Vidura on the Body, Karma and the Round of Rebirth

Verse 1 (11.3.1)

सुभाषितं महाप्राज्ञ शोकोऽयं विगतो मम । भूय एव तु वाक्यानि श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ॥

subhāṣitaṃ mahāprājña śoko'yaṃ vigato mama | bhūya eva tu vākyāni śrotumicchāmi tattvataḥ

By your fine words, O wise one, this grief of mine is gone. I wish to hear still more, in truth.

Note on the text: Corrected सुमाषितं → सुभाषितं (misprint in Wikisource; म for भ; the critical edition reads subhāṣitair, and the page's own gloss reads सुभाषित-). Speaker corrected from the input's misspelling वृतराष्ट्र to धृतराष्ट्र.

Verse 2 (11.3.2)

अनिष्टानां च संसर्गादिष्टानां च निवर्तनात् । कथं हि मानसं दुःखं विप्रयुज्यन्ति पण्डिताः ॥

aniṣṭānāṃ ca saṃsargādiṣṭānāṃ ca nivartanāt | kathaṃ hi mānasaṃ duḥkhaṃ viprayujyanti paṇḍitāḥ

Through contact with the unwelcome and the loss of the welcome, how do the wise free themselves from pain of the mind?

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from the input's misspelling वृतराष्ट्र to धृतराष्ट्र.

Verse 3 (11.3.3)

यतोयतो मनो दुःखात्सुखाद्वा विप्रमुच्यते । ततस्ततः शमं लब्ध्वा सुगतिं विन्दते बुधः ॥

yatoyato mano duḥkhātsukhādvā vipramucyate | tatastataḥ śamaṃ labdhvā sugatiṃ vindate budhaḥ

Whenever the mind is freed from sorrow, or from pleasure, from that time on, finding calm, the wise man attains a good end.

Note on the text: Corrected वतोयतो → यतोयतो (misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads yato yato). Corrected सुखाद्र → सुखाद्वा (misprint in Wikisource; garbled ending; the critical edition reads sukhād vāpi, and the line is a syllable short without the वा). Corrected तवत्तसः शगं → ततस्ततः शमं (misprint in Wikisource; garbled aksharas; the critical edition reads tatas tataḥ śamaṃ).

Verse 4 (11.3.4)

अशाश्वतमिदं सर्वं चिन्त्यमानं नरर्षभ । कदलीसन्निभो लोकः सारो ह्यस्य न विद्यते ॥

aśāśvatamidaṃ sarvaṃ cintyamānaṃ nararṣabha | kadalīsannibho lokaḥ sāro hyasya na vidyate

All this is impermanent, when one reflects on it, O best of men. The world is like a plantain stem, and there is no heartwood in it.

Note on the text: Corrected अशाधतमिदं → अशाश्वतमिदं (misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads aśāśvatam idaṃ).

Verse 5 (11.3.5)

यदा प्राज्ञाश्च मूढाश्च धनवन्तोऽथ निर्धनाः । सर्वे पितृवनं प्राप्य स्वपन्ति विगतज्वराः ॥

yadā prājñāśca mūḍhāśca dhanavanto'tha nirdhanāḥ | sarve pitṛvanaṃ prāpya svapanti vigatajvarāḥ

When the wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor alike have reached the forest of the ancestors, they sleep there, their fever gone.

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki mark [ (not part of the text); the page opens a bracket here and closes it after verse 7. Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it as the star passage 11.3.4d*0012 (lines 01–02).

Verse 6 (11.3.6)

निर्मांसैरस्थिभूयिष्ठैर्गात्रैः स्नायुनिबन्धिभिः । किं विशेषं प्रपश्यन्ति तत्र तेषां परे जनाः ॥

nirmāṃsairasthibhūyiṣṭhairgātraiḥ snāyunibandhibhiḥ | kiṃ viśeṣaṃ prapaśyanti tatra teṣāṃ pare janāḥ

then, with their bodies fleshless, mostly bone, held together by sinews, what difference do other people see among them there,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it as the star passage 11.3.4d*0012 (lines 03–04).

Verse 7 (11.3.7)

येन प्रत्यवगच्छेयुः कुलरूपविशेषणम् । कस्मादन्योन्यमिच्छन्ति विप्रलब्धधियो नराः ॥

yena pratyavagaccheyuḥ kularūpaviśeṣaṇam | kasmādanyonyamicchanti vipralabdhadhiyo narāḥ

by which they could tell family and beauty apart? Why do men, their wits deluded, try to cheat one another?

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki mark ] and a stray ।। (not part of the text) that close the bracket opened in verse 5. Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it as the star passage 11.3.4d*0012 (lines 05–06).

Verse 8 (11.3.8)

गृहाण्येव हि मर्त्यानामाहुर्देहानि पण्डिताः । कालेन विनियुज्यन्ते सत्वमेकं तु शोभनम् ॥

gṛhāṇyeva hi martyānāmāhurdehāni paṇḍitāḥ | kālena viniyujyante satvamekaṃ tu śobhanam

The wise call the bodies of mortals mere houses. In time they are given up; the inner being alone is good.

Verse 9 (11.3.9)

यथा जीर्णमजीर्णं वा वस्त्रं त्यक्त्वा तु पूरुषः । अन्यद्रोचयते वस्त्रमेवं देहाः शरीरिणाम् ॥

yathā jīrṇamajīrṇaṃ vā vastraṃ tyaktvā tu pūruṣaḥ | anyadrocayate vastramevaṃ dehāḥ śarīriṇām

As a man casts off a worn or an unworn garment and takes a liking to another, so it is with the bodies of embodied beings.

Verse 10 (11.3.10)

वैचित्रवीर्य सत्यं हि दुःखं वा यदि वा सुखम् । प्राप्नुवन्तीह भूतानि स्वकृतेनैव कर्मणा ॥

vaicitravīrya satyaṃ hi duḥkhaṃ vā yadi vā sukham | prāpnuvantīha bhūtāni svakṛtenaiva karmaṇā

Truly, O son of Vichitravirya, beings here obtain sorrow or happiness by their own deeds alone.

Note on the text: Line 1 is a recension variant of 11.3.7a (the critical edition has vāsaṃ hi for सत्यं हि).

Verse 11 (11.3.11)

कर्मणा प्राप्यते स्वर्गः सुखं दुःखं च भारत । ततो वहति तं भारमवशः स्ववशोऽपि वा ॥

karmaṇā prāpyate svargaḥ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ ca bhārata | tato vahati taṃ bhāramavaśaḥ svavaśo'pi vā

Heaven, happiness and sorrow are obtained by action, O Bharata; and then, willing or unwilling, one carries that burden.

Verse 12 (11.3.12)

यथा च मृन्मयं भाण्डं चक्रारूढं विपद्यते । किञ्चित्प्रक्रियमाणं वा कृतमात्रमथापि वा ॥

yathā ca mṛnmayaṃ bhāṇḍaṃ cakrārūḍhaṃ vipadyate | kiñcitprakriyamāṇaṃ vā kṛtamātramathāpi vā

Just as a clay pot set on the potter's wheel may be ruined, whether while it is still being shaped or just as it is finished,

Verse 13 (11.3.13)

हीनं वाऽप्यवरोप्यं वा अवतीर्णमथापि वा । आर्द्रं वाऽप्यथवा शुष्कं पच्यमानमथापि वा ॥

hīnaṃ vā'pyavaropyaṃ vā avatīrṇamathāpi vā | ārdraṃ vā'pyathavā śuṣkaṃ pacyamānamathāpi vā

whether spoiled, or being set down, or just lifted off; whether wet or dry, or while it is being fired;

Note on the text: A recension variant of 11.3.10 (the critical edition has chinnaṃ vāpy avaropyantam ...).

Verse 14 (11.3.14)

अवतार्यन्तमापाकादुद्धृतं चापि भारत । अथवा परिभुज्यन्तमेवं देहाः शरीरिणाम् ॥

avatāryantamāpākāduddhṛtaṃ cāpi bhārata | athavā paribhujyantamevaṃ dehāḥ śarīriṇām

whether being lowered from the kiln, or taken out of it, O Bharata, or even while in use: so it is with the bodies of embodied beings.

Note on the text: Corrected पाङ्कादुद्धृतं → पाकादुद्धृतं (misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads āpākād uddhṛtaṃ, and the page's own gloss glosses आपाक). Corrected परिभुज्जन्तमेवं → परिभुज्यन्तमेवं (misprint in Wikisource; ज्ज for ज्य; the critical edition reads paribhujyantam).

Verse 15 (11.3.15)

गर्भस्थो वा प्रसूतो वाऽप्यथवा दशरात्रिकः । अर्धमासगतो वाऽपि मासमात्रगतोऽपि वा ॥

garbhastho vā prasūto vā'pyathavā daśarātrikaḥ | ardhamāsagato vā'pi māsamātragato'pi vā

in the womb or newly born, or ten nights old, or half a month, or a month,

Note on the text: A recension variant of 11.3.12a (the critical edition has divasāntaraḥ for दशरात्रिकः).

Verse 16 (11.3.16)

संवत्सरगतो वापि द्विसंवत्सर एव वा । यौवनस्थोऽथ मध्यस्थो वृद्धो वापि विपद्यते ॥

saṃvatsaragato vāpi dvisaṃvatsara eva vā | yauvanastho'tha madhyastho vṛddho vāpi vipadyate

or a year, or two years old, young or middle-aged or old, a being perishes.

Verse 17 (11.3.17)

प्राक्कर्मभिस्तु भूतानि भवन्ति न भवन्ति च । एवं संबर्धिते लोके किमर्थमनुतप्यसे ॥

prākkarmabhistu bhūtāni bhavanti na bhavanti ca | evaṃ saṃbardhite loke kimarthamanutapyase

Beings come to be and cease to be through their earlier deeds. This being how the world goes on, why do you torment yourself?

Note on the text: Corrected भवन्ति नभवन्ति → भवन्ति न भवन्ति (a missing word space in Wikisource).

Verse 18 (11.3.18)

यथा तु सलिलं राजन्क्रीडार्थमनुसञ्चरन् । उन्मज्जेच्च निमज्जेच्च चेष्टते च नराधिप ॥

yathā tu salilaṃ rājankrīḍārthamanusañcaran | unmajjecca nimajjecca ceṣṭate ca narādhipa

As a man who goes about in water for sport, O king, comes up and goes under and struggles,

Verse 19 (11.3.19)

एवं संसारगहने उन्मज्जननिमज्जने । कर्मयोगेन बध्यन्ते क्लिश्यन्ते चाल्पबुद्धयः ॥

evaṃ saṃsāragahane unmajjananimajjane | karmayogena badhyante kliśyante cālpabuddhayaḥ

so, in the dense forest of rebirth, in its rising and sinking, the small-minded are bound and afflicted by the working of their deeds.

Note on the text: A recension variant of 11.3.16a (the critical edition has saṃsāragahanād unmajjananimajjanāt).

Verse 20 (11.3.20)

ये तु प्राज्ञाः स्थिता मध्ये संसारान्तगतैषिणः । समागमज्ञा भूतानां ते यान्ति परमां गतिम् ॥

ye tu prājñāḥ sthitā madhye saṃsārāntagataiṣiṇaḥ | samāgamajñā bhūtānāṃ te yānti paramāṃ gatim

But the wise, who stand in the middle, seeking the end of rebirth, who know how beings meet and part, reach the highest goal.