The Eternal Purusha and the Impermanence of the World

Verse 1 (13.37.1)

सदृशं राजशार्दूल वृत्तस्य च कुलस्य च ॥

sadṛśaṃ rājaśārdūla vṛttasya ca kulasya ca

It is fitting, O tiger among kings, to your conduct and to your family:

Note on the text: Wikisource prints only one line (13-37-1a); the speaker heading भीष्म उवाच and the stray backtick were removed and the heading made the speaker. The line is the first line of the Appendix passage that follows the last line of Wikisource 36.65 (which is Appendix line 0138). Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0139).

Verse 2 (13.37.2)

को राज्यं विपुलं गृह्य स्फीताकारं पुनर्महत् । निर्जितारातिसामन्तं देवराज्योपमं सुखम् ॥

ko rājyaṃ vipulaṃ gṛhya sphītākāraṃ punarmahat | nirjitārātisāmantaṃ devarājyopamaṃ sukham

Who, having taken up a vast kingdom, prosperous in form and great, with its enemies and neighbouring chiefs conquered, a happiness like the realm of the king of the gods,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0140-0141).

Verse 3 (13.37.3)

राज्ये राज्यगुणा ये च तान्व्युदस्य नराधिप । दोषं पश्यति राजेन्द्र देहेऽस्मिन्पाञ्चभौतिके ॥

rājye rājyaguṇā ye ca tānvyudasya narādhipa | doṣaṃ paśyati rājendra dehe'sminpāñcabhautike

would set aside the virtues that belong to a kingdom, O lord of men, and see only fault, O king of kings, in this body made of the five elements?

Note on the text: Wikisource पश्यति against Appendix paśyasi is kept as a variant; the footnote देहेऽस्मिन्पञ्चविंशकः on the page is a variant reading and is not added. Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0142-0143).

Verse 4 (13.37.4)

अतिक्रान्तास्त्वया राजन्वृत्तेन प्रपितामहाः । धर्मो विग्रहवान्धीरो विदुरश्च महायशाः ॥

atikrāntāstvayā rājanvṛttena prapitāmahāḥ | dharmo vigrahavāndhīro viduraśca mahāyaśāḥ

In the course of time, O king, your great-grandfathers have passed away, and so have the steadfast and greatly renowned Vidura, Dharma in bodily form,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0144-0145).

Verse 5 (13.37.5)

सञ्जयश्च महातेजा ये चान्ये दिव्यदर्शनाः । प्रवृत्तज्ञानसम्पन्नास्तत्वज्ञानविदो नृप ॥

sañjayaśca mahātejā ye cānye divyadarśanāḥ | pravṛttajñānasampannāstatvajñānavido nṛpa

and Sanjaya of great splendour, and others of divine sight, endowed with knowledge of how the world proceeds and knowers of the truth of things, O king.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0146-0147).

Verse 6 (13.37.6)

तेऽतिक्रान्ता महाराज ब्रह्माद्याः ससुरासुराः । अनित्यं दुःखसंतप्तं जगदेतन्न संशयः ॥

te'tikrāntā mahārāja brahmādyāḥ sasurāsurāḥ | anityaṃ duḥkhasaṃtaptaṃ jagadetanna saṃśayaḥ

They have passed away, O great king, and so have Brahma and the others with the gods and asuras. This world is impermanent and scorched by sorrow; there is no doubt of it.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0148-0149).

Verse 7 (13.37.7)

एवमेतान्महाबाहो ब्रह्माद्यान्ससुरासुरान् । अनित्यान्सततं पश्य मनुष्यादिषु का कथा ॥

evametānmahābāho brahmādyānsasurāsurān | anityānsatataṃ paśya manuṣyādiṣu kā kathā

See thus, O mighty-armed one, Brahma and the rest with the gods and asuras as ever impermanent; what then need be said of men and the rest?

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0150-0151).

Verse 8 (13.37.8)

नित्यां तु प्रकृतीमाह याऽसौ प्रसवधर्मिणी । अरूपिणीमनिर्देश्यामकृतां पुरुषातिगाम् ॥

nityāṃ tu prakṛtīmāha yā'sau prasavadharmiṇī | arūpiṇīmanirdeśyāmakṛtāṃ puruṣātigām

But they speak of Prakriti as eternal, she who has the nature of bringing forth, formless, indescribable, uncreated, beyond the Purusha.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0152-0153).

Verse 9 (13.37.9)

तामत्यन्तसुखां सौम्यां निर्वाणमिति संज्ञिताम् । आहुर्ब्रह्मर्षयो ह्याद्यां भुवि चैव महर्षयः ॥

tāmatyantasukhāṃ saumyāṃ nirvāṇamiti saṃjñitām | āhurbrahmarṣayo hyādyāṃ bhuvi caiva maharṣayaḥ

Supremely blissful and gentle, she is called nirvana; the Brahmarshis and the great sages on earth speak of her as the primal one.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0154-0155).

Verse 10 (13.37.10)

तया पुरुषरूपिण्या धर्मप्रकृतिकोऽनघ । स यात्येव हि निर्वाणं यत्तत्प्रकृतिसंज्ञितम् ॥

tayā puruṣarūpiṇyā dharmaprakṛtiko'nagha | sa yātyeva hi nirvāṇaṃ yattatprakṛtisaṃjñitam

Through her, who takes the form of the Purusha, the sinless one whose nature is dharma goes surely to nirvana, to that which is called Prakriti.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0156-0157).

Verse 11 (13.37.11)

स एष प्राकृतो धर्मो भ्राजत्यादियुगे नृप । विकारधर्माः शेषेषु युगेषु भरतर्षभ । भ्राजन्तेऽभ्यधिकं वीर संसारपथगोचराः ॥

sa eṣa prākṛto dharmo bhrājatyādiyuge nṛpa | vikāradharmāḥ śeṣeṣu yugeṣu bharatarṣabha | bhrājante'bhyadhikaṃ vīra saṃsārapathagocarāḥ

This natural dharma shines in the first age, O king. In the remaining ages, O best of the Bharatas, the dharmas of change shine the more, O hero, those that range along the path of samsara.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0158-0160).

Verse 12 (13.37.12)

प्रकृतीनां च सर्वासामकृता प्रकृतिः स्मृता । एवं प्रकृतिधर्मा हि वरां प्रकृतिमाश्रिता ॥

prakṛtīnāṃ ca sarvāsāmakṛtā prakṛtiḥ smṛtā | evaṃ prakṛtidharmā hi varāṃ prakṛtimāśritā

Among all the prakritis the uncreated Prakriti is declared to be the highest. Thus those whose nature is dharma, taking refuge in that supreme Prakriti,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0161-0162).

Verse 13 (13.37.13)

पश्यन्ति परमां लोके दृष्टादृष्टानुदर्शिनीम् । सत्वादियुगपर्यन्ते त्रेतायुगसमुद्भवे ॥

paśyanti paramāṃ loke dṛṣṭādṛṣṭānudarśinīm | satvādiyugaparyante tretāyugasamudbhave

behold the highest, which sees both the seen and the unseen, at the end of the age of Sattva, when the Treta age arises.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0163-0164).

Verse 14 (13.37.14)

कामं कामयमानेषु ब्राह्मणेषु तिरोहितः । कुपथेषु तु धर्मेषु प्रादुर्भूतेषु कौरव । जातो मन्दप्रचारो हि धर्मः कलियुगे नृप ॥

kāmaṃ kāmayamāneṣu brāhmaṇeṣu tirohitaḥ | kupatheṣu tu dharmeṣu prādurbhūteṣu kaurava | jāto mandapracāro hi dharmaḥ kaliyuge nṛpa

It lay hidden among brahmins who pursued their desires, and when wrong paths had appeared among the dharmas, O Kaurava, dharma became slow in its course in the Kali age, O king.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0165-0167).

Verse 15 (13.37.15)

नित्यस्तु पुरुषो ज्ञेयो विश्वरूपो निरञ्जनः । ब्रह्माद्या अपि देवाश्च यं सदा पर्युपासते ॥

nityastu puruṣo jñeyo viśvarūpo nirañjanaḥ | brahmādyā api devāśca yaṃ sadā paryupāsate

The Purusha is to be known as eternal, of all forms, stainless, whom Brahma and the other gods ever worship.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0168-0169).

Verse 16 (13.37.16)

तं च नारायणं विद्धि परं ब्रह्मेति शाश्वतम् । तत्कर्म कुरु कायेन ध्यायस्व मनसा च तम् ॥

taṃ ca nārāyaṇaṃ viddhi paraṃ brahmeti śāśvatam | tatkarma kuru kāyena dhyāyasva manasā ca tam

Know him as Narayana, the supreme and eternal Brahman. Do his work with your body and meditate on him with your mind,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0170-0171).

Verse 17 (13.37.17)

कीर्तयस्व च तन्नाम वाचा सर्वत्र भूपते । तत्पदं प्राप्नुहि प्राप्यं शाश्वतं चापुनर्भवम् ॥

kīrtayasva ca tannāma vācā sarvatra bhūpate | tatpadaṃ prāpnuhi prāpyaṃ śāśvataṃ cāpunarbhavam

and proclaim his name everywhere with your voice, O lord of the earth. Reach that state which is to be reached, the eternal one from which there is no rebirth.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0172-0173).

Verse 18 (13.37.18)

इत्येतद्विष्णुमाश्रित्य संसारग्रहमोक्षणम् । कथितं ते महाबाहो किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि ॥

ityetadviṣṇumāśritya saṃsāragrahamokṣaṇam | kathitaṃ te mahābāho kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotumicchasi

Thus, taking refuge in Vishnu, I have told you how to be freed from the grip of samsara, O mighty-armed one. What more do you wish to hear?

Note on the text: Removed the stray quotation mark and doubled danda printed after इच्छसि (page: इच्छसि।।'). In the Appendix this line is followed by the heading yudhiṣṭhiraḥ (it opens adhyaya 38). Not in the critical edition text proper; found as Appendix I, No. 3 (the passage printed after 13.13.6d, lines 13.13.6d@003_0174-0175).