Vayu Rebukes Arjuna and Praises the Brahmins

Verse 1 (13.258.1)

शृणु मूढ गुणान्कांश्चिद्ब्राह्मणानां महात्मनाम् । ये त्वया कीर्तिता राजंस्तेभ्योऽथ ब्राह्मणो वरः ॥

śṛṇu mūḍha guṇānkāṃścidbrāhmaṇānāṃ mahātmanām | ye tvayā kīrtitā rājaṃstebhyo'tha brāhmaṇo varaḥ

“Listen, fool, to some of the virtues of the great-souled brahmins. Of all those you have praised, O king, the brahmin is the best.”

Verse 2 (13.258.2)

त्यक्त्वा महीत्वं भूमिस्तु स्पर्धया काश्यपस्य ह । नाशं जगाम तां विप्रो व्यस्तम्भयत कश्यपः ॥

tyaktvā mahītvaṃ bhūmistu spardhayā kāśyapasya ha | nāśaṃ jagāma tāṃ vipro vyastambhayata kaśyapaḥ

“Out of rivalry with Kashyapa, the Earth gave up her earthhood and went toward ruin; but the brahmin Kashyapa held her firm.”

Note on the text: Corrected व्यस्तम्ययत → व्यस्तम्भयत (dropped भ; CE 13.138.2c vyaṣṭambhayata; misprint in Wikisource). Line 1 is a recension variant of CE 13.138.2a (CE: spardhayāṅganṛpasya, 'out of rivalry with King Anga'); the Wikisource reading is kept.

Verse 3 (13.258.3)

अक्षया ब्राह्मणा राजन्दिवि चेह च नित्यदा । अपिबत्तेजसा ह्यापः स्वयमेवाङ्गिराः पुरा ॥

akṣayā brāhmaṇā rājandivi ceha ca nityadā | apibattejasā hyāpaḥ svayamevāṅgirāḥ purā

“Brahmins, O king, are imperishable, always, in heaven and here. In the past Angiras, by his own radiance, drank up the waters himself.”

Verse 4 (13.258.4)

स ताः पिबञ्क्षीरमिव नातृप्यत महातपाः । अपूरयन्महौघेन महीं सर्वां च पार्थिव ॥

sa tāḥ pibañkṣīramiva nātṛpyata mahātapāḥ | apūrayanmahaughena mahīṃ sarvāṃ ca pārthiva

“Drinking them as one drinks milk, that great ascetic was not satisfied, and he filled the whole earth with a mighty flood, O king.”

Note on the text: Corrected शीरमिव → क्षीरमिव (dropped conjunct; CE kṣīram iva; misprint in Wikisource).

Verse 5 (13.258.5)

तस्मिन्नहं च क्रुद्धे वै जगत्त्यक्त्वा ततो भयात् । व्यतिष्ठमग्निहोत्रे च चिरमङ्गिरसो भयात् ॥

tasminnahaṃ ca kruddhe vai jagattyaktvā tato bhayāt | vyatiṣṭhamagnihotre ca ciramaṅgiraso bhayāt

“When he was angry, I too, in fear, left the world, and for a long time I stayed in the agnihotra out of fear of Angiras.”

Note on the text: Line 1 differs from CE 13.138.5a (CE: tato gataḥ, 'then went away'); a recension variant, kept.

Verse 6 (13.258.6)

अथ शप्तश्च भगवान्गौतमेन पुरंदरः । अहल्यां कामयानो वै धर्मार्थं च न हिंसितः ॥

atha śaptaśca bhagavāngautamena puraṃdaraḥ | ahalyāṃ kāmayāno vai dharmārthaṃ ca na hiṃsitaḥ

“And the blessed Indra, the city-destroyer, was cursed by Gautama for desiring Ahalya; yet he was not killed, for the sake of dharma.”

Verse 7 (13.258.7)

तथा समुद्रो नृपते पूर्णो दृष्टश्च वारिणा । ब्राह्मणैरभिशप्तश्च बभूव लवणोदकः ॥

tathā samudro nṛpate pūrṇo dṛṣṭaśca vāriṇā | brāhmaṇairabhiśaptaśca babhūva lavaṇodakaḥ

“So too the ocean, O lord of men, was seen brimming with water; cursed by brahmins, it became salt-watered.”

Note on the text: Recension variant of CE 13.138.7 (CE: pūrṇo mṛṣṭena vāriṇā, 'full of sweet water'; brāhmaṇair abhiśaptaḥ saṃl lavaṇodaḥ kṛto vibho); the Wikisource reading is kept.

Verse 8 (13.258.8)

सुवर्णवर्णो निर्धूमः सङ्गतोर्ध्वशिखः कविः । क्रुद्धेनाङ्गिरसा शप्तो गुणैरेतैर्विवर्जितः ॥

suvarṇavarṇo nirdhūmaḥ saṅgatordhvaśikhaḥ kaviḥ | kruddhenāṅgirasā śapto guṇairetairvivarjitaḥ

“The wise one (Fire), golden in colour, smokeless, his flame drawn together and rising upward, was cursed by the angry Angiras and was robbed of these qualities.”

Verse 9 (13.258.9)

महतश्चूर्णितान्पश्य ये हासन्त महोदधिम् । सुवर्णधारिणा नित्यमवशप्ता द्विजातिना ॥

mahataścūrṇitānpaśya ye hāsanta mahodadhim | suvarṇadhāriṇā nityamavaśaptā dvijātinā

“See how the great ones who dwelt by the great ocean were ground to dust—ever cursed by a gold-bearing twice-born.”

Note on the text: Corrected सुवर्णिधारिणा → सुवर्णधारिणा (spurious ि; CE suvarṇadhāriṇā; misprint in Wikisource). Line 1 differs from CE 13.138.9a (CE: marutaś cūrṇitān paśya ye 'hasanta mahodadhim, 'the Maruts … who mocked the great ocean'); the Wikisource reading is kept and read with the commentary ('those who attended on the great ocean', the sons of Sagara).

Verse 10 (13.258.10)

सम्मतत्वं द्विजातिभ्यः श्रेष्ठं विद्धि नराधिप । गर्भस्थान्ब्राह्मणाञ्शश्वन्नमस्यति किल प्रभुः ॥

sammatatvaṃ dvijātibhyaḥ śreṣṭhaṃ viddhi narādhipa | garbhasthānbrāhmaṇāñśaśvannamasyati kila prabhuḥ

“Know, O lord of men, that to be held in esteem by the twice-born is the best thing; for it is said that the Lord himself ever bows to brahmins even as they lie in the womb.”

Note on the text: Line 1 is a recension variant of CE 13.138.10a (CE: samo na tvaṃ dvijātibhyaḥ śreṣṭhaṃ viddhi narādhipa, 'you are not equal to the twice-born; know the best'); the Wikisource reading is kept.

Verse 11 (13.258.11)

दण्डकानां महद्राज्यं ब्राह्मणेन विनाशितम् । तालजङ्घं महाक्षत्रमौर्वेणैकेन नाशितम् ॥

daṇḍakānāṃ mahadrājyaṃ brāhmaṇena vināśitam | tālajaṅghaṃ mahākṣatramaurveṇaikena nāśitam

“The great kingdom of the Dandakas was destroyed by a brahmin; the great warrior power of the Talajanghas was destroyed by Aurva alone.”

Verse 12 (13.258.12)

त्वया च विपुलं राज्यं बलं धर्मं श्रुतं तथा । दत्तात्रेयप्रसादेन प्राप्तं परमदुर्लभम् ॥

tvayā ca vipulaṃ rājyaṃ balaṃ dharmaṃ śrutaṃ tathā | dattātreyaprasādena prāptaṃ paramadurlabham

“The vast kingdom, the strength, the dharma and the learning you have won—so hard to obtain—you got by the grace of Dattatreya.”

Note on the text: Corrected प्रप्तं → प्राप्तं (dropped ā; CE prāptaṃ; misprint in Wikisource).

Verse 13 (13.258.13)

अग्निं त्वं यजसे नित्यं कस्माद्ब्राह्मणमर्जुन । स हि सर्वस्य लोकस्य हव्यवाट् किं न वेत्सि तम् ॥

agniṃ tvaṃ yajase nityaṃ kasmādbrāhmaṇamarjuna | sa hi sarvasya lokasya havyavāṭ kiṃ na vetsi tam

“Why, Arjuna, do you ever sacrifice to Agni, the brahmin? He is the bearer of oblations for the whole world; do you not know him?”

Note on the text: Corrected कस्माद्ब्राह्मणमर्जन → कस्माद्ब्राह्मणमर्जुन (dropped ु; CE arjuna; misprint in Wikisource).

Verse 14 (13.258.14)

अथवा ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठमनुभूतानुपालकम् । कर्तारं जीवलोकस्य कस्माज्जानन्विमुह्यसे ॥

athavā brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhamanubhūtānupālakam | kartāraṃ jīvalokasya kasmājjānanvimuhyase

“Or, knowing him—the best of brahmins, the protector of beings, the maker of the world of the living—why are you so deluded?”

Note on the text: Corrected जवलोकस्य → जीवलोकस्य (CE jīvalokasya; misprint in Wikisource).

Verse 15 (13.258.15)

तथा प्रजापतिर्ब्रह्मा अव्यक्तप्रभवोऽव्ययः । येनेदं विपुलं विश्वं जनितं स्थावरं चरम् ॥

tathā prajāpatirbrahmā avyaktaprabhavo'vyayaḥ | yenedaṃ vipulaṃ viśvaṃ janitaṃ sthāvaraṃ caram

“So too Prajapati Brahma, whose origin is unmanifest and who is imperishable, by whom this whole vast universe, moving and unmoving, was brought forth.”

Note on the text: Corrected ब्राह्मा → ब्रह्मा (CE brahmā; misprint in Wikisource). Recension variant of CE 13.138.15 (CE: avyaktaḥ prabhavāpyayaḥ; yenedaṃ nikhilaṃ viśvaṃ); the Wikisource reading is kept.

Verse 16 (13.258.16)

अण्डजातं तु ब्रह्माणं केचिदिच्छन्त्यपण्डिताः । अण्डाद्भिन्नाद्बभुः शैला दिशोऽम्भः पृथिवी दिवम् ॥

aṇḍajātaṃ tu brahmāṇaṃ kecidicchantyapaṇḍitāḥ | aṇḍādbhinnādbabhuḥ śailā diśo'mbhaḥ pṛthivī divam

“Some unwise people hold that Brahma was born from an egg: from the split egg came the mountains, the quarters, water, earth and sky.”

Note on the text: Corrected केचिदिच्छिन्त्यपण्डिताः → केचिदिच्छन्त्यपण्डिताः (CE icchanty apaṇḍitāḥ; misprint in Wikisource). Corrected दिशोंऽभः → दिशोऽम्भः (spurious anusvara; CE diśo 'mbhaḥ; misprint in Wikisource).

Verse 17 (13.258.17)

दृष्टवानेतदेवं हि कथं जायेदजो हि सः । स्थानमाकाशमण्डं तु यस्माज्जातः पितामहः ॥

dṛṣṭavānetadevaṃ hi kathaṃ jāyedajo hi saḥ | sthānamākāśamaṇḍaṃ tu yasmājjātaḥ pitāmahaḥ

“If one has seen it to be so, how could he be born, when he is unborn? The sky-egg is his abode, out of which the Grandsire was born.”

Note on the text: Recension variant of CE 13.138.17 (CE: draṣṭavyaṃ naitad evaṃ hi kathaṃ jyāyastamo hi saḥ; smṛtam ākāśam aṇḍaṃ tu); the Wikisource reading is kept.

Verse 18 (13.258.18)

तिष्ठेत्कथमिति ब्रूयान्न किञ्चिद्धि तदा भवेत् । अहङ्कार इति प्रोक्तः सर्वतेजोगतः प्रभुः ॥

tiṣṭhetkathamiti brūyānna kiñciddhi tadā bhavet | ahaṅkāra iti proktaḥ sarvatejogataḥ prabhuḥ

“Where could he stand? one might ask; for then nothing existed at all. The Lord who pervades all radiance is called Ahamkara, the sense of ‘I’.”

Note on the text: Line 1 reads ब्रूयात् (CE: brūhi, 'tell me'); a recension variant, kept.

Verse 19 (13.258.19)

नास्त्यण्डमस्ति तु ब्रह्मा स राजा लोकभावनः । इत्युक्तः स तदा तूष्णीमभूद्वायुस्तमब्रवीत् ॥

nāstyaṇḍamasti tu brahmā sa rājā lokabhāvanaḥ | ityuktaḥ sa tadā tūṣṇīmabhūdvāyustamabravīt

“There is no egg; there is Brahma, that king, the maker of the worlds.” Thus addressed, he then fell silent, and Vayu spoke to him again.

Note on the text: Corrected नास्त्यन्तमस्ति → नास्त्यण्डमस्ति (CE nāsty aṇḍam asti tu brahmā; the context rejects the egg-origin of Brahma, and न्त for ण्ड is a misprint; misprint in Wikisource). The speaker is Vayu under the page's heading; the closing words, 'Thus addressed, he fell silent; Vayu said to him', are the narrator's. Commentary glosses printed after the colophon (13-258-4 to 13-258-17) are not added.