The Glory of the Gita's Fifth Chapter: Pingala the Musician

Verse 1 (padma.6.179.1)

श्रीभगवानुवाच। पंचमस्याधुना देवि माहात्म्यं लोकपूजितम् । कथयामि समासेन सावधाना शृणु प्रिये

śrībhagavānuvāca paṃcamasyādhunā devi māhātmyaṃ lokapūjitam kathayāmi samāsena sāvadhānā śṛṇu priye

The Blessed Lord said: Now, O goddess, I shall tell in brief the world-honored glory of the fifth chapter; listen attentively, my beloved.

Verse 2 (padma.6.179.2)

पिंगलो नाम भद्रेषु पुरुकुत्सपुरे द्विजः । अवदाते कुले जातो विश्रुते वेदवादिनाम्

piṃgalo nāma bhadreṣu purukutsapure dvijaḥ avadāte kule jāto viśrute vedavādinām

In Purukutsapura there lived a twice-born man named Pingala, among the good, born in a spotless family renowned among reciters of the Veda.

Verse 3 (padma.6.179.3)

कुलोचितानि शास्त्राणि तथा वेदान्विसृज्य सः । तौर्यत्रिके मतिं चक्रे वादयन्मुरजादिकम्

kulocitāni śāstrāṇi tathā vedānvisṛjya saḥ tauryatrike matiṃ cakre vādayanmurajādikam

Abandoning the scriptures and Vedas proper to his family, he set his mind on the triad of music, dance, and drama, playing the drum and other instruments.

Verse 4 (padma.6.179.4)

कृतश्रमस्ततस्तत्र गीते नृत्ये च वादने । परां प्रसिद्धिमासाद्य नृपसद्म विवेश सः

kṛtaśramastatastatra gīte nṛtye ca vādane parāṃ prasiddhimāsādya nṛpasadma viveśa saḥ

Having thus toiled at singing, dancing, and playing instruments, and having attained the highest renown, he entered a king's court.

Verse 5 (padma.6.179.5)

समातस्थे स तेनासौ पुरा भूमिभुजा सह । परदारानुपाहृत्य बुभुजे ता अनन्यधीः

samātasthe sa tenāsau purā bhūmibhujā saha paradārānupāhṛtya bubhuje tā ananyadhīḥ

He dwelt there, formerly, together with that king; and, bringing to himself other men's wives, he enjoyed them, his mind fixed on nothing else.

Verse 6 (padma.6.179.6)

तत उत्सिक्तगर्वोऽयं सूचमानो निरंकुशः । परच्छिद्राणि चामुष्मै विविक्ते स निरंतरम्

tata utsiktagarvo'yaṃ sūcamāno niraṃkuśaḥ paracchidrāṇi cāmuṣmai vivikte sa niraṃtaram

Then, swollen with pride, unrestrained, revealing his own conduct, he ceaselessly exposed the faults of others to that king.

Verse 7 (padma.6.179.7)

तस्यासीदरुणा नाम भार्या हीनकुलोद्भवा

tasyāsīdaruṇā nāma bhāryā hīnakulodbhavā

His wife was named Aruna, born of a lowly family.

Verse 8 (padma.6.179.8)

भ्रमत्यन्वेषयंती सा कामुकेन विहारिणी । तमंतरायं मन्वाना निशीथिन्यां निजालये

bhramatyanveṣayaṃtī sā kāmukena vihāriṇī tamaṃtarāyaṃ manvānā niśīthinyāṃ nijālaye

She wandered about, seeking her own pleasure with a paramour; regarding him, her husband, as an obstacle, at midnight, in her own house,

Verse 9 (padma.6.179.9)

निजघान शिरश्छित्त्वा निचखान महीतले । वियोजितस्तः प्राणैरुपेत्य यमसादनम्

nijaghāna śiraśchittvā nicakhāna mahītale viyojitastaḥ prāṇairupetya yamasādanam

she slew him, cutting off his head, and buried it in the earth. Deprived thus of his life, he went to the abode of Yama,

Verse 10 (padma.6.179.10)

दुर्जयान्नरकान्भुंक्त्वा गृध्रोऽभूद्विजने वने । भगंदरेण रोगेण सापि हित्वा वरां तनुम्

durjayānnarakānbhuṃktvā gṛdhro'bhūdvijane vane bhagaṃdareṇa rogeṇa sāpi hitvā varāṃ tanum

and, having endured hells most difficult to overcome, he became a vulture in a lonely forest. She too, having relinquished her once-beautiful body through the disease of a fistula,

Verse 11 (padma.6.179.11)

उपेत्य नरकान्घोरान्जज्ञे तत्र वने शुकी । कणानादातुकामां तां संचरंतीमितस्ततः

upetya narakānghorānjajñe tatra vane śukī kaṇānādātukāmāṃ tāṃ saṃcaraṃtīmitastataḥ

having gone through terrible hells, was born there in that forest as a she-parrot. As she wandered here and there, wishing to gather grains of food,

Verse 12 (padma.6.179.12)

विददार नखैस्तीक्ष्णैर्गृध्रो वैरमनुस्मरन् । नृकपाले पयः पूर्णे निपतंतीं ततः शुकीम्

vidadāra nakhaistīkṣṇairgṛdhro vairamanusmaran nṛkapāle payaḥ pūrṇe nipataṃtīṃ tataḥ śukīm

the vulture, remembering their former enmity, tore at her with sharp talons; then, as that she-parrot fell into a human skull filled with water,

Verse 13 (padma.6.179.13)

अभिदुद्राव गृध्रोऽपि निजघ्ने स च जालिकैः । पत्नीवियोजिता प्राणैर्नृकपालजले ततः

abhidudrāva gṛdhro'pi nijaghne sa ca jālikaiḥ patnīviyojitā prāṇairnṛkapālajale tataḥ

the vulture too swooped down upon her, and he was slain there by fowlers. His former wife, deprived of her life, then died there in the water of that human skull,

Verse 14 (padma.6.179.14)

तत्रैव निममज्जा सा वेत्यक्रूरतरः खगः । पितृलोकं प्रपेदाते नीतौ तौ यमकिंकरैः । प्राक्कृतं दुष्कृतं कर्म स्मरंतौ भयभागिनौ

tatraiva nimamajjā sā vetyakrūrataraḥ khagaḥ pitṛlokaṃ prapedāte nītau tau yamakiṃkaraiḥ prākkṛtaṃ duṣkṛtaṃ karma smaraṃtau bhayabhāginau

sinking there together with that same fierce bird. Both, led by the servants of Yama, went to the world of the ancestors, remembering their former evil deeds, filled with fear.

Verse 15 (padma.6.179.15)

ततो यमः समालोक्य तयोः कर्म जुगुप्सितम् । अकस्मादेवतत्स्नानान्मरणे सुकृतं महत्

tato yamaḥ samālokya tayoḥ karma jugupsitam akasmādevatatsnānānmaraṇe sukṛtaṃ mahat

Then Yama, beholding their detestable deeds, saw also a great merit, quite unexpectedly, arising from that bathing at the very moment of their death.

Verse 16 (padma.6.179.16)

अनुजज्ञे ततो लोकमीप्सितं गंतुमेतयोः । महापातकसंघातैरपि दुर्द्धर्षमानसौ

anujajñe tato lokamīpsitaṃ gaṃtumetayoḥ mahāpātakasaṃghātairapi durddharṣamānasau

He then permitted them both to go to their desired world, though their minds had become quite hardened even by heaps of great sins.

Verse 17 (padma.6.179.17)

ततोविस्मयमापन्नौ स्मृत्वा तौ दुष्कृतं निजम् । उपेत्य प्रणतौ भूत्वा वैवस्वतमपृच्छताम्

tatovismayamāpannau smṛtvā tau duṣkṛtaṃ nijam upetya praṇatau bhūtvā vaivasvatamapṛcchatām

Filled with wonder, remembering their own evil deeds, they both approached Vaivasvata, and, bowing before him, asked:

Verse 18 (padma.6.179.18)

संचितं दुष्कृतं पूर्वमावाभ्यामपि गर्हितम् । लोकानामीप्सितानां तु को हेतुस्तद्वदस्व नौ

saṃcitaṃ duṣkṛtaṃ pūrvamāvābhyāmapi garhitam lokānāmīpsitānāṃ tu ko hetustadvadasva nau

'We had both formerly accumulated abominable evil deeds -- what then is the cause of our attaining the desired worlds? Tell us this.'

Verse 19 (padma.6.179.19)

एवमुक्तस्ततस्ताभ्यामाह वैवस्वतो वचः । आसीद्गंगातटे नाम्ना बटुर्ब्रह्मविदुत्तमः॥

evamuktastatastābhyāmāha vaivasvato vacaḥ āsīdgaṃgātaṭe nāmnā baṭurbrahmaviduttamaḥ

Thus questioned by them, Vaivasvata then spoke these words: 'On the bank of the Ganges there lived a young brahmin student, a foremost knower of Brahman.'

Verse 20 (padma.6.179.20)

एकाकी निर्ममः शांतो वीतरागो विमत्सरः । गीतानां पंचमाध्यायमावर्त्तयति सर्वदा

ekākī nirmamaḥ śāṃto vītarāgo vimatsaraḥ gītānāṃ paṃcamādhyāyamāvarttayati sarvadā

'Alone, free of possessiveness, at peace, free of passion, free of envy, he constantly repeated the fifth chapter of the Gita.'

Verse 21 (padma.6.179.21)

तेन पुण्येन पूतात्मा बुद्ध्वा ब्रह्म सनातनम् । पापीयानपि यं श्रुत्वा तनुमुत्सृष्टवानसौ

tena puṇyena pūtātmā buddhvā brahma sanātanam pāpīyānapi yaṃ śrutvā tanumutsṛṣṭavānasau

'By that merit, his soul purified, having realized the eternal Brahman, he -- though he had once been most sinful -- upon hearing it, relinquished his own body.'

Verse 22 (padma.6.179.22)

निर्मलीकृतदेहस्य गीताभिर्भावितात्मनः । तत्कपालजलं प्राप्य युवां यातौ पवित्रताम्

nirmalīkṛtadehasya gītābhirbhāvitātmanaḥ tatkapālajalaṃ prāpya yuvāṃ yātau pavitratām

'That very water in the skull, having come from the body of that man made spotless, his soul made pure by the verses of the Gita -- by obtaining that water, you two attained purity.'

Verse 23 (padma.6.179.23)

तद्गच्छतं युवां लोकान्मनोरथपथिस्थितान् । गीतानां पंचमाध्यायमाहात्म्येन पवित्रितौ

tadgacchataṃ yuvāṃ lokānmanorathapathisthitān gītānāṃ paṃcamādhyāyamāhātmyena pavitritau

'Therefore go now, both of you, to the worlds set upon the path of your own heart's desire, purified by the glory of the fifth chapter of the Gita.'

Verse 24 (padma.6.179.24)

एवं तौ बोधितौ तेन मुदितौ समवर्तिना । व्योमयानं समारुह्य जग्मतुर्वैष्णवं पदम्

evaṃ tau bodhitau tena muditau samavartinā vyomayānaṃ samāruhya jagmaturvaiṣṇavaṃ padam

Thus instructed by Yama, that impartial judge, both of them, filled with joy, mounted a celestial chariot and went to the abode of Vishnu.