Asuri Questions Kapila on the Unmanifest and the Manifest

Verse 1 (12.326.1)

अव्यक्तव्यक्ततत्वानां निश्चयं भरतर्षभ । वक्तुमर्हसि कौरव्य देवस्याजस्य या कृतिः ॥

avyaktavyaktatatvānāṃ niścayaṃ bharatarṣabha | vaktumarhasi kauravya devasyājasya yā kṛtiḥ

O best of the Bharatas, scion of the Kurus, you should tell me the settled truth about the unmanifest and the manifest principles, and about what the unborn God has wrought.

Note on the text: Moved the speaker heading "* युधिष्ठिर उवाच" (the asterisk is Wikisource's mark for a passage outside the main text) out of the Sanskrit into the speaker field. Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it only in Appendix I.29A, lines 1–2 (12,308.191d@029A_0001–0002), printed after the speaker line "yudhiṣṭhira uvāca"; the same two lines also stand as the star passage 12.309.1d*0786_01–02. Wikisource 326–328 carry only this Appendix passage (a footnote on the page says these three adhyayas occur only in the Dha. manuscript).

Verse 2 (12.326.2)

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीमं संवादं गुरुशिष्ययोः । कपिलस्यासुरेश्चैव सर्वदुःखविमोक्षणम् ॥

atrāpyudāharantīmaṃ saṃvādaṃ guruśiṣyayoḥ | kapilasyāsureścaiva sarvaduḥkhavimokṣaṇam

On this subject they cite this conversation between a teacher and his pupil, Kapila and Asuri, which frees one from every sorrow.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it only in Appendix I.29A, lines 3–4 (12,308.191d@029A_0003–0004).

Verse 3 (12.326.3)

अव्यक्तव्यक्ततत्वानां निश्चयं बुद्धिनिश्चयम् । भगवन्नमितप्रज्ञ वक्तुमर्हसि मेऽर्थितः ॥

avyaktavyaktatatvānāṃ niścayaṃ buddhiniścayam | bhagavannamitaprajña vaktumarhasi me'rthitaḥ

Revered one of boundless wisdom, since I ask it of you, you should tell me the settled conclusion about the unmanifest and the manifest principles, the conclusion reached by the understanding.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it only in Appendix I.29A, lines 5–6 (12,308.191d@029A_0005–0006). Wikisource heads the speech असुरिरुवाच; the CE (and the page's own summary line) read आसुरि, so the speaker is given as आसुरि. Wikisource मेऽर्थितः against CE me 'rthataḥ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 4 (12.326.4)

किं व्यक्तं किमव्यक्तं किं व्यक्ता । व्यक्तं किमिति तत्वानि । किमाद्यं मध्यमं च तत्वानां । किमध्यात्माधिभूतदैवतं च ॥

kiṃ vyaktaṃ kimavyaktaṃ kiṃ vyaktā | vyaktaṃ kimiti tatvāni | kimādyaṃ madhyamaṃ ca tatvānāṃ | kimadhyātmādhibhūtadaivataṃ ca

What is the manifest, what the unmanifest, what the manifest-unmanifest? What are the principles? What is the first and what the middle of the principles? And what are the personal (adhyatma), the elemental and the divine?

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it only in Appendix I.29A, lines 7–8 (12,308.191d@029A_0007–0008). The first line is corrupt in Wikisource (किं व्यक्ता / व्यक्तं किमिति, where the CE has kiṃ vyaktāvyaktataram | kati tattvāni); kept as printed and rendered by the sense of the CE. The wording is not Sanskrit verse; the page prints it as four short lines.

Verse 5 (12.326.5)

किंनु सर्गाप्ययं कति सर्गाः किं भूतं । किं भविष्यं किं भव्यं च किं ज्ञानम् । को ज्ञाता किं बुद्धं किमप्रबुद्धं । किं बुध्यमानं कति पर्वाणि ॥

kiṃnu sargāpyayaṃ kati sargāḥ kiṃ bhūtaṃ | kiṃ bhaviṣyaṃ kiṃ bhavyaṃ ca kiṃ jñānam | ko jñātā kiṃ buddhaṃ kimaprabuddhaṃ | kiṃ budhyamānaṃ kati parvāṇi

What are creation and dissolution? How many creations are there? What is the past, what the future, and what is yet to be? What is knowledge? Who is the knower? What is the awakened, what the unawakened, and what is awakening? How many joints are there?

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it only in Appendix I.29A, lines 9–12 (12,308.191d@029A_0009–0012). The lines run together CE lines 9–11 and the opening of line 12 (kati parvāṇi); Wikisource omits CE "kiṃ jñeyam".

Verse 6 (12.326.6)

कति स्रोतांसि कति कर्मयोनयः । किमेकत्वं नानात्वम् । किं सहवासं निवासं । किं विद्याविद्यमिति ॥

kati srotāṃsi kati karmayonayaḥ | kimekatvaṃ nānātvam | kiṃ sahavāsaṃ nivāsaṃ | kiṃ vidyāvidyamiti

How many streams are there? How many sources of action? What is oneness, what is plurality? What is living together and what is dwelling apart? What is knowledge and what is ignorance?

Note on the text: Removed the stray quote mark and doubled daṇḍa Wikisource prints at the end (विद्याविद्यमिति।।') and restored the verse-end ॥. Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it only in Appendix I.29A, lines 12–13 (12,308.191d@029A_0012–0013). Wikisource निवासं against CE vivāsa is a recension variant, kept.