Ignorance and Its Kinship with Greed

Verse 1 (12.157.1)

अनर्थानामधिष्ठानमुक्तो लोभः पितामह । अज्ञानमपि कौरव्य श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ॥

anarthānāmadhiṣṭhānamukto lobhaḥ pitāmaha | ajñānamapi kauravya śrotumicchāmi tattvataḥ

You have said, grandfather, that greed is the foundation of all misfortune. I wish now to hear in truth about ignorance as well, O Kaurava.

Note on the text: Wikisource अज्ञानमपि कौरव्य against CE ajñānam api vai tāta is a variant, kept.

Verse 2 (12.157.2)

करोति पापं योऽज्ञानान्नात्मनो वेत्ति च क्षमम् । द्विषते साधुवृत्तांश्च स लोकस्यैति वाच्यताम् ॥

karoti pāpaṃ yo'jñānānnātmano vetti ca kṣamam | dviṣate sādhuvṛttāṃśca sa lokasyaiti vācyatām

He who does wrong out of ignorance, who does not know what is good for himself, and who hates those of virtuous conduct, becomes an object of the people's censure.

Note on the text: Wikisource द्विषते साधुवृत्तांश्च against CE pradveṣṭi sādhuvṛttāṃś ca is a variant, kept.

Verse 3 (12.157.3)

अज्ञानान्निरयं याति तथाऽज्ञानेन दुर्गतिम् । अज्ञानात्क्लेशमाप्नोति तथाऽऽपत्सु निमज्जति ॥

ajñānānnirayaṃ yāti tathā'jñānena durgatim | ajñānātkleśamāpnoti tathā''patsu nimajjati

Through ignorance a man goes to hell; through ignorance he meets misfortune; through ignorance he gets affliction and sinks in calamities.

Note on the text: Corrected तथा ज्ञानेन → तथाऽज्ञानेन (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha, which reverses the sense to "by knowledge, misfortune"; the critical edition reads tathājñānena durgatim).

Verse 4 (12.157.4)

प्रजानामप्रवृत्तिं च ज्ञानवृद्धिक्षयोदयान् । मूलं स्थानं गतिं कालं कारणं हेतुमेव च ॥

prajānāmapravṛttiṃ ca jñānavṛddhikṣayodayān | mūlaṃ sthānaṃ gatiṃ kālaṃ kāraṇaṃ hetumeva ca

Tell me of the failure of people to act, of the growth, decline and rise of knowledge, and of its root, its seat, its course, its time, its cause and its reason.

Note on the text: Wikisource प्रजानामप्रवृत्तिं (the page's footnote gives the variant अज्ञानस्य प्रवृत्तिं, which is the CE reading ajñānasya pravṛttiṃ) is kept as the base text; Wikisource ज्ञानवृद्धिक्षयोदयान् and मूलं स्थानं against CE vṛddhiṃ kṣayodayau and mūlaṃ yogaṃ are variants.

Verse 5 (12.157.5)

श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वेन यथावदिह पार्थिव । अज्ञानप्रसवं हीदं यद्दुःखमुपलभ्यते ॥

śrotumicchāmi tattvena yathāvadiha pārthiva | ajñānaprasavaṃ hīdaṃ yadduḥkhamupalabhyate

I wish to hear all this truly and fully, O king, because this sorrow that is found here is born of ignorance.

Verse 6 (12.157.6)

रागो द्वेषस्तथा मोहो हर्षः शोकोऽभिमानिता । कामः क्रोधश्च दर्पश्च तन्द्री चालस्यमेव च ॥

rāgo dveṣastathā moho harṣaḥ śoko'bhimānitā | kāmaḥ krodhaśca darpaśca tandrī cālasyameva ca

Attachment, hatred, delusion, joy, grief, conceit, desire, anger, arrogance, drowsiness and sloth,

Verse 7 (12.157.7)

इच्छा द्वेषस्तथा तापः परवृद्ध्युपतापिता । अज्ञानमेतन्निर्दिष्टं पापानां चैव याः क्रियाः ॥

icchā dveṣastathā tāpaḥ paravṛddhyupatāpitā | ajñānametannirdiṣṭaṃ pāpānāṃ caiva yāḥ kriyāḥ

longing, hatred, torment, and distress at another's prosperity: this is called ignorance, and so are all the sinful acts that people do.

Note on the text: Corrected अज्ञानमेन्निर्दिष्टं → अज्ञानमेतन्निर्दिष्टं (misprint in Wikisource; dropped त; the critical edition reads ajñānam etan nirdiṣṭam).

Verse 8 (12.157.8)

एतस्य वा प्रवृत्तेश्च वृद्ध्यादीन्यांश्च पृच्छसि । विस्तरेण महाराज शृणु तच्च विशेषतः ॥

etasya vā pravṛtteśca vṛddhyādīnyāṃśca pṛcchasi | vistareṇa mahārāja śṛṇu tacca viśeṣataḥ

As for its working, its growth and the rest that you ask about, hear that in detail, great king, and in particular.

Note on the text: Wikisource एतस्य वा प्रवृत्तेश्च … महाराज against CE etayā yā pravṛttiś ca … mahābāho is a variant, kept.

Verse 9 (12.157.9)

उभावेतौ समफलौ समदोषौ च भारत । अज्ञानं चातिलोभश्चाप्येवं जानीहि पार्थिव ॥

ubhāvetau samaphalau samadoṣau ca bhārata | ajñānaṃ cātilobhaścāpyevaṃ jānīhi pārthiva

These two have equal fruit and equal fault, O Bharata: know, O king, that ignorance and excessive greed are alike.

Note on the text: Wikisource अज्ञानं चातिलोभश्चाप्येवं जानीहि against CE ajñānaṃ cātilobhaś cāpy ekaṃ jānīhi is a variant, kept.

Verse 10 (12.157.10)

लोभप्रभवमज्ञानं वृद्धं भूयः प्रवर्धते । स्थाने स्थानं क्षयेत्क्षीणमुपैति विविधां गतिम् ॥

lobhaprabhavamajñānaṃ vṛddhaṃ bhūyaḥ pravardhate | sthāne sthānaṃ kṣayetkṣīṇamupaiti vividhāṃ gatim

Ignorance is born of greed, and having grown it grows further; in steadiness it holds steady, when worn down it wears away, and it takes many different courses.

Verse 11 (12.157.11)

मूलं लोभस्य मोहो वै कालात्मगतिरेव च । छिन्ने भिन्ने तथा लोभे कारणं काल एव च ॥

mūlaṃ lobhasya moho vai kālātmagatireva ca | chinne bhinne tathā lobhe kāraṇaṃ kāla eva ca

The root of greed is delusion, together with time and the course of the self. And when greed is cut and split apart, the cause too is time alone.

Note on the text: Removed the square brackets and the stray doubled daṇḍa Wikisource prints around line 2. Wikisource मोहो वै (the page's footnote gives the variant मूलं लोभस्य महतः, which is the CE reading) and छिन्ने भिन्ने (CE chinne 'cchinne) are variants, kept. Lines = CE 12.153.11a, 12.153.11c.

Verse 12 (12.157.12)

तस्याज्ञानाद्धि लोभो हि कामात्मा गतिरेव च । सर्वे दोषास्तथा लोभात्तस्माल्लोभं विवर्जयेत् ॥

tasyājñānāddhi lobho hi kāmātmā gatireva ca | sarve doṣāstathā lobhāttasmāllobhaṃ vivarjayet

From its ignorance comes greed, which is of the nature of desire, and so does its course. All faults come from greed; therefore one should give up greed.

Note on the text: Wikisource तस्याज्ञानाद्धि लोभो हि कामात्मा गतिरेव च against CE tasyājñānāt tu lobho hi lobhād ajñānam eva ca is a variant, kept.

Verse 13 (12.157.13)

जनको युवनाश्वश्च पृषदश्वः प्रसेनजित् । लोभक्षयाद्दिवं प्राप्तास्तथैवान्ये नराधिपाः । छिन्ने छिन्ने तथा लोभे दिवं प्राप्ता जनाधिपाः ॥

janako yuvanāśvaśca pṛṣadaśvaḥ prasenajit | lobhakṣayāddivaṃ prāptāstathaivānye narādhipāḥ | chinne chinne tathā lobhe divaṃ prāptā janādhipāḥ

Janaka, Yuvanashva, Prishadashva and Prasenajit reached heaven by destroying greed, and so did other rulers of men. When greed was cut off again and again, those lords of men attained heaven.

Note on the text: Three-line verse, as on the page (labelled 12-157-13a/b/c). Lines 1-2 = CE 12.153.13a (Wikisource पृषदश्वः against CE vṛṣādarbhiḥ is a variant) and 12.153.13c; line 3 is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the page prints it in backticks as an interpolated line, and the backtick and quote marks and stray double daṇḍa were removed. The alignment found no match.

Verse 14 (12.157.14)

प्रत्यक्षं तु कुरुश्रेष्ठ त्यज लोभमिहात्मना । त्यक्त्वा लोभं सुखी लोके प्रेत्य चेह च मोदते ॥

pratyakṣaṃ tu kuruśreṣṭha tyaja lobhamihātmanā | tyaktvā lobhaṃ sukhī loke pretya ceha ca modate

It is plain to see, best of the Kurus: give up greed here by your own effort. Having given up greed, one is happy in this world, and rejoices here and hereafter.

Note on the text: Wikisource सुखी लोके प्रेत्य चेह च मोदते against CE sukhaṃ loke pretya cānucariṣyasi is a variant (the page's footnote gives the CE reading as a variant), kept.