Vyasa on Effort, Fate and Nature, and the Ages of the Vedas

Verse 1 (12.244.1)

एषा पूर्वतरा वृत्तिर्ब्राह्मणस्य विधीयते । ज्ञानवानेव कर्माणि कुर्वन्सर्वत्र सिद्ध्यति ॥

eṣā pūrvatarā vṛttirbrāhmaṇasya vidhīyate | jñānavāneva karmāṇi kurvansarvatra siddhyati

This is the earlier course laid down for a brahmin: one who performs his acts with knowledge succeeds everywhere.

Note on the text: The alignment matched CE 12.227.29 (eṣā pūrvatarā vṛttir brāhmaṇasya vidhīyate …); the same verse stands at CE 12.230.1 (the opening verse of Vyasa's reply, after the heading vyāsa uvāca), whose reading jñānavān eva karmāṇi kurvan sarvatra sidhyati agrees with Wikisource, so that is the reference given. The page's label 12-244-1x is the speaker heading व्यास उवाच.

Verse 2 (12.244.2)

तत्र चेन्न भवेदेवं संशयः कर्मनिश्चये । किंतु कर्मस्वभावोऽयं ज्ञानं कर्मेति वा पुनः ॥

tatra cenna bhavedevaṃ saṃśayaḥ karmaniścaye | kiṃtu karmasvabhāvo'yaṃ jñānaṃ karmeti vā punaḥ

If it were not so, a doubt would arise in settling the matter of action: is this a matter of the nature of action, or is it knowledge, or is it action once again?

Verse 3 (12.244.3)

तत्र वेदविवित्सायां ज्ञानं चेत्पुरुषं प्रति । उपपत्त्युपलब्धिभ्यां वर्णयिष्यामि तच्छृणु ॥

tatra vedavivitsāyāṃ jñānaṃ cetpuruṣaṃ prati | upapattyupalabdhibhyāṃ varṇayiṣyāmi tacchṛṇu

On that point, if there is a wish to know the Veda, and if knowledge is [what is meant] for the person, I shall set it forth by reasoning and by what is directly known. Listen to it.

Note on the text: Corrected तच्छॄणु → तच्छृणु (misprint in Wikisource; long ॄ for short ṛ; the critical edition reads tac chṛṇu). Wikisource तत्र वेदविवित्सायां against CE tatra ceha vivitsā syāt is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 4 (12.244.4)

पौरुषं कारणं केचिदाहुः कर्मसु मानवाः । दैवमेके प्रशंसन्ति स्वभावमपरे जनाः ॥

pauruṣaṃ kāraṇaṃ kecidāhuḥ karmasu mānavāḥ | daivameke praśaṃsanti svabhāvamapare janāḥ

Some men say that human effort is the cause in actions; some praise fate; and others say that it is nature.

Verse 5 (12.244.5)

पौरुषं कर्म दैवं च फलवृत्तिस्वभावतः । त्रयमेतत्पृथग्भूतमविवेकं तु केचन ॥

pauruṣaṃ karma daivaṃ ca phalavṛttisvabhāvataḥ | trayametatpṛthagbhūtamavivekaṃ tu kecana

Human effort, action and fate, with nature as the way the fruit comes about: some hold that these three are distinct, while others do not distinguish them.

Verse 6 (12.244.6)

एतदेवं च नैवं न च चोभे नानुभे तथा । कर्मस्था विषयं ब्रूयुः सत्वस्थाः समदर्शिनः ॥

etadevaṃ ca naivaṃ na ca cobhe nānubhe tathā | karmasthā viṣayaṃ brūyuḥ satvasthāḥ samadarśinaḥ

"It is so," "it is not so," "both," "neither": so speak, on this matter, those who stand in action. But those who stand in goodness (sattva) look on all alike.

Note on the text: The alignment found no match. Wikisource एतदेवं च नैवं न च चोभे नानुभे तथा । कर्मस्था विषयं ब्रूयुः against CE evam etan na cāpy evam ubhe cāpi na cāpy ubhe / karmasthā viṣamaṃ brūyuḥ (CE 12.230.6) is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 7 (12.244.7)

त्रेतायां द्वापरे चैव कलिजाश्च ससंशयाः । तपस्विनः प्रशान्ताश्च सत्वस्थाश्च कृते युगे ॥

tretāyāṃ dvāpare caiva kalijāśca sasaṃśayāḥ | tapasvinaḥ praśāntāśca satvasthāśca kṛte yuge

In the Treta, in the Dvapara, and among those born in the Kali, men are full of doubt; but in the Krita age they are ascetics, tranquil and established in goodness.

Note on the text: Wikisource has the two lines of CE 12.230.7a and 7c; the CE star line 12.230.7b*0680_01 (tretāyuge vidhis tv eṣa dharmāṇāṃ na kṛte yuge) is not in Wikisource.

Verse 8 (12.244.8)

अपृथग्दर्शनाः सर्वे ऋक्सामसु यजुःषु च । कामद्वेषौ पृथग्दृष्ट्वा तपः कृत उपासते ॥

apṛthagdarśanāḥ sarve ṛksāmasu yajuḥṣu ca | kāmadveṣau pṛthagdṛṣṭvā tapaḥ kṛta upāsate

All of them see no division among the Rik, Saman and Yajus verses; having set desire and aversion apart, they practise austerity in the Krita age.

Note on the text: Corrected कामद्वषौ → कामद्वेषौ (misprint in Wikisource; the e-vowel sign is dropped; the critical edition reads kāmadveṣau).

Verse 9 (12.244.9)

तपोधर्मेण संयुक्तस्तपोनित्यः सुसंशितः । तेन सर्वानवाप्नोति कामान्यान्मनसेच्छति ॥

tapodharmeṇa saṃyuktastaponityaḥ susaṃśitaḥ | tena sarvānavāpnoti kāmānyānmanasecchati

Bound to the law of austerity, ever devoted to austerity and keen in his vows, he gains by it all the desires that he wishes for in his mind.

Verse 10 (12.244.10)

तपसा तदवाप्नोति यद्भूतं सृजते जगत् । तद्भूतश्च ततः सर्वभूतानां भवति प्रभुः ॥

tapasā tadavāpnoti yadbhūtaṃ sṛjate jagat | tadbhūtaśca tataḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ bhavati prabhuḥ

By austerity he reaches that by becoming which one creates the world; having become that, he becomes the lord of all beings.

Note on the text: Wikisource तद्भूतश्च ततः सर्वभूतानां भवति प्रभुः against CE tadbhūtaś ca tataḥ sarvo bhūtānāṃ bhavati prabhuḥ is a recension variant (the page's footnote cites further readings), kept.

Verse 11 (12.244.11)

तदुक्तं वेदवादेषु गहनं वेददर्शिभिः । वेदान्तेषु पुनर्व्यक्तं क्रमयोगेन लक्ष्यते ॥

taduktaṃ vedavādeṣu gahanaṃ vedadarśibhiḥ | vedānteṣu punarvyaktaṃ kramayogena lakṣyate

This is set out in the Vedic discourses, profound, by those who have seen into the Veda; in the Vedanta it is made plain again, and is perceived through the order of the stages.

Verse 12 (12.244.12)

आरम्भयज्ञाः क्षत्राश्च हविर्यज्ञा विशः स्मृताः । परिचारयज्ञाः शूद्राश्च जपयज्ञा द्विजातयः ॥

ārambhayajñāḥ kṣatrāśca haviryajñā viśaḥ smṛtāḥ | paricārayajñāḥ śūdrāśca japayajñā dvijātayaḥ

Sacrifices of enterprise are the kshatriyas', sacrifices of oblation are remembered as the vaishyas', sacrifices of service are the shudras', and sacrifices of recitation belong to the twice-born.

Note on the text: Corrected क्षव्राश्च → क्षत्राश्च (misprint in Wikisource; व for त; not a Sanskrit word; the critical edition reads kṣatrasya, a recension variant of the case, kept as क्षत्राश्च).

Verse 13 (12.244.13)

परिनिष्ठितकार्यो हि स्वाध्यायेन द्विजो भवेत् । कुर्यादन्यन्न वा कुर्यान्मैत्रो ब्राह्मण उच्यते ॥

pariniṣṭhitakāryo hi svādhyāyena dvijo bhavet | kuryādanyanna vā kuryānmaitro brāhmaṇa ucyate

A twice-born man whose duties are fully done becomes [fulfilled] through study of the Veda; whether he does anything further or does not, he is called a brahmin, a friend to all.

Verse 14 (12.244.14)

त्रेतादौ सकला वेदा यज्ञा वर्णाश्रमास्तथा । संरोधादायुषस्त्वेते व्यस्यन्ते द्वापरे युगे ॥

tretādau sakalā vedā yajñā varṇāśramāstathā | saṃrodhādāyuṣastvete vyasyante dvāpare yuge

At the beginning of the Treta the Vedas are whole, and the sacrifices and the orders of class and life are whole; but through the shortening of life these are scattered in the Dvapara age.

Verse 15 (12.244.15)

द्वापरे विप्लवं यान्ति वेदाः कलियुगे तथा । दृश्यन्ते नापि दृश्यन्ते कलेरन्ते पुनः किल ॥

dvāpare viplavaṃ yānti vedāḥ kaliyuge tathā | dṛśyante nāpi dṛśyante kalerante punaḥ kila

In the Dvapara the Vedas fall into confusion, and so in the Kali; they are seen and they are not seen, and at the end of the Kali, they say, they appear again.

Note on the text: Wikisource दृश्यन्ते नापि दृश्यन्ते कलेरन्ते पुनः किल against CE dṛśyante nāpi dṛśyante kaler ante punaḥ punaḥ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 16 (12.244.16)

उत्सीदन्ति स्वधर्माश्च तत्राधर्मेण पीडिताः । गवां भूमेश्च ये चापामोषधीनां च ये रसाः ॥

utsīdanti svadharmāśca tatrādharmeṇa pīḍitāḥ | gavāṃ bhūmeśca ye cāpāmoṣadhīnāṃ ca ye rasāḥ

Each one's own duties decay, oppressed there by unrighteousness; so do those essences that belong to cows, to the earth, to the waters and to the herbs.

Verse 17 (12.244.17)

अधर्मान्तर्हिता वेदा वेदधर्मास्तथाऽऽश्रमाः । विक्रियन्ते स्वधर्माश्च स्थावराणि चराणि च ॥

adharmāntarhitā vedā vedadharmāstathā''śramāḥ | vikriyante svadharmāśca sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca

The Vedas, the duties of the Vedas and the stages of life are hidden away by unrighteousness; one's own duties are distorted, and so are things that stand still and things that move.

Note on the text: Wikisource विक्रियन्ते स्वधर्माश्च against CE vikriyante svadharmasthāḥ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 18 (12.244.18)

यथा सर्वाणि भूतानि वृष्ट्या तृप्यन्ति प्रावृषि । सृजन्ते सर्वतोऽङ्गानि तथा वेदा युगेयुगे ॥

yathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni vṛṣṭyā tṛpyanti prāvṛṣi | sṛjante sarvato'ṅgāni tathā vedā yugeyuge

As all creatures are refreshed by rain in the rainy season and put forth their limbs on every side, so the Vedas are put forth again, age after age.

Note on the text: Corrected वृष्टथा → वृष्ट्या (misprint in Wikisource; the conjunct ष्ट्य is broken and वृष्टथा is not a Sanskrit form; the instrumental of वृष्टि, 'by rain'). Line 1 differs from CE 12.230.18a (yathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni vṛṣṭir bhaumāni varṣati); a recension variant, kept.

Verse 19 (12.244.19)

विहितं कालनानात्वमनादिनिधनं च यत् । कीर्तितं यत्पुरस्तात्ते यतः संयान्ति च प्रजाः ॥

vihitaṃ kālanānātvamanādinidhanaṃ ca yat | kīrtitaṃ yatpurastātte yataḥ saṃyānti ca prajāḥ

The diversity of times that has been ordained, without beginning or end, which was described to you earlier, and from which creatures come and go:

Note on the text: The alignment found no match. Wikisource विहितं कालनानात्वम् … कीर्तितं यत्पुरस्तात्ते यतः संयान्ति च प्रजाः against CE visṛtaṃ kālanānātvam … kīrtitaṃ tat purastān me yataḥ saṃyānti yānti ca (CE 12.230.19) is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 20 (12.244.20)

यच्चेदं प्रभवः स्थानं भूतानां संयमो यमः । स्वभावेनैव वर्तन्ते द्वन्द्वसृष्टानि भूरिशः ॥

yaccedaṃ prabhavaḥ sthānaṃ bhūtānāṃ saṃyamo yamaḥ | svabhāvenaiva vartante dvandvasṛṣṭāni bhūriśaḥ

and this: the origin and the abode of beings, restraint and the controller of all, all go on by their own nature; the many pairs of opposites are brought forth.

Note on the text: Wikisource यच्चेदं प्रभवः स्थानं against CE dhātedaṃ prabhavasthānaṃ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 21 (12.244.21)

सर्गः कालो धृतिर्वेदाः कर्ता कार्यं क्रियाफलम् । एतत्ते कथितं तात यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि ॥

sargaḥ kālo dhṛtirvedāḥ kartā kāryaṃ kriyāphalam | etatte kathitaṃ tāta yanmāṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi

Creation, time, steadfastness, the Vedas, the doer, the deed and the fruit of action: this I have told you, my child, in answer to what you asked me.