The Worm on the Cart Road

Verse 1 (13.179.1)

अकामाश्च सकामाश्च ये हताः स्म महामृधे । कां योनिं प्रतिपन्नास्ते तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥

akāmāśca sakāmāśca ye hatāḥ sma mahāmṛdhe | kāṃ yoniṃ pratipannāste tanme brūhi pitāmaha

Yudhishthira said: Those who fell in the great battle, whether they wished to die or not, into what birth have they gone? Tell me that, grandfather.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; = CE 13.118.1 (Wikisource 'ये हताः स्म महामृधे' against CE 1a 'hatā ye 'smin mahāhave', a recension variant; base reading kept).

Verse 2 (13.179.2)

दुःखं प्राणपरित्यागः पुरुषाणां महामृधे । जानामि चाहं धर्मज्ञ प्राणत्यागं सुदुष्करम् ॥

duḥkhaṃ prāṇaparityāgaḥ puruṣāṇāṃ mahāmṛdhe | jānāmi cāhaṃ dharmajña prāṇatyāgaṃ suduṣkaram

For men, giving up life in a great battle is a painful thing, and I know, O knower of dharma, how very hard it is to lay down one's life.

Verse 3 (13.179.3)

समृद्धे वाऽसमृद्धे वा शुभे वा यदि वाऽशुभे । संसारेऽस्मिन्सदाजाताः प्राणिनोऽभिरताः कथम् । कारणं तत्र मे ब्रूहि सर्वज्ञो ह्यसि मे मतः ॥

samṛddhe vā'samṛddhe vā śubhe vā yadi vā'śubhe | saṃsāre'sminsadājātāḥ prāṇino'bhiratāḥ katham | kāraṇaṃ tatra me brūhi sarvajño hyasi me mataḥ

Whether they are prosperous or poor, in good fortune or in ill, how is it that creatures, forever being born into this cycle of rebirth, are so attached to it? Tell me the reason for that, for I hold you to be all-knowing.

Note on the text: Three-line verse, as the page prints it (13-179-3a, b, c). Corrected समृद्दे → समृद्धे (misprint in Wikisource; द for द्ध; CE samṛddhe). Removed the stray backtick before line 2 and supplied the missing space in प्राणिनोऽभिरताःकथम् → प्राणिनोऽभिरताः कथम्. Not matched by the aligner: lines 1 and 3 = CE 13.118.3a, 3c; line 2 is not in the critical edition (vulgate-only; it echoes CE 4c).

Verse 4 (13.179.4)

समृद्धे वाऽसमृद्धे वा शुभे वा यदि वाऽशुभे । संसारेऽस्मिन्समे जाताः प्राणिनः पृथिवीपते ॥

samṛddhe vā'samṛddhe vā śubhe vā yadi vā'śubhe | saṃsāre'sminsame jātāḥ prāṇinaḥ pṛthivīpate

Bhishma said: O lord of the earth, in this cycle of rebirth creatures are born alike, whether in prosperity or in want, in good fortune or in ill.

Verse 5 (13.179.5)

निरता येन भावेन तत्र मे शृणु कारणम् । सम्यक्चायमनुप्रश्नस्त्वयोक्तस्तु युधिष्ठिर ॥

niratā yena bhāvena tatra me śṛṇu kāraṇam | samyakcāyamanupraśnastvayoktastu yudhiṣṭhira

Listen to the reason for the feeling by which they remain attached to it. You have put this follow-up question rightly, Yudhishthira.

Verse 6 (13.179.6)

अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि पुरावृत्तमिदं नृप । द्वैपायनस्य संवादं कीटस्य च युधिष्ठिर ॥

atra te vartayiṣyāmi purāvṛttamidaṃ nṛpa | dvaipāyanasya saṃvādaṃ kīṭasya ca yudhiṣṭhira

On this, O king, I will tell you an old story: the conversation between Dvaipayana and a worm, Yudhishthira.

Verse 7 (13.179.7)

ब्रह्मभूतश्चरन्विप्रः कृष्णद्वैपायनः पुरा । ददर्श कीटं धावन्तं शीघ्रं शकटवर्त्मनि ॥

brahmabhūtaścaranvipraḥ kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaḥ purā | dadarśa kīṭaṃ dhāvantaṃ śīghraṃ śakaṭavartmani

Long ago the brahmin Krishna Dvaipayana, who had become one with Brahman, was wandering when he saw a worm hurrying along the track of a cart.

Note on the text: Corrected ब्रह्मिभूतः → ब्रह्मभूतः (misprint in Wikisource; stray इ; 'brahmabhūtaḥ' in the CE).

Verse 8 (13.179.8)

गतिज्ञः सर्वभूतानां रुतज्ञश्च शरीरिणाम् । सर्वज्ञस्त्वरितं दृष्ट्वा कीटं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

gatijñaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ rutajñaśca śarīriṇām | sarvajñastvaritaṃ dṛṣṭvā kīṭaṃ vacanamabravīt

Knowing the course of every creature and understanding the cries of embodied beings, the all-knowing sage saw the worm in its hurry and spoke to it.

Verse 9 (13.179.9)

कीट संत्रस्तरूपोऽसि त्वरितश्चैव लक्ष्यसे । क्व च वासस्तदाचक्ष्व कुतस्ते भयमागतम् ॥

kīṭa saṃtrastarūpo'si tvaritaścaiva lakṣyase | kva ca vāsastadācakṣva kutaste bhayamāgatam

Worm, you look frightened and you seem to be in a great hurry. Tell me where you live, and from what has this fear come upon you?

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the whole verse is Vyasa's own speech to the worm (the page prints only Bhishma's heading, which governs the frame; the input had Bhishma). Wikisource 'क्व च वासस्तदाचक्ष्व' against CE 9c 'kva dhāvasi tad ācakṣva' (recension variant).

Verse 10 (13.179.10)

शकटव्रजस्य महतो घोषं श्रुत्वा भयं मम । आगतं वै महाबुद्धे स्वन एष हि दारुणः ॥

śakaṭavrajasya mahato ghoṣaṃ śrutvā bhayaṃ mama | āgataṃ vai mahābuddhe svana eṣa hi dāruṇaḥ

The Worm said: O wise one, fear has come upon me from hearing the din of a great train of carts; this sound is terrible.

Note on the text: Lines 1 and 2 = CE 13.118.10a, 10c (Wikisource 'शकटव्रजस्य' against CE 'śakaṭasyāsya', a recension variant). CE 10e is the first line of the next verse. Not matched by the aligner.

Verse 11 (13.179.11)

श्रूयते तु स मा हन्यादिति ह्यस्मादपक्रमे । श्वसतां च शृणोम्येनं गोवृषाणां प्रतोद्यताम् ॥

śrūyate tu sa mā hanyāditi hyasmādapakrame | śvasatāṃ ca śṛṇomyenaṃ govṛṣāṇāṃ pratodyatām

I hear it and think, "May it not kill me," and so I draw away from it; and I hear the panting of the bulls as they are driven on with goads,

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 13.118.10e (a variant: 'श्रूयते तु स मा हन्यात्' against 'śrūyate na sa māṃ hanyāt'); line 2 = CE 11a (Wikisource 'गोवृषाणां' against CE 'goputrāṇām'). Not matched by the aligner.

Verse 12 (13.179.12)

वहतां सुमहाभारं सन्निकर्षे स्वनं प्रभो । नृणां च संवाहयतां श्रूयन्ते विविधाः स्वनाः ॥

vahatāṃ sumahābhāraṃ sannikarṣe svanaṃ prabho | nṛṇāṃ ca saṃvāhayatāṃ śrūyante vividhāḥ svanāḥ

and, my lord, the noise close at hand of the beasts straining under their very heavy loads, and the various cries of the men who are driving them.

Note on the text: Lines 1 and 2 = CE 13.118.11c, 11e (11e reads 'śrūyate vividhaḥ svanaḥ'; Wikisource 'श्रूयन्ते विविधाः स्वनाः', a variant). Not matched by the aligner.

Verse 13 (13.179.13)

वोढुमस्मद्विधेनैव न शक्यः कीटयोनिना । तस्मादतिक्रमाम्येष भयादस्मात्सुदारुणात् ॥

voḍhumasmadvidhenaiva na śakyaḥ kīṭayoninā | tasmādatikramāmyeṣa bhayādasmātsudāruṇāt

A creature born a worm, such as I am, cannot bear it; and so I am slipping away from this most terrible danger.

Verse 14 (13.179.14)

दुःखं हि मृत्युर्भूतानां जीवितं च सुदुर्लभम् । अतो भीतः पलायामि गच्छेयं नापदं यथा ॥

duḥkhaṃ hi mṛtyurbhūtānāṃ jīvitaṃ ca sudurlabham | ato bhītaḥ palāyāmi gaccheyaṃ nāpadaṃ yathā

Death is a grief to creatures, and life is very hard to come by; so I run in fear, that I may not meet with misfortune.

Verse 15 (13.179.15)

इत्युक्तः स तु तं प्राह कुतः कीट सुखं तव । मरणं ते सुखं मन्ये तिर्यग्योनौ हि वर्तसे ॥

ityuktaḥ sa tu taṃ prāha kutaḥ kīṭa sukhaṃ tava | maraṇaṃ te sukhaṃ manye tiryagyonau hi vartase

Bhishma said: Thus addressed, he said to the worm, "Worm, what happiness can you have? I think death would be happiness for you, since you live in an animal birth."

Note on the text: Corrected सं → तं (misprint in Wikisource; 'sa tu taṃ prāha', CE 13.118.14a: 'ity uktaḥ sa tu taṃ prāha').

Verse 16 (13.179.16)

शब्दं स्पर्शं रसं गन्धं भोगांश्चोच्चावचान्बहून् । नाभिजानासि कीट त्वं श्रेयो मरणमेव ते ॥

śabdaṃ sparśaṃ rasaṃ gandhaṃ bhogāṃścoccāvacānbahūn | nābhijānāsi kīṭa tvaṃ śreyo maraṇameva te

You know nothing of sound, touch, taste or smell, nor of the many enjoyments, high and low. For you, worm, death alone is better.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the whole verse is Vyasa's speech to the worm, continuing from verse 15 (the input had Bhishma).

Verse 17 (13.179.17)

सर्वत्र निरतो जीव इहापि च सुखं मम । चेतयामि महाप्राज्ञ तस्मादिच्छामि जीवितुम् ॥

sarvatra nirato jīva ihāpi ca sukhaṃ mama | cetayāmi mahāprājña tasmādicchāmi jīvitum

The Worm said: A living creature delights in every state, and here too I have my happiness. I am conscious, O wise one, and that is why I wish to live.

Verse 18 (13.179.18)

इहापि विषयः सर्वो यथादेहं प्रवर्तितः । मनुष्यास्तिर्यगाश्चैव पृथग्भोगा विशेषतः ॥

ihāpi viṣayaḥ sarvo yathādehaṃ pravartitaḥ | manuṣyāstiryagāścaiva pṛthagbhogā viśeṣataḥ

Even here every object of enjoyment is arranged according to the body; humans and animals have enjoyments of their own, each distinct.

Verse 19 (13.179.19)

अहमासं मनुष्यो वै शूद्रो बहुधनः प्रभो । अब्रह्मण्यो नृशंसश्च कदर्यो बुद्धिजीवनः ॥

ahamāsaṃ manuṣyo vai śūdro bahudhanaḥ prabho | abrahmaṇyo nṛśaṃsaśca kadaryo buddhijīvanaḥ

I was once a man, a shudra with great wealth, my lord; I had no regard for brahmins, and I was cruel and miserly, living by my wits.

Note on the text: Wikisource 'बुद्धिजीवनः' (living by his wits) against CE 18c 'vṛddhijīvanaḥ' (living by usury); the apparatus likewise notes 'वृद्धिजीवनः' as a variant. Both are good Sanskrit; base reading kept.

Verse 20 (13.179.20)

वाक्श्लक्ष्णो ह्यकृतप्रज्ञो द्वेष्टा विश्वस्य कर्मणः । मिथोगुप्तनिधिर्नित्यं परस्वहरणे रतः ॥

vākślakṣṇo hyakṛtaprajño dveṣṭā viśvasya karmaṇaḥ | mithoguptanidhirnityaṃ parasvaharaṇe rataḥ

I was smooth of tongue but untrained in mind, a hater of everyone's undertakings, always keeping my hoard secretly hidden, and bent on seizing the property of others.

Note on the text: Removed a stray zero-width non-joiner inside वाक्श्लक्ष्णो. Not matched by the aligner; = CE 13.118.19 (recension variant: CE 19a 'vāktīkṣṇo nikṛtiprajño moṣṭā viśvasya sarvaśaḥ', 19c 'mithaḥkṛto 'panidhanaḥ parasvaharaṇe rataḥ'; the second line agrees closely in its last quarter). Base reading kept.

Verse 21 (13.179.21)

भृत्यातिथिजनश्चापि गृहेऽपर्यशितो मया । मात्सर्यात्स्वादुकामेन नृशंसेन बुभुक्षता ॥

bhṛtyātithijanaścāpi gṛhe'paryaśito mayā | mātsaryātsvādukāmena nṛśaṃsena bubhukṣatā

Servants and guests alike went unfed in my house, through my envy; cruel and greedy for delicacies for myself, I ate while they hungered.

Verse 22 (13.179.22)

देवार्थं पितृयज्ञार्थं न च श्राद्धं कृतं मया । न दत्तमन्नकामेषु दत्तमन्नं लुनामि च ॥

devārthaṃ pitṛyajñārthaṃ na ca śrāddhaṃ kṛtaṃ mayā | na dattamannakāmeṣu dattamannaṃ lunāmi ca

I performed no shraddha for the gods or in the ancestral rites; I gave no food to those who asked for food, and even food that I had given I took back.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; = CE 13.118.21 (recension variant: CE 21a 'devārthaṃ pitṛyajñārtham annaṃ śraddhākṛtaṃ mayā', 21c 'na dattam arthakāmena deyam annaṃ punāti ha'). Base reading kept.

Verse 23 (13.179.23)

गुप्तं शरणमाश्रित्य भयेषु शरणागतान् । त्यक्त्वाऽकस्मान्निशायां च न दत्तमभयं मया ॥

guptaṃ śaraṇamāśritya bhayeṣu śaraṇāgatān | tyaktvā'kasmānniśāyāṃ ca na dattamabhayaṃ mayā

Having myself taken shelter in a guarded refuge, I abandoned those who sought my protection when danger came, suddenly, even in the night, and gave them no assurance of safety.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner. Line 1 = CE 13.118.22a (exact); line 2 = CE star passage 13.118.22d*0597_01 (tyaktvākasmān niśāyāṃ ca na dattam abhayaṃ mayā), exact.

Verse 24 (13.179.24)

धनं धान्यं प्रियान्दारान्यानं वासस्तथाऽद्भुतम् । श्रियं दृष्ट्वा मनुष्याणामसूयामि निरर्थकम् ॥

dhanaṃ dhānyaṃ priyāndārānyānaṃ vāsastathā'dbhutam | śriyaṃ dṛṣṭvā manuṣyāṇāmasūyāmi nirarthakam

Seeing other men's wealth and grain, their dear wives, their vehicles and splendid clothing, their prosperity, I was jealous for no reason.

Verse 25 (13.179.25)

ईर्ष्युः परसुखं दृष्ट्वा अन्यस्य न बुभूषकः । त्रिवर्गहन्ता चान्येषामात्मकामानुवर्तकः ॥

īrṣyuḥ parasukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā anyasya na bubhūṣakaḥ | trivargahantā cānyeṣāmātmakāmānuvartakaḥ

Envious at the sight of another's happiness, wishing no one else prosperity, destroying others' pursuit of the three aims of life, and ever following only my own desires,

Verse 26 (13.179.26)

नृशंसगुणभूयिष्ठं पुरा कर्म कृतं मया । स्मृत्वा तदनुतप्येऽहं हित्वा प्रियमिवात्मजम् ॥

nṛśaṃsaguṇabhūyiṣṭhaṃ purā karma kṛtaṃ mayā | smṛtvā tadanutapye'haṃ hitvā priyamivātmajam

Long ago I did deeds full of cruelty; remembering them, I am tormented, as one is who has given up a dear child.

Verse 27 (13.179.27)

शुभानां नाभिजानामि कृतानां कर्मणां फलम् । माता च पूजिता वृद्धा ब्राह्मणश्चार्चितो मया ॥

śubhānāṃ nābhijānāmi kṛtānāṃ karmaṇāṃ phalam | mātā ca pūjitā vṛddhā brāhmaṇaścārcito mayā

I do not know the fruit of the good deeds I have done; yet I honoured my aged mother, and a brahmin was honoured by me.

Note on the text: Wikisource 'शुभानां नाभिजानामि' (I do not know) against CE 26a 'śubhānām api jānāmi' (I do know); a recension variant, kept.

Verse 28 (13.179.28)

सकृज्जातिगुणोपेतः सङ्गत्या गृहमागतः । अतिथिः पूजितो ब्रह्मंस्तेन मां नाजहात्स्मृतिः ॥

sakṛjjātiguṇopetaḥ saṅgatyā gṛhamāgataḥ | atithiḥ pūjito brahmaṃstena māṃ nājahātsmṛtiḥ

Once a guest of good birth and character came to my house by chance, and he was honoured. Because of that, O brahmin, my memory has not left me.

Verse 29 (13.179.29)

कर्मणामेव चैवाहं सुखाशामिव लक्षये । तच्छ्रोतुमहमिच्छामि त्वत्तः श्रेयस्तपोधन ॥

karmaṇāmeva caivāhaṃ sukhāśāmiva lakṣaye | tacchrotumahamicchāmi tvattaḥ śreyastapodhana

I seem to see, as it were, a hope of happiness arising from deeds alone. I wish to hear from you, O sage rich in austerity, what is best for me.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; = CE 13.118.28 (recension variant: CE 28a 'karmaṇā tena caivāhaṃ sukhāśām iha lakṣaye'; line 2 identical).