8. Chapter 8

श्रीराम उवाच । कयैतज्ज्ञायते युक्त्या कथमेतत्प्रसिध्यति । न्यायानुभूत एतस्मिन्न ज्ञेयमवशिष्यते ॥ १ ॥

śrīrāma uvāca | kayaitajjñāyate yuktyā kathametatprasidhyati | nyāyānubhūta etasminna jñeyamavaśiṣyate || 1 ||

Rama asked said:—How can it be reasonably shewn and established, that there is nothing to be known and seen in this world, although we have evident notions of it supported by sense and right reasoning?

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । बहुकालमियं रूढा मिथ्याज्ञानविषूचिका । जगन्नाम्न्यविचाराख्या विना ज्ञानं न शाम्यति ॥ २ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | bahukālamiyaṃ rūḍhā mithyājñānaviṣūcikā | jagannāmnyavicārākhyā vinā jñānaṃ na śāmyati || 2 ||

Vasishtha answered said:—It is from a long time, that this endemic of the fallacious knowledge (of the reality of the world), is prevalent (among mankind); and it is by means of true knowledge only that this wrong application of the word world, can be removed from the mind.

वदाम्याख्यायिका राम या इमा बोधसिद्धये । ताश्चेच्छृणोषि तत्साधो मुक्त एवासि बुद्धिमान् ॥ ३ ॥

vadāmyākhyāyikā rāma yā imā bodhasiddhaye | tāścecchṛṇoṣi tatsādho mukta evāsi buddhimān || 3 ||

I will tell you a story, Rama! for your success in (the attainment of) this knowledge; if you will but attend to it, you will become both intelligent and emancipate.

नो चेदुद्वेगशीलत्वादर्धादुत्थाय गच्छसि । तत्तिर्यग्धर्मिणस्तेऽद्य न किंचिदपि सेत्स्यति ॥ ४ ॥

no cedudvegaśīlatvādardhādutthāya gacchasi | tattiryagdharmiṇaste'dya na kiṃcidapi setsyati || 4 ||

But if from the impatience of your nature like that of brute creatures, you get up and go away after hearing half of this (narrative), you shall then reap no benefit from it.

योऽयमर्थं प्रार्थयते तदर्थं यतते तथा । सोऽवश्यं तदवाप्नोति न चेच्छ्रान्तो निवर्तते ॥ ५ ॥

yo'yamarthaṃ prārthayate tadarthaṃ yatate tathā | so'vaśyaṃ tadavāpnoti na cecchrānto nivartate || 5 ||

Whoever seeks some object and strives after it, he of course succeeds in getting the same; but if he become tired of it he fails therein.

साधुसंगमसच्छास्त्रपरो भवसि राम चेत् । तद्दिनैरेव नो मासैः प्राप्नोषि परमं पदम् ॥ ६ ॥

sādhusaṃgamasacchāstraparo bhavasi rāma cet | taddinaireva no māsaiḥ prāpnoṣi paramaṃ padam || 6 ||

If you will betake yourself, Rama! to the company of the good and study of good Sastras, you will surely arrive at your state of perfection in course of a few days or mouths, according to the degree of your diligence.

श्रीराम उवाच । आत्मज्ञानप्रबोधाय शास्त्रं शास्त्रविदां वर । किं नाम तत्प्रधानं स्याद्यस्मिञ्ज्ञाते न शोच्यते ॥ ७ ॥

śrīrāma uvāca | ātmajñānaprabodhāya śāstraṃ śāstravidāṃ vara | kiṃ nāma tatpradhānaṃ syādyasmiñjñāte na śocyate || 7 ||

Rama said:—O you, that are best acquainted with the Sastras, tell me which is the best Sastra for the attainment of spiritual knowledge, and a conversancy with which may release us from the sorrows of this life.

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । आत्मज्ञानप्रधानानामिदमेव महामते । शास्त्राणां परमं शास्त्रं महारामायणं शुभम् ॥ ८ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | ātmajñānapradhānānāmidameva mahāmate | śāstrāṇāṃ paramaṃ śāstraṃ mahārāmāyaṇaṃ śubham || 8 ||

Vasishtha replied:—Know, O high minded Rama! this work (the Vasishtha Sanhita) to be the best of all others on spiritual knowledge. It is the auspicious Great Ramayana and the Sastra of sastras.

इतिहासोत्तमादस्मताद्बोधः प्रवर्तते । सर्वेषामितिहासानामयं सार उदाहृतः ॥ ९ ॥

itihāsottamādasmatādbodhaḥ pravartate | sarveṣāmitihāsānāmayaṃ sāra udāhṛtaḥ || 9 ||

The Ramayana is the best of histories, and serves to enlighten the understanding. It is known as containing the essence of all histories.

श्रुतेऽस्मिन्वाड्मये यस्माज्जीवन्मुक्तत्वमक्षयम् । उदेति स्वयमेवात इदमेवातिपावनम् ॥ १० ॥

śrute'sminvāḍmaye yasmājjīvanmuktatvamakṣayam | udeti svayamevāta idamevātipāvanam || 10 ||

But by hearing these doctrines one easily finds his liberation coming of itself to him; wherefore it is reckoned as the most holy record.

स्थितमेवास्तमायाति जगद्दृश्यं विचारणात् । यथा स्वप्ने परिज्ञाते स्वप्नादावेव भावना ॥ ११ ॥

sthitamevāstamāyāti jagaddṛśyaṃ vicāraṇāt | yathā svapne parijñāte svapnādāveva bhāvanā || 11 ||

All the existing scenes of the world will vanish away upon their mature consideration; as the thoughts occurring in a dream, are dispersed upon the knowledge of the dreaming state after waking.

यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत्क्वचित् । इमं समस्तविज्ञानशास्त्रकोशं विदुर्बुधाः ॥ १२ ॥

yadihāsti tadanyatra yannehāsti na tatkvacit | imaṃ samastavijñānaśāstrakośaṃ vidurbudhāḥ || 12 ||

Whatever there is in this work, may be found in others also, but what is not found here, cannot be found elsewhere (in other works); and therefore the learned call it the thesaurus (sanhita) or store-house.

य इदं श्रृणुयान्नित्यं तस्योदारचमत्कृतेः । बोधस्यापि परं बोधं बुद्धिरेति न संशयः ॥ १३ ॥

ya idaṃ śrṛṇuyānnityaṃ tasyodāracamatkṛteḥ | bodhasyāpi paraṃ bodhaṃ buddhireti na saṃśayaḥ || 13 ||

Whoever attends to these lectures every day, shall have his excellent understanding undoubtedly stored with transcendent knowledge of divinity day by day.

यस्मै नेदं त्वरुचये रोचते दुष्कृतोदयात् । विचारयतु यत्किंचित्सच्छास्त्रं ज्ञानवाङ्मयम् ॥ १४ ॥

yasmai nedaṃ tvarucaye rocate duṣkṛtodayāt | vicārayatu yatkiṃcitsacchāstraṃ jñānavāṅmayam || 14 ||

He who feels this Sastra disagreeable to his vitiated taste, may take a fancy to the perusal of some other sastra that is more wordy and eloquent.

जीवन्मुक्तत्वमस्मिंस्तु श्रुते समनुभूयते । स्वयमेव यथा पीते नीरोगत्वं वरौषधे ॥ १५ ॥

jīvanmuktatvamasmiṃstu śrute samanubhūyate | svayameva yathā pīte nīrogatvaṃ varauṣadhe || 15 ||

One feels himself liberated in this life by the hearing of these lectures, just as one finds himself healed of a disease by a potion of some efficacious medicine.

श्रूयमाणे हि शास्त्रेऽस्मिञ्छ्रोता वेत्त्येतदात्मना । यथावदिदमस्माभिर्ननूक्तं वरशापवत् ॥ १६ ॥

śrūyamāṇe hi śāstre'smiñchrotā vettyetadātmanā | yathāvadidamasmābhirnanūktaṃ varaśāpavat || 16 ||

The attentive hearer of these sermons, perceives their efficacy in himself, in the same way as one feels the effects of the curses or blessings pronounced upon him which never go for nothing,

नश्यति संसृतिदुःखमिदं ते स्वात्मविचारणया कथयैव । नो धनदानतपःश्रुतवेदैस्तत्कथनोदितयत्नशतेन ॥ १७ ॥

naśyati saṃsṛtiduḥkhamidaṃ te svātmavicāraṇayā kathayaiva | no dhanadānatapaḥśrutavedaistatkathanoditayatnaśatena || 17 ||

All worldly miseries are at an end with him, who considers well these spiritual lectures within himself, and which is hard to be effected by charities and austerities, or performance of the acts ordained in the srauta or ceremonial vedas, or by hundreds of practices in obedience to the ordinances appointed by them.