60. Chapter 60

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । अस्मिन्भगवति ब्रह्मंश्चपलं पदमाश्रिते । पितामहे महाबाहो कृतसर्गव्यवस्थितौ ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | asminbhagavati brahmaṃścapalaṃ padamāśrite | pitāmahe mahābāho kṛtasargavyavasthitau || 1 ||

Vasishtha continued:—O strong armed Rama! after the great father of creation, he took himself to his activity, he formed and supported the worlds by his energy and might.

जगज्जीर्णारघट्टेऽस्मिन्वहति स्वव्यवस्थया । विप्रेतभूतघटया रज्वा जीविततृष्णया ॥ २ ॥

jagajjīrṇāraghaṭṭe'sminvahati svavyavasthayā | vipretabhūtaghaṭayā rajvā jīvitatṛṣṇayā || 2 ||

All living and departed souls, are tied like buckets by the rope of their desire, and made to rise and fall in this old well of the world, by the law of their predetermined destiny.

ब्रह्मोत्थेषु च भूतेषु विशत्सु भवपञ्जरम् । आवर्तेष्वीश्वरव्योमवालमध्यविवर्तिषु ॥ ३ ॥

brahmottheṣu ca bhūteṣu viśatsu bhavapañjaram | āvarteṣvīśvaravyomavālamadhyavivartiṣu || 3 ||

All beings proceeding from Brahma, and entering the prison house of the world, have to be concentrated into the body of the air-born Brahma;as all the waters of the sea have to be whirled into the whirlpool in the midst of the sea.

मनःस्वन्येषु वातान्तलोलाहतकणेष्विव । अनारतं विनिर्यान्ति विशन्त्यन्ये तथाभितः ॥ ४ ॥

manaḥsvanyeṣu vātāntalolāhatakaṇeṣviva | anārataṃ viniryānti viśantyanye tathābhitaḥ || 4 ||

Others are continually springing from the mind of Brahma, like sparks of fire struck out of a red-hot iron;while many are flying to it as their common centre.

राम ब्रह्मणि जीवौघास्तरङ्गा इव वारिधौ । अनाद्यन्तपदोत्पन्नाः कलनापदमागताः ॥ ५ ॥

rāma brahmaṇi jīvaughāstaraṅgā iva vāridhau | anādyantapadotpannāḥ kalanāpadamāgatāḥ || 5 ||

Rama! all lives are as the waves in the ocean of the everlasting spirit of Brahma; they rise and fall in him according to his will.

भूताकाशं विशन्त्येते धूमश्रीरिव चाम्बुदम् । एकतां यान्ति जीवौघा ब्रह्मण्याकाशमारुतैः ॥ ६ ॥

bhūtākāśaṃ viśantyete dhūmaśrīriva cāmbudam | ekatāṃ yānti jīvaughā brahmaṇyākāśamārutaiḥ || 6 ||

They enter into the atmospheric air, as the smoke rises and enters the clouds, and are at last mixed up together by the wind, in the spirit of Brahma.

दिनं तन्मात्रवातेन तत्प्राणात्मतया यथा । आक्रम्यन्ते प्रचण्डेन दैत्यौघेनामरा इव ॥ ७ ॥

dinaṃ tanmātravātena tatprāṇātmatayā yathā | ākramyante pracaṇḍena daityaughenāmarā iva || 7 ||

They are then overtaken by the elementary particles, or atoms flying in the air, which lay hold on them in a few days; as the demons seize the host of gods with violence.

भूतप्राणानिलं तेन गन्धवाहेन तेन च । निविशन्ति शरीरेषु जीवा गच्छन्ति वीर्यताम् ॥ ८ ॥

bhūtaprāṇānilaṃ tena gandhavāhena tena ca | niviśanti śarīreṣu jīvā gacchanti vīryatām || 8 ||

Then the air breathes the vital breath in these bodies; which infuses life and vigour in them.

ततो जगति जायन्ते भवन्ति प्राणिनोऽस्फुटाः । अन्या धूमादिमाजाता राम जीवपरम्परा ॥ ९ ॥

tato jagati jāyante bhavanti prāṇino'sphuṭāḥ | anyā dhūmādimājātā rāma jīvaparamparā || 9 ||

Thus do living beings manifest themselves on earth, while there are others flying in the form of smoke as living spirits.

तन्मात्रवति तावद्भिरशून्येऽम्बरकोटरे । उदेति यावद्भगवानिन्दुरुद्दाममण्डलः ॥ १० ॥

tanmātravati tāvadbhiraśūnye'mbarakoṭare | udeti yāvadbhagavāninduruddāmamaṇḍalaḥ || 10 ||

Some of them appear in their subtle elemental forms in their airy cells in the sky, and shine as bright as the beams of the luminous moon.

क्षीराम्बुधिनिधौ लोलैः पाण्डुवद्रश्मिभिर्जगत् । ततस्तेष्वतिरम्येषु चन्द्ररश्मिषु संपतत् ॥ ११ ॥

kṣīrāmbudhinidhau lolaiḥ pāṇḍuvadraśmibhirjagat | tatasteṣvatiramyeṣu candraraśmiṣu saṃpatat || 11 ||

Then they fall upon the earth like the pale moonbeams falling upon the milky ocean.

करोति विहगी लोला वने प्रेष्यान्तरेष्विव । तेभ्योऽपि स्वरसेनैव यान्ति पीवरतामपि ॥ १२ ॥

karoti vihagī lolā vane preṣyāntareṣviva | tebhyo'pi svarasenaiva yānti pīvaratāmapi || 12 ||

There they alight as birds in the groves and forests, and become stiffened by sipping the juice of fruits and flowers.

फलेषु तेषु बघ्नाति पदमिन्दुकरात्क्षता । जीवाली क्षीरपूर्णेषु मातुः स्तनभरेष्विव ॥ १३ ॥

phaleṣu teṣu baghnāti padamindukarātkṣatā | jīvālī kṣīrapūrṇeṣu mātuḥ stanabhareṣviva || 13 ||

Then losing their aerial and bright forms of the moon-beams, they settle on those fruits and flowers: and suck their juice like infants hanging upon the breasts of their mothers.

ताः फलावलयः पक्वा भविष्यन्ति मरीचिभिः । तेष्वेव वीर्यमागत्य तिष्ठन्त्यप्राप्तबोधिताः ॥ १४ ॥

tāḥ phalāvalayaḥ pakvā bhaviṣyanti marīcibhiḥ | teṣveva vīryamāgatya tiṣṭhantyaprāptabodhitāḥ || 14 ||

The protozoa are strengthened by drinking the juice of the fruits, which are ripened by the light and heat of the sun, and then they remain in a state of insensibility;until they enter the animal body.

प्रसुप्तवासनाजालजीवतागर्भपञ्जरम् । अधितिष्ठति बीजश्रीः सुप्तपत्रा यथा वटम् ॥ १५ ॥

prasuptavāsanājālajīvatāgarbhapañjaram | adhitiṣṭhati bījaśrīḥ suptapatrā yathā vaṭam || 15 ||

The animated animalcules, remain in the womb with their undeveloped desires; in the same manner as the unopening leaves, are contained in the seed of the bata or Indian fig tree.

यथा काष्ठे स्थितश्चाग्निर्यथा मृदि घटाः स्थिताः । अनेकक्रमयोगेन परागत्य महेश्वरात् ॥ १६ ॥

yathā kāṣṭhe sthitaścāgniryathā mṛdi ghaṭāḥ sthitāḥ | anekakramayogena parāgatya maheśvarāt || 16 ||

All lives are situated in the Great God, as fire is inherent in the wood, and the pot resides in the earth; and it is after many processes that they have their full development.

अदृष्टान्यशरीरश्रीः क्रमते यो न चोदति । स हि सत्येव जातिः स्यादुदारव्यवहारवान् ॥ १७ ॥

adṛṣṭānyaśarīraśrīḥ kramate yo na codati | sa hi satyeva jātiḥ syādudāravyavahāravān || 17 ||

One that has received no bodily form, and yet moves on without manifesting itself, is said to be a satya or spiritual being, and has a large scope of action.

तेनैव मोक्षभागी चेज्जन्मना स तु सात्त्विकः । अथैतां योनिमासाद्य कृत्यां जन्मपरम्पराम् ॥ १८ ॥

tenaiva mokṣabhāgī cejjanmanā sa tu sāttvikaḥ | athaitāṃ yonimāsādya kṛtyāṃ janmaparamparām || 18 ||

He is said to have a satvika birth, who gets his liberation in or after his life time; but whoever is obliged to be reborn by his acts, is said to belong to the rajas-satvika class.

रक्षार्थं प्राप्तजन्मा चेत्तमोराजससात्त्विकः । पाश्चात्यजन्मना पुंसो राम वक्ष्यामि चाधुना ॥ १९ ॥

rakṣārthaṃ prāptajanmā cettamorājasasāttvikaḥ | pāścātyajanmanā puṃso rāma vakṣyāmi cādhunā || 19 ||

Any one of this class who is born to rule over others, becomes giddy with pride (tamas), he is said to be of the nature of ignorance tamasika, and I will now speak of this class of beings.

प्राधान्येन यथाऽऽयातः संसारमिति सात्त्विकः । स कदाचिन्न कश्चिच्च संभवत्यनघाकृते ॥ २० ॥

prādhānyena yathā''yātaḥ saṃsāramiti sāttvikaḥ | sa kadācinna kaścicca saṃbhavatyanaghākṛte || 20 ||

Those who are born originally with their satvika nature, are pure in their conduct and have never to be born again.

संभवन्तीह पुरुषा राम राजससात्त्विकाः । प्रविचार्य समायाता मन्तव्यं चेह तद्धिया ॥ २१ ॥

saṃbhavantīha puruṣā rāma rājasasāttvikāḥ | pravicārya samāyātā mantavyaṃ ceha taddhiyā || 21 ||

Men of raja-satvika temperament have to be reborn on earth; but being elevated by their reasoning powers, they have no more to be born in this nether world.

प्राधान्येन समायाता ये यदा परमात्मनः । दुर्लभाः पुरुषा राम ते महागुणशालिनः ॥ २२ ॥

prādhānyena samāyātā ye yadā paramātmanaḥ | durlabhāḥ puruṣā rāma te mahāguṇaśālinaḥ || 22 ||

Those who have directly proceeded from the Supreme Spirit (without any intermixture of these natures), are men fraught with every quality, and are very rare on earth.

ये चान्ये विविधा मूढा मूकास्तामसजातयः । तेषां स्थावरतुल्यानां किंच राम विचार्यते ॥ २३ ॥

ye cānye vividhā mūḍhā mūkāstāmasajātayaḥ | teṣāṃ sthāvaratulyānāṃ kiṃca rāma vicāryate || 23 ||

The various classes of tamasa creatures of ignorance, are both insensible and speechless; and are of the nature of immovable vegetables and minerals, that need no description.

कतिपया न गता भवभावनां नरसुराः प्रकृतक्रमजन्मनि । अहमिव प्रविचारणयोग्यतामनुगतो ननु राजससात्त्विकः ॥ २४ ॥

katipayā na gatā bhavabhāvanāṃ narasurāḥ prakṛtakramajanmani | ahamiva pravicāraṇayogyatāmanugato nanu rājasasāttvikaḥ || 24 ||

How many among the gods and men, have been reborn to the cares of the world, owing to the demerit of their past action; and I myself though fraught with knowledge and reason, am obliged to lead a life of the rajasa-satvika kind.

स्थितस्य ते महापदाविचार्ययैवमायता । विचारय त्वमञ्जसा तदद्य चेह न द्वयम् ॥ २५ ॥

sthitasya te mahāpadāvicāryayaivamāyatā | vicāraya tvamañjasā tadadya ceha na dvayam || 25 ||

It is by your ignorance of the Supreme, that you behold the vast extension of the world; but by considering it rightly you will soon find all this to be but the One Unity.