The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge

Verse 1 (bhagavata.11.19.1)

श्रीभगवानुवाच यो विद्याश्रुतसम्पन्नः आत्मवान् नानुमानिकः । मायामात्रमिदं ज्ञात्वा ज्ञानं च मयि सन्न्यसेत् ॥ 19.1 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca yo vidyā-śruta-sampannaḥ ātmavān nānumānikaḥ māyā-mātram idaṁ jñātvā jñānaṁ ca mayi sannyaset

Shri Bhagavan said: One who is endowed with learning and scriptural knowledge, who is self-possessed and not a mere speculator, having known this universe to be nothing but maya, should surrender that knowledge itself unto me.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.11.19.2)

ज्ञानिनस्त्वहमेवेष्टः स्वार्थो हेतुश्च सम्मतः । स्वर्गश्चैवापवर्गश्च नान्योऽर्थो मदृते प्रियः ॥ 19.2 ॥

jñāninas tv aham eveṣṭaḥ svārtho hetuś ca sammataḥ svargaś caivāpavargaś ca nānyo ’rtho mad-ṛte priyaḥ

For the man of knowledge, I alone am the desired object, his true self-interest and the cause of both heaven and liberation; there is no other object dear to him besides me.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.11.19.3)

ज्ञानविज्ञानसंसिद्धाः पदं श्रेष्ठं विदुर्मम । ज्ञानी प्रियतमोऽतो मे ज्ञानेनासौ बिभर्ति माम् ॥ 19.3 ॥

jñāna-vijñāna-saṁsiddhāḥ padaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ vidur mama jñānī priyatamo ’to me jñānenāsau bibharti mām

Those perfected through knowledge and realization know my supreme abode; therefore the man of knowledge is most dear to me, and by his knowledge he sustains me.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.11.19.4)

तपस्तीर्थं जपो दानं पवित्राणीतराणि च । नालं कुर्वन्ति तां सिद्धिं या ज्ञानकलया कृता ॥ 19.4 ॥

tapas tīrthaṁ japo dānaṁ pavitrāṇītarāṇi ca nālaṁ kurvanti tāṁ siddhiṁ yā jñāna-kalayā kṛtā

Austerity, pilgrimage, japa, charity and other purifying acts are not sufficient to produce that perfection which is accomplished by even a fragment of knowledge.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.11.19.5)

तस्माज्ज्ञानेन सहितं ज्ञात्वा स्वात्मानमुद्धव । ज्ञानविज्ञानसम्पन्नो भज मां भक्तिभावतः ॥ 19.5 ॥

tasmāj jñānena sahitaṁ jñātvā svātmānam uddhava jñāna-vijñāna-sampanno bhaja māṁ bhakti-bhāvataḥ

Therefore, Uddhava, having known your own self together with knowledge, and being endowed with knowledge and realization, worship me in the mood of devotion.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.11.19.6)

ज्ञानविज्ञानयज्ञेन मामिष्ट्वात्मानमात्मनि । सर्वयज्ञपतिं मां वै संसिद्धिं मुनयोऽगमन् ॥ 19.6 ॥

jñāna-vijñāna-yajñena mām iṣṭvātmānam ātmani sarva-yajña-patiṁ māṁ vai saṁsiddhiṁ munayo ’gaman

Through the sacrifice of knowledge and realization, worshiping me — the self within the self, the lord of all sacrifice — the sages attained perfection.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.11.19.7)

त्वय्युद्धवाश्रयति यस्त्रिविधो विकारो मायान्तरापतति नाद्यपवर्गयोर्यत् । जन्मादयोऽस्य यदमी तव तस्य किं स्यु- राद्यन्तयोर्यदसतोऽस्ति तदेव मध्ये ॥ 19.7 ॥

tvayy uddhavāśrayati yas tri-vidho vikāro māyāntarāpatati nādy-apavargayor yat janmādayo ’sya yad amī tava tasya kiṁ syur ādy-antayor yad asato ’sti tad eva madhye

Uddhava, the threefold transformation [of body, mind and senses] that seems to rest upon you falls only within the interval of maya, having no place at its beginning or end. Its states — birth and the rest — how could they belong to you, the self? What does not exist at the beginning or the end does not truly exist in the middle either.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.11.19.8)

श्रीउद्धव उवाच ज्ञानं विशुद्धं विपुलं यथैत- द्वैराग्यविज्ञानयुतं पुराणम् । आख्याहि विश्वेश्वर विश्वमूर्ते त्वद्भक्तियोगं च महद्विमृग्यम् ॥ 19.8 ॥

śrī-uddhava uvāca jñānaṁ viśuddhaṁ vipulaṁ yathaitad vairāgya-vijñāna-yutaṁ purāṇam ākhyāhi viśveśvara viśva-mūrte tvad-bhakti-yogaṁ ca mahad-vimṛgyam

Shri Uddhava said: O lord of the universe, O form of the universe, please tell me of that pure and vast ancient knowledge joined with detachment and realization, and also of that yoga of devotion to you which the great ones seek.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.11.19.9)

तापत्रयेणाभिहतस्य घोरे सन्तप्यमानस्य भवाध्वनीश । पश्यामि नान्यच्छरणं तवाङ्घ्रि- द्वन्द्वातपत्रादमृताभिवर्षात् ॥ 19.9 ॥

tāpa-trayeṇābhihatasya ghore santapyamānasya bhavādhvanīśa paśyāmi nānyac charaṇaṁ tavāṅghri- dvandvātapatrād amṛtābhivarṣāt

O lord of the terrible path of birth and death, for one struck and burning under the threefold suffering, I see no other shelter than the umbrella of your two feet, which shower down nectar.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.11.19.10)

दष्टं जनं सम्पतितं बिलेऽस्मिन् कालाहिना क्षुद्रसुखोरुतर्षम् । समुद्धरैनं कृपयापवर्ग्यै- र्वचोभिरासिञ्च महानुभाव ॥ 19.10 ॥

daṣṭaṁ janaṁ sampatitaṁ bile ’smin kālāhinā kṣudra-sukhoru-tarṣam samuddharainaṁ kṛpayāpavargyair vacobhir āsiñca mahānubhāva

O great one, uplift this person who has fallen into this pit, bitten by the serpent of time, yet still craving intensely for petty pleasures; mercifully sprinkle me with your words that lead to liberation.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.11.19.11)

श्रीभगवानुवाच इत्थमेतत् पुरा राजा भीष्मं धर्मभृतां वरम् । अजातशत्रुः पप्रच्छ सर्वेषां नोऽनुशृण्वताम् ॥ 19.11 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca ittham etat purā rājā bhīṣmaṁ dharma-bhṛtāṁ varam ajāta-śatruḥ papraccha sarveṣāṁ no ’nuśṛṇvatām

Shri Bhagavan said: Long ago, King Ajatashatru [Yudhishthira] asked this very thing of Bhishma, the foremost upholder of dharma, while all of us were listening.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.11.19.12)

निवृत्ते भारते युद्धे सुहृन्निधनविह्वलः । श्रुत्वा धर्मान् बहून् पश्चान्मोक्षधर्मानपृच्छत ॥ 19.12 ॥

nivṛtte bhārate yuddhe suhṛn-nidhana-vihvalaḥ śrutvā dharmān bahūn paścān mokṣa-dharmān apṛcchata

When the Bharata war had ended, overwhelmed by grief at the death of his kinsmen, he listened to many teachings on dharma, and finally asked about the dharma of liberation.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.11.19.13)

तानहं तेऽभिधास्यामि देवव्रतमुखाच्छ्रुतान् । ज्ञानवैराग्यविज्ञानश्रद्धाभक्त्युपबृंहितान् ॥ 19.13 ॥

tān ahaṁ te ’bhidhāsyāmi deva-vrata-mukhāc chrutān jñāna-vairāgya-vijñāna- śraddhā-bhakty-upabṛṁhitān

I shall now tell you those teachings, heard from the mouth of Devavrata [Bhishma], enriched with knowledge, detachment, realization, faith and devotion.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.11.19.14)

नवैकादश पञ्च त्रीन् भावान् भूतेषु येन वै । ईक्षेताथैकमप्येषु तज्ज्ञानं मम निश्चितम् ॥ 19.14 ॥

navaikādaśa pañca trīn bhāvān bhūteṣu yena vai īkṣetāthaikam apy eṣu taj jñānaṁ mama niścitam

That by which one perceives, in all beings, the nine, the eleven, the five and the three principles, and then perceives the one alone within them — that, in my firm view, is knowledge.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.11.19.15)

एतदेव हि विज्ञानं न तथैकेन येन यत् । स्थित्युत्पत्त्यप्ययान् पश्येद् भावानां त्रिगुणात्मनाम् ॥ 19.15 ॥

etad eva hi vijñānaṁ na tathaikena yena yat sthity-utpatty-apyayān paśyed bhāvānāṁ tri-guṇātmanām

This alone is true realization — not that by which one merely sees, separately, the arising, persistence and dissolution of states composed of the three modes, but rather that by which one sees them all through the one self.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.11.19.16)

आदावन्ते च मध्ये च सृज्यात् सृज्यं यदन्वियात् । पुनस्तत्प्रतिसङ्क्रामे यच्छिष्येत तदेव सत् ॥ 19.16 ॥

ādāv ante ca madhye ca sṛjyāt sṛjyaṁ yad anviyāt punas tat-pratisaṅkrāme yac chiṣyeta tad eva sat

That which follows from one created thing to the next, at the beginning, middle and end, and which alone remains when all of them dissolve again — that alone is real.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.11.19.17)

श्रुतिः प्रत्यक्षमैतिह्यमनुमानं चतुष्टयम् । प्रमाणेष्वनवस्थानाद् विकल्पात् स विरज्यते ॥ 19.17 ॥

śrutiḥ pratyakṣam aitihyam anumānaṁ catuṣṭayam pramāṇeṣv anavasthānād vikalpāt sa virajyate

Scripture, direct perception, tradition and inference are the four means of knowledge; seeing that even these means themselves lack fixed footing, one grows detached from this web of dualistic reasoning.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.11.19.18)

कर्मणां परिणामित्वादाविरिञ्च्यादमङ्गलम् । विपश्चिन्नश्वरं पश्येददृष्टमपि दृष्टवत् ॥ 19.18 ॥

karmaṇāṁ pariṇāmitvād ā-viriñcyād amaṅgalam vipaścin naśvaraṁ paśyed adṛṣṭam api dṛṣṭa-vat

Since all fruits of action are subject to change, everything up to the abode of Brahma is inauspicious; the wise should see even the unseen future as perishable, just as they see what has already been seen.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.11.19.19)

भक्तियोगः पुरैवोक्तः प्रीयमाणाय तेऽनघ । पुनश्च कथयिष्यामि मद्भक्तेः कारणं परं ॥ 19.19 ॥

bhakti-yogaḥ puraivoktaḥ prīyamāṇāya te ’nagha punaś ca kathayiṣyāmi mad-bhakteḥ kāraṇaṁ paraṁ

O sinless one, since it pleases you, I have already spoken of bhakti-yoga; I shall now speak again of the supreme cause of devotion to me.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.11.19.20)

श्रद्धामृतकथायां मे शश्वन्मदनुकीर्तनम् । परिनिष्ठा च पूजायां स्तुतिभिः स्तवनं मम ॥ 19.20 ॥

śraddhāmṛta-kathāyāṁ me śaśvan mad-anukīrtanam pariniṣṭhā ca pūjāyāṁ stutibhiḥ stavanaṁ mama

Firm faith in the nectar-like accounts of me, constant chanting of my glories, steadfast devotion to my worship, and praising me with hymns —

Verse 21 (bhagavata.11.19.21)

आदरः परिचर्यायां सर्वाङ्गैरभिवन्दनम् । मद्भक्तपूजाभ्यधिका सर्वभूतेषु मन्मतिः ॥ 19.21 ॥

ādaraḥ paricaryāyāṁ sarvāṅgair abhivandanam mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā sarva-bhūteṣu man-matiḥ

— reverence in my service, prostrating with the whole body, special worship of my devotees, and awareness of my presence in all beings —

Verse 22 (bhagavata.11.19.22)

मदर्थेष्वङ्गचेष्टा च वचसा मद्गुणेरणम् । मय्यर्पणं च मनसः सर्वकामविवर्जनम् ॥ 19.22 ॥

mad-artheṣv aṅga-ceṣṭā ca vacasā mad-guṇeraṇam mayy arpaṇaṁ ca manasaḥ sarva-kāma-vivarjanam

— using the body's activities for my sake, declaring my qualities through speech, offering the mind to me, and giving up all material desires —

Verse 23 (bhagavata.11.19.23)

मदर्थेऽर्थपरित्यागो भोगस्य च सुखस्य च । इष्टं दत्तं हुतं जप्तं मदर्थं यद् व्रतं तपः ॥ 19.23 ॥

mad-arthe ’rtha-parityāgo bhogasya ca sukhasya ca iṣṭaṁ dattaṁ hutaṁ japtaṁ mad-arthaṁ yad vrataṁ tapaḥ

— giving up wealth, enjoyment and pleasure for my sake, and performing all worship, charity, offerings, japa, vows and austerity for my sake alone —

Verse 24 (bhagavata.11.19.24)

एवं धर्मैर्मनुष्याणामुद्धवात्मनिवेदिनाम् । मयि सञ्जायते भक्तिः कोऽन्योऽर्थोऽस्यावशिष्यते ॥ 19.24 ॥

evaṁ dharmair manuṣyāṇām uddhavātma-nivedinām mayi sañjāyate bhaktiḥ ko ’nyo ’rtho ’syāvaśiṣyate

— through such practices, Uddhava, devotion to me arises in men who have surrendered themselves to me. What other purpose could remain for such a person?

Verse 25 (bhagavata.11.19.25)

यदात्मन्यर्पितं चित्तं शान्तं सत्त्वोपबृंहितम् । धर्मं ज्ञानं सवैराग्यमैश्वर्यं चाभिपद्यते ॥ 19.25 ॥

yadātmany arpitaṁ cittaṁ śāntaṁ sattvopabṛṁhitam dharmaṁ jñānaṁ sa vairāgyam aiśvaryaṁ cābhipadyate

When the mind, made peaceful and nourished by goodness, is offered to the self, one attains dharma, knowledge, detachment and lordly power.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.11.19.26)

यदर्पितं तद् विकल्पे इन्द्रियैः परिधावति । रजस्वलं चासन्निष्ठं चित्तं विद्धि विपर्ययम् ॥ 19.26 ॥

yad arpitaṁ tad vikalpe indriyaiḥ paridhāvati rajas-valaṁ cāsan-niṣṭhaṁ cittaṁ viddhi viparyayam

But when that same mind, offered instead to the world of duality, runs about after objects through the senses, full of passion and fixed on the unreal — know that mind to be the opposite.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.11.19.27)

धर्मो मद्भक्तिकृत् प्रोक्तो ज्ञानं चैकात्म्यदर्शनम् । गुणेष्वसङ्गो वैराग्यमैश्वर्यं चाणिमादयः ॥ 19.27 ॥

dharmo mad-bhakti-kṛt prokto jñānaṁ caikātmya-darśanam guṇesv asaṅgo vairāgyam aiśvaryaṁ cāṇimādayaḥ

Dharma is declared to be that which produces devotion to me; knowledge is the vision of oneness; detachment is non-attachment to the modes of nature; and lordly power consists of perfections such as anima.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.11.19.28)

श्रीउद्धव उवाच यमः कतिविधः प्रोक्तो नियमो वारिकर्षण । कः शमः को दमः कृष्ण का तितिक्षा धृतिः प्रभो ॥ 19.28 ॥

śrī-uddhava uvāca yamaḥ kati-vidhaḥ prokto niyamo vāri-karṣaṇa kaḥ śamaḥ ko damaḥ kṛṣṇa kā titikṣā dhṛtiḥ prabho

Shri Uddhava said: Of how many kinds are the yamas [restraints] and niyamas [observances], O subduer of enemies? What is equanimity, what is self-control, O Krishna? What is forbearance, and what is fortitude, my lord?

Verse 29 (bhagavata.11.19.29)

किं दानं किं तपः शौर्यं किम् सत्यमृतमुच्यते । कस्त्यागः किं धनं चेष्टं को यज्ञः का च दक्षिणा ॥ 19.29 ॥

kiṁ dānaṁ kiṁ tapaḥ śauryaṁ kim satyam ṛtam ucyate kas tyāgaḥ kiṁ dhanaṁ ceṣṭaṁ ko yajñaḥ kā ca dakṣiṇā

What is charity, what is austerity, what is heroism? What are truth and reality said to be? What is renunciation, what is desired wealth? What is sacrifice, and what is the sacrificial fee?

Verse 30 (bhagavata.11.19.30)

पुंसः किं स्विद् बलं श्रीमन् भगो लाभश्च केशव । का विद्या ह्रीः परा का श्रीः किं सुखं दुःखमेव च ॥ 19.30 ॥

puṁsaḥ kiṁ svid balaṁ śrīman bhago lābhaś ca keśava kā vidyā hrīḥ parā kā śrīḥ kiṁ sukhaṁ duḥkham eva ca

O glorious one, what indeed is a man's strength, his fortune and his true gain, O Keshava? What is knowledge, what is highest modesty, what is beauty, and what are happiness and unhappiness?

Verse 31 (bhagavata.11.19.31)

कः पण्डितः कश्च मूर्खः कः पन्था उत्पथश्च कः । कः स्वर्गो नरकः कः स्वित् को बन्धुरुत किं गृहम् ॥ 19.31 ॥

kaḥ paṇḍitaḥ kaś ca mūrkhaḥ kaḥ panthā utpathaś ca kaḥ kaḥ svargo narakaḥ kaḥ svit ko bandhur uta kiṁ gṛham

Who is wise, and who is a fool? What is the true path, and what is the wrong path? What is heaven, and what indeed is hell? Who is a true kinsman, and what is a true home?

Verse 32 (bhagavata.11.19.32)

क आढ्यः को दरिद्रो वा कृपणः कः क ईश्वरः । एतान् प्रश्नान् मम ब्रूहि विपरीतांश्च सत्पते ॥ 19.32 ॥

ka āḍhyaḥ ko daridro vā kṛpaṇaḥ kaḥ ka īśvaraḥ etān praśnān mama brūhi viparītāṁś ca sat-pate

Who is rich, and who is poor? Who is wretched, and who is a true master? O lord of the virtuous, please answer these questions of mine, together with their opposites.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.11.19.33)

श्रीभगवानुवाच अहिंसा सत्यमस्तेयमसङ्गो ह्रीरसञ्चयः । आस्तिक्यं ब्रह्मचर्यं च मौनं स्थैर्यं क्षमाभयम् ॥ 19.33 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca ahiṁsā satyam asteyam asaṅgo hrīr asañcayaḥ āstikyaṁ brahmacaryaṁ ca maunaṁ sthairyaṁ kṣamābhayam

Shri Bhagavan said: Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, non-attachment, modesty, non-accumulation, faith in the scriptures, celibacy, silence, steadfastness, forgiveness and fearlessness —

Verse 34 (bhagavata.11.19.34)

शौचं जपस्तपो होमः श्रद्धातिथ्यं मदर्चनम् । तीर्थाटनं परार्थेहा तुष्टिराचार्यसेवनम् ॥ 19.34 ॥

śaucaṁ japas tapo homaḥ śraddhātithyaṁ mad-arcanam tīrthāṭanaṁ parārthehā tuṣṭir ācārya-sevanam

— these are the yamas. Purity, japa, austerity, fire sacrifice, faith, hospitality, worship of me, pilgrimage to holy places, working for others' welfare, contentment, and service to the teacher —

Verse 35 (bhagavata.11.19.35)

एते यमाः सनियमा उभयोर्द्वादश स्मृताः । पुंसामुपासितास्तात यथाकामं दुहन्ति हि ॥ 19.35 ॥

ete yamāḥ sa-niyamā ubhayor dvādaśa smṛtāḥ puṁsām upāsitās tāta yathā-kāmaṁ duhanti hi

— these are the niyamas, twelve of each being recounted. O dear one, when practiced by men, both bestow whatever is desired.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.11.19.36)

शमो मन्निष्ठता बुद्धेर्दम इन्द्रियसंयमः । तितिक्षा दुःखसम्मर्षो जिह्वोपस्थजयो धृतिः ॥ 19.36 ॥

śamo man-niṣṭhatā buddher dama indriya-saṁyamaḥ titikṣā duḥkha-sammarṣo jihvopastha-jayo dhṛtiḥ

Fixing the intellect on me is equanimity; restraint of the senses is self-control; patient endurance of suffering is forbearance; and mastery of tongue and genitals is fortitude.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.11.19.37)

दण्डन्यासः परं दानं कामत्यागस्तपः स्मृतम् । स्वभावविजयः शौर्यं सत्यं च समदर्शनम् ॥ 19.37 ॥

daṇḍa-nyāsaḥ paraṁ dānaṁ kāma-tyāgas tapaḥ smṛtam svabhāva-vijayaḥ śauryaṁ satyaṁ ca sama-darśanam

Giving up the rod of violence is the greatest charity; renouncing desire is remembered as austerity; conquering one's own nature is heroism; and truth is seeing with equal vision.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.11.19.38)

अन्यच्च सुनृता वाणी कविभिः परिकीर्तिता । कर्मस्वसङ्गमः शौचं त्यागः सन्न्यास उच्यते ॥ 19.38 ॥

anyac ca sunṛtā vāṇī kavibhiḥ parikīrtitā karmasv asaṅgamaḥ śaucaṁ tyāgaḥ sannyāsa ucyate

And the wise declare that pleasing and truthful speech is another form of truth; non-attachment in action is purity; and renunciation is called sannyasa.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.11.19.39)

धर्म इष्टं धनं नृणां यज्ञोऽहं भगवत्तमः । दक्षिणा ज्ञानसन्देशः प्राणायामः परं बलम् ॥ 19.39 ॥

dharma iṣṭaṁ dhanaṁ nṝṇāṁ yajño ’haṁ bhagavattamaḥ dakṣiṇā jñāna-sandeśaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ paraṁ balam

Dharma is the true desired wealth of men; I, the Supreme Lord, am the sacrifice itself; the sacrificial gift is the imparting of knowledge; and the greatest strength is control of the breath.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.11.19.40)

भगो म ऐश्वरो भावो लाभो मद्भक्तिरुत्तमः । विद्यात्मनि भिदाबाधो जुगुप्सा ह्रीरकर्मसु ॥ 19.40 ॥

bhago ma aiśvaro bhāvo lābho mad-bhaktir uttamaḥ vidyātmani bhidā-bādho jugupsā hrīr akarmasu

My own divine nature is true fortune; the highest gain is devotion to me; knowledge is the removal of the perception of difference within the self; and modesty is disgust at improper actions.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.11.19.41)

श्रीर्गुणा नैरपेक्ष्याद्याः सुखं दुःखसुखात्ययः । दुःखं कामसुखापेक्षा पण्डितो बन्धमोक्षवित् ॥ 19.41 ॥

śrīr guṇā nairapekṣyādyāḥ sukhaṁ duḥkha-sukhātyayaḥ duḥkhaṁ kāma-sukhāpekṣā paṇḍito bandha-mokṣa-vit

True beauty is the possession of qualities beginning with non-dependence; happiness is that which transcends both sorrow and pleasure; unhappiness is longing for the pleasures of desire; and the wise one is he who knows bondage and liberation.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.11.19.42)

मूर्खो देहाद्यहंबुद्धिः पन्था मन्निगमः स्मृतः । उत्पथश्चित्तविक्षेपः स्वर्गः सत्त्वगुणोदयः ॥ 19.42 ॥

mūrkho dehādy-ahaṁ-buddhiḥ panthā man-nigamaḥ smṛtaḥ utpathaś citta-vikṣepaḥ svargaḥ sattva-guṇodayaḥ

The fool is one who identifies himself with the body and the like; the true path is that which the scriptures declare leads to me; the wrong path is the distraction of the mind; and heaven is the rise of the mode of goodness.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.11.19.43)

नरकस्तमउन्नाहो बन्धुर्गुरुरहं सखे । गृहं शरीरं मानुष्यं गुणाढ्यो ह्याढ्य उच्यते ॥ 19.43 ॥

narakas tama-unnāho bandhur gurur ahaṁ sakhe gṛhaṁ śarīraṁ mānuṣyaṁ guṇāḍhyo hy āḍhya ucyate

Hell is the ascendancy of darkness; the true kinsman and teacher, O friend, am I; the true home is this human body; and the truly rich, indeed, is one rich in good qualities.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.11.19.44)

दरिद्रो यस्त्वसन्तुष्टः कृपणो योऽजितेन्द्रियः । गुणेष्वसक्तधीरीशो गुणसङ्गो विपर्ययः ॥ 19.44 ॥

daridro yas tv asantuṣṭaḥ kṛpaṇo yo ’jitendriyaḥ guṇeṣv asakta-dhīr īśo guṇa-saṅgo viparyayaḥ

One who is unsatisfied is poor; one who has not conquered his senses is wretched; one whose mind is unattached to the modes of nature is the true master; and attachment to the modes is the opposite, bondage.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.11.19.45)

एत उद्धव ते प्रश्नाः सर्वे साधु निरूपिताः । किं वर्णितेन बहुना लक्षणं गुणदोषयोः । गुणदोषदृशिर्दोषो गुणस्तूभयवर्जितः ॥ 19.45 ॥

eta uddhava te praśnāḥ sarve sādhu nirūpitāḥ kiṁ varṇitena bahunā lakṣaṇaṁ guṇa-doṣayoḥ guṇa-doṣa-dṛśir doṣo guṇas tūbhaya-varjitaḥ

O Uddhava, all these questions of yours have thus been properly answered. What need is there of describing at length the marks of virtue and fault? To go on seeing virtue and fault everywhere is itself a fault; true virtue is freedom from both.