birth or growth, omnipresent, and imperishable.

२.१४.३०

परज्ञानमयो सद्भिर्नामजात्यादिभिर्विभुः ।
न योगवान्न युक्तोभून्नैव पार्थिव योक्ष्यते ॥

Summary AI O King, the Lord, who is of the nature of supreme knowledge, is not associated with names, castes, or other attributes; he was never joined with them, nor will he ever be.

२.१४.३१

तस्यात्मपरदेहेषु सतोप्येकमयं हि यत् ।
विज्ञानं परमार्थो ऽसौ द्वैतिनो ऽतथ्यर्शिनः ॥

Summary AI The uniform consciousness that exists within one's own body and the bodies of others is indeed the ultimate reality; those who perceive duality are seers of untruth.

२.१४.३२

वेणुरन्ध्रप्रभेदेन भेदः षङ्जादिसंज्ञितः ।
अभेदव्यापिनोवायोस्तथास्य परमात्मनः ॥

Summary AI Just as the distinction of musical notes like ṣaḍja arises from the different holes of a flute while the air within remains one and all-pervasive, so is the apparent distinction of the Paramātman.

२.१४.३३

एकस्वरूपभेदश्च ब्राह्मकर्मावृतिप्रजः ।
देवादिभेदे ऽपध्वस्तें नास्त्येवावरणे हि सः ॥

Summary AI The perceived difference in the single essence is born from the covering of external actions; once this veil is destroyed, the distinctions such as gods and others cease to exist.

इति श्रीविष्णुमहापुराणे द्वितीयेऽंशे चतुर्दशो ऽध्यायः । श्रीपराशर उवाच

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