Knowledge, Own-Nature, and the Ranks of Beings

Verse 1 (12.243.1)

अथ ज्ञानप्लवं धीरो गृहीत्वा शान्तिमात्मनः । उन्मज्जंश्च निमज्जंश्च विद्यामेवाभिसंश्रयेत् ॥

atha jñānaplavaṃ dhīro gṛhītvā śāntimātmanaḥ | unmajjaṃśca nimajjaṃśca vidyāmevābhisaṃśrayet

Then the steadfast man, having taken up the raft of knowledge and the peace of the self, rising and sinking, should take refuge in knowledge alone.

Verse 2 (12.243.2)

किं तज्ज्ञानमथो विद्या यथा निस्तरते द्वयम् । प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो धर्मो निवृत्तिरिति चैव हि ॥

kiṃ tajjñānamatho vidyā yathā nistarate dvayam | pravṛttilakṣaṇo dharmo nivṛttiriti caiva hi

What is that knowledge, and what is that learning, by which both are crossed, the dharma that is marked by action and the dharma of withdrawal from action?

Verse 3 (12.243.3)

यस्तु पश्यन्स्वभावेन विनाभावमचेतनः । पुष्णाति स पुनः सर्वान्प्रज्ञया मुक्तहेतुकः ॥

yastu paśyansvabhāvena vinābhāvamacetanaḥ | puṣṇāti sa punaḥ sarvānprajñayā muktahetukaḥ

The man without discernment who, going by own-nature, sees things as coming into being without any other cause, nourishes everything again by his wisdom, his reasoning released from cause.

Note on the text: The sense of this verse is obscure; CE 12.229.3 reads puṣyate ca punaḥ sarvān, and the footnote variant मुक्तहेतुकान् is not adopted.

Verse 4 (12.243.4)

येषां चैकान्तभावेन स्वभावः कारणं मतम् । दूर्वातृणवृसीका ये ते लभन्ते न किंचन ॥

yeṣāṃ caikāntabhāvena svabhāvaḥ kāraṇaṃ matam | dūrvātṛṇavṛsīkā ye te labhante na kiṃcana

Those who hold, with exclusive conviction, that own-nature is the cause, who are like dūrvā grass, straw and rush-mats, obtain nothing at all.

Note on the text: Line 2 differs from CE 12.229.4c (pūtvā tṛṇabusīkāṃ vai te labhante na kiṃ cana); the page's वृसीका is kept as a valid word (the footnote records the variant पूत्वा तृणमिषीकां वा).

Verse 5 (12.243.5)

ये चैनं पक्षमाश्रित्य निवर्तन्त्यल्पमेधसः । स्वभावं कारणं ज्ञात्वा न श्रेयः प्राप्नुवन्ति ते ॥

ye cainaṃ pakṣamāśritya nivartantyalpamedhasaḥ | svabhāvaṃ kāraṇaṃ jñātvā na śreyaḥ prāpnuvanti te

And those of small intelligence who take up this view and desist from action, knowing own-nature to be the cause, do not attain the highest good.

Note on the text: Corrected येचैनं → ये चैनं (misprint in Wikisource; missing word space).

Verse 6 (12.243.6)

स्वभावो हि विनाशाय मोहकर्ममनोभवः । निरुक्तमेतयोरेतत्स्वभावपरिभावयोः ॥

svabhāvo hi vināśāya mohakarmamanobhavaḥ | niruktametayoretatsvabhāvaparibhāvayoḥ

For own-nature, born of delusion, action and mind, leads to ruin. This is the definition of these two, own-nature and its overcoming.

Verse 7 (12.243.7)

कृष्यादीनीह कर्माणि सस्यसंहरणानि च । प्रज्ञावद्भिः प्रक्लृप्तानि यानासनगृहाणि च ॥

kṛṣyādīnīha karmāṇi sasyasaṃharaṇāni ca | prajñāvadbhiḥ praklṛptāni yānāsanagṛhāṇi ca

Farming and the other works here, the gathering in of the harvest, and vehicles, seats and houses are devised by those who have wisdom.

Verse 8 (12.243.8)

आक्रीडानां गृहाणां च गदानामगदस्य च । प्रज्ञावन्तः प्रवक्तारो ज्ञानवद्भिरनुष्ठिताः ॥

ākrīḍānāṃ gṛhāṇāṃ ca gadānāmagadasya ca | prajñāvantaḥ pravaktāro jñānavadbhiranuṣṭhitāḥ

Of pleasure grounds and houses, of diseases and of their cure, the wise are the teachers, and those who have knowledge carry them out.

Verse 9 (12.243.9)

प्रज्ञा संयोजयत्यर्थैः प्रज्ञा श्रेयोऽधिगच्छति । राजानो भुञ्जते राज्यं प्रज्ञया तुल्यलक्षणाः ॥

prajñā saṃyojayatyarthaiḥ prajñā śreyo'dhigacchati | rājāno bhuñjate rājyaṃ prajñayā tulyalakṣaṇāḥ

Wisdom joins a man with his possessions; wisdom attains the highest good. Kings enjoy their kingdoms through wisdom, though they are alike in outward marks.

Verse 10 (12.243.10)

परावरं तु भूतानां ज्ञानेनैवोपलभ्यते । विद्यया तात सृष्टानां विद्यैवेह परा गतिः ॥

parāvaraṃ tu bhūtānāṃ jñānenaivopalabhyate | vidyayā tāta sṛṣṭānāṃ vidyaiveha parā gatiḥ

The higher and the lower among beings is grasped only by knowledge. Of those created by learning, dear son, learning alone is here the highest goal.

Verse 11 (12.243.11)

भूतानां जन्म सर्वेषां विविधानां चतुर्विधम् । जरायुजाण्डजोद्भिज्जस्वेदजं चोपलक्षयेत् ॥

bhūtānāṃ janma sarveṣāṃ vividhānāṃ caturvidham | jarāyujāṇḍajodbhijjasvedajaṃ copalakṣayet

The birth of all the many kinds of beings is fourfold: one should know it as born of the womb, born of the egg, born of the sprout, and born of sweat.

Verse 12 (12.243.12)

स्थावरेभ्यो विशिष्टानि जङ्गमान्युपधारयेत् । उपपन्नं हि यच्चेष्टा विशिष्येत विशेष्यया ॥

sthāvarebhyo viśiṣṭāni jaṅgamānyupadhārayet | upapannaṃ hi yacceṣṭā viśiṣyeta viśeṣyayā

One should understand the moving to be superior to the unmoving; it stands to reason that what has activity excels what is compared with it.

Verse 13 (12.243.13)

आहुर्द्विबहुपादानि जङ्गमानि द्वयानि तु । बहुपाद्भ्यो विशिष्टानि द्विपादानि बहून्यपि ॥

āhurdvibahupādāni jaṅgamāni dvayāni tu | bahupādbhyo viśiṣṭāni dvipādāni bahūnyapi

They say that moving beings are of two kinds: those with two feet and those with many feet. Of those with many feet, the two-footed, though many, are superior.

Note on the text: Corrected बहुषाद्भ्यो → बहुपाद्भ्यो (misprint in Wikisource; ष printed for प; CE bahupādbhyaḥ).

Verse 14 (12.243.14)

द्विपदानि द्वयान्याहुः पार्थिवानीतराणि च । पार्थिवानि विशिष्टानि तानि ह्यन्नानि भुञ्जते ॥

dvipadāni dvayānyāhuḥ pārthivānītarāṇi ca | pārthivāni viśiṣṭāni tāni hyannāni bhuñjate

The two-footed are of two kinds, they say: those that walk the earth and the others. Those that walk the earth are superior, for they eat cooked food.

Verse 15 (12.243.15)

पार्थिवानि द्वयान्याहुर्मध्यमान्युत्तमानि तु । मध्यमानि विशिष्टानि जातिधर्मोपधारणात् ॥

pārthivāni dvayānyāhurmadhyamānyuttamāni tu | madhyamāni viśiṣṭāni jātidharmopadhāraṇāt

Those that walk the earth, they say, are of two kinds, the middling and the highest. The middling are superior, through their regard for the duties of birth.

Verse 16 (12.243.16)

मध्यमानि द्वयान्याहुर्धर्मज्ञानीतराणि च । धर्मज्ञानि विशिष्टानि कार्याकार्योपधारणात् ॥

madhyamāni dvayānyāhurdharmajñānītarāṇi ca | dharmajñāni viśiṣṭāni kāryākāryopadhāraṇāt

The middling, they say, are of two kinds: those who know dharma and the others. Those who know dharma are superior, from discerning what should and should not be done.

Verse 17 (12.243.17)

धर्मज्ञानि द्वयान्याहुर्वेदज्ञानीतराणि च । वेदज्ञानि विशिष्टानि वेदो ह्येषु प्रतिष्ठितः ॥

dharmajñāni dvayānyāhurvedajñānītarāṇi ca | vedajñāni viśiṣṭāni vedo hyeṣu pratiṣṭhitaḥ

Those who know dharma, they say, are of two kinds: those who know the Veda and the others. Those who know the Veda are superior, for the Veda is established in them.

Verse 18 (12.243.18)

वेदज्ञानि द्वयान्याहुः प्रवक्तॄणीतराणि च । प्रवक्तॄणि विशिष्टानि सर्वधर्मोपधारणात् ॥

vedajñāni dvayānyāhuḥ pravaktṝṇītarāṇi ca | pravaktṝṇi viśiṣṭāni sarvadharmopadhāraṇāt

Those who know the Veda, they say, are of two kinds: expounders and the others. The expounders are superior, from their grasp of all dharma.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रवक्तृणीतराणि → प्रवक्तॄणीतराणि (misprint in Wikisource; short ṛ for long ṝ in the neuter plural; the next line and CE pravaktṝṇītarāṇi have it long).

Verse 19 (12.243.19)

विज्ञायन्ते हि यैर्वेदाः सधर्माः सक्रियाफलाः । सधर्मा निखिला वेदाः प्रवक्तृभ्यो विनिःसृताः ॥

vijñāyante hi yairvedāḥ sadharmāḥ sakriyāphalāḥ | sadharmā nikhilā vedāḥ pravaktṛbhyo viniḥsṛtāḥ

For it is by them that the Vedas are understood, with their duties, their rites and their fruits. All the Vedas, with dharma, have issued forth from the expounders.

Verse 20 (12.243.20)

प्रवक्तॄणि द्वयान्याहुरात्मज्ञानीतराणि च । आत्मज्ञानि विशिष्टानि जन्माजन्मोपधारणात् ॥

pravaktṝṇi dvayānyāhurātmajñānītarāṇi ca | ātmajñāni viśiṣṭāni janmājanmopadhāraṇāt

Expounders, they say, are of two kinds: those who know the Self and the others. Those who know the Self are superior, from their grasp of birth and non-birth.

Verse 21 (12.243.21)

धर्मद्वयं हि यो वेद स सर्वज्ञः स सर्ववित् । सत्याशीः सत्यसंकल्पः सत्यः शुचिरथेश्वरः ॥

dharmadvayaṃ hi yo veda sa sarvajñaḥ sa sarvavit | satyāśīḥ satyasaṃkalpaḥ satyaḥ śuciratheśvaraḥ

He who knows the twofold dharma is all-knowing, he knows everything; his blessings are true, his resolve is true, he is truthful and pure, and moreover a lord.

Note on the text: A vulgate variant of CE 12.229.21 (dharmadvayaṃ hi yo veda sa sarvaḥ sarvadharmavit / sa tyāgī satyasaṃkalpaḥ sa tu kṣāntaḥ sa īśvaraḥ); the two lines differ in wording.

Verse 22 (12.243.22)

धर्मज्ञानप्रतिष्ठं हि तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः । शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातं परे च कृतनिश्चयम् ॥

dharmajñānapratiṣṭhaṃ hi taṃ devā brāhmaṇaṃ viduḥ | śabdabrahmaṇi niṣṇātaṃ pare ca kṛtaniścayam

The gods know him as a brahmin, established in the knowledge of dharma, thoroughly versed in the Word-Brahman, and firm in his resolve about the Supreme.

Verse 23 (12.243.23)

अन्तस्थं च बहिष्ठं च येऽधियज्ञाधिदैवतम् । जानन्ति तान्नमस्यामस्ते देवास्तात ते द्विजाः ॥

antasthaṃ ca bahiṣṭhaṃ ca ye'dhiyajñādhidaivatam | jānanti tānnamasyāmaste devāstāta te dvijāḥ

Those who know the one who is within and without, who presides over sacrifice and over the gods, we bow to them; they are the gods, my son, they are the twice-born.

Verse 24 (12.243.24)

तेषु विश्वमिदं भूतं साग्रं च जगदाहितम् । तेषां माहात्म्यभावस्य सदृशं नास्ति किंचन ॥

teṣu viśvamidaṃ bhūtaṃ sāgraṃ ca jagadāhitam | teṣāṃ māhātmyabhāvasya sadṛśaṃ nāsti kiṃcana

In them this whole creation, and the world with its summit, is set. There is nothing at all that can match the greatness of their being.

Verse 25 (12.243.25)

आद्यन्तनिधनं चैव कर्म चातीत्य सर्वशः । चतुर्विधस्य भूतस्य सर्वस्येशाः स्वयंभुवः ॥

ādyantanidhanaṃ caiva karma cātītya sarvaśaḥ | caturvidhasya bhūtasya sarvasyeśāḥ svayaṃbhuvaḥ

Having gone altogether beyond beginning, end and action, they are the lords of every being of the fourfold kind, born of the Self-existent.