The Song of the King of Videha on Giving Up Craving

Verse 1 (12.282.1)

भ्रातरः पितरः पौत्रा ज्ञातयः सुहृदः सुताः । अर्थहेतोर्हताः क्रूरैरस्माभिः पापबुद्धिभिः ॥

bhrātaraḥ pitaraḥ pautrā jñātayaḥ suhṛdaḥ sutāḥ | arthahetorhatāḥ krūrairasmābhiḥ pāpabuddhibhiḥ

“Brothers, fathers, grandsons, kinsmen, friends and sons have been killed for the sake of wealth by us cruel men of sinful mind.

Verse 2 (12.282.2)

येयमर्थोद्भवा तृष्णा कथमेतां पितामह । निवर्तयेयं पापानि तृष्णया कारिता वयम् ॥

yeyamarthodbhavā tṛṣṇā kathametāṃ pitāmaha | nivartayeyaṃ pāpāni tṛṣṇayā kāritā vayam

This craving that is born of wealth: how, grandfather, can I turn it back, and the sins with it? It is craving that made us act.”

Verse 3 (12.282.3)

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । गीतं विदेहराजेन माण्डव्यायानुपृच्छते ॥

atrāpyudāharantīmamitihāsaṃ purātanam | gītaṃ videharājena māṇḍavyāyānupṛcchate

“On this point too they cite this ancient account, a song sung by the king of Videha to Mandavya, who was questioning him.”

Verse 4 (12.282.4)

सुसुखं बत जीवामि यस्य मे नास्ति किंचन । मिथिलायां प्रदीप्तायां न मे दह्यति किंचन ॥

susukhaṃ bata jīvāmi yasya me nāsti kiṃcana | mithilāyāṃ pradīptāyāṃ na me dahyati kiṃcana

“I live very happily indeed, for I own nothing at all. While Mithila is in flames, nothing of mine is burning.

Note on the text: Speaker set to the king of Videha (the page prints no heading for the song, and Wikisource's carried-over speaker is Bhishma): verse 3 introduces the song "sung by the king of Videha to Mandavya", and verses 4 to 13 are that song in the first person; verse 14 returns to Bhishma's narration.

Verse 5 (12.282.5)

अर्थाः खलु समृद्धा हि गाढं दुःखं विजानताम् । असमृद्धास्त्वपि सदा मोहयन्त्यविचक्षणान् ॥

arthāḥ khalu samṛddhā hi gāḍhaṃ duḥkhaṃ vijānatām | asamṛddhāstvapi sadā mohayantyavicakṣaṇān

Riches, when abundant, bring deep pain to those who understand; and when scant, they always bewilder the unwise.

Verse 6 (12.282.6)

यच्च कामसुखं लोके यच्च दिव्यं महत्सुखम् । तृष्णाक्षयसुखस्यैते नार्हतः षोडशीं कलाम् ॥

yacca kāmasukhaṃ loke yacca divyaṃ mahatsukham | tṛṣṇākṣayasukhasyaite nārhataḥ ṣoḍaśīṃ kalām

Whatever pleasure of desire there is in the world, and whatever great heavenly pleasure, these are not worth a sixteenth part of the happiness of the end of craving.

Verse 7 (12.282.7)

यथैव शृङ्गं गोः काले वर्धमानस्य वर्धते । तथैव तृष्णा वित्तेन वर्धमानेन वर्धते ॥

yathaiva śṛṅgaṃ goḥ kāle vardhamānasya vardhate | tathaiva tṛṣṇā vittena vardhamānena vardhate

As a cow's horn grows at its time while the cow grows, so craving grows as wealth grows.

Verse 8 (12.282.8)

किंचिदेव ममत्वेन यदा भवति कल्पितम् । तदेव परितापाय नाशे संपद्यते पुनः ॥

kiṃcideva mamatvena yadā bhavati kalpitam | tadeva paritāpāya nāśe saṃpadyate punaḥ

When anything at all has come to be taken as “mine,” that very thing turns to torment when it is lost.

Verse 9 (12.282.9)

न कामाननुरुध्येत दुःखं कामेषु वै रतिः । प्राप्यार्थमुपयुञ्जीत धर्मं कामान्विवर्जयेत् ॥

na kāmānanurudhyeta duḥkhaṃ kāmeṣu vai ratiḥ | prāpyārthamupayuñjīta dharmaṃ kāmānvivarjayet

One should not follow desires; delight in desires is pain. Having gained wealth, one should use it for dharma, and shun desires.

Verse 10 (12.282.10)

विद्वान्सर्वेषु भूतेषु व्याघ्रमांसोपमो भवेत् । कृतकृत्यो विशुद्धात्मा सर्वं त्यजति वै स्वयम् ॥

vidvānsarveṣu bhūteṣu vyāghramāṃsopamo bhavet | kṛtakṛtyo viśuddhātmā sarvaṃ tyajati vai svayam

The wise man should be like the flesh of a tiger among all beings. His task done, his self purified, he gives up everything of his own accord.

Note on the text: Corrected ज्यजति → त्यजति (misprint in Wikisource; ज for त, the CE reads tyajati).

Verse 11 (12.282.11)

उभे सत्यानृते त्यक्त्वा शोकानन्दौ प्रियाप्रिये । भयाभये च संत्यज्य भव शान्तो निरामयः ॥

ubhe satyānṛte tyaktvā śokānandau priyāpriye | bhayābhaye ca saṃtyajya bhava śānto nirāmayaḥ

Giving up both truth and falsehood, grief and joy, the pleasant and the unpleasant, and fear and fearlessness, be at peace and free from sickness.

Verse 12 (12.282.12)

या दुस्त्यजा दुर्मतिभिर्या न जीर्यति जीर्यतः । योसौ प्राणान्तिको रोगस्तां तृष्णां त्यजतः सुखं ॥

yā dustyajā durmatibhiryā na jīryati jīryataḥ | yosau prāṇāntiko rogastāṃ tṛṣṇāṃ tyajataḥ sukhaṃ

Craving, hard for the dull-witted to give up, which does not age as the body ages, a sickness that lasts until the breath ends: for one who gives it up there is happiness.

Verse 13 (12.282.13)

चारित्रमात्मनः पश्यंश्चन्द्रशुद्धमनामयम् । धर्मात्मा लभते कीर्ति प्रेत्य चेह यथासुखम् ॥

cāritramātmanaḥ paśyaṃścandraśuddhamanāmayam | dharmātmā labhate kīrti pretya ceha yathāsukham

Seeing his own conduct bright as the moon and free of blemish, the man of dharma gains fame, here and after death, as he pleases.”

Verse 14 (12.282.14)

राज्ञस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रीतिमानभवद्द्विजः । पूजयित्वा च तद्वाक्यं माण्डव्यो मोक्षमाश्रितः ॥

rājñastadvacanaṃ śrutvā prītimānabhavaddvijaḥ | pūjayitvā ca tadvākyaṃ māṇḍavyo mokṣamāśritaḥ

“Hearing the king's words, the brahmin was pleased; and having honoured his words, Mandavya took refuge in liberation.”