16. Chapter 16

श्रीराम उवाच । स्वभावगम्भीरमेतद्भगवन्वचनं तव । यदहंकारतृष्णां त्वं मा गृहाणेति वक्षि माम् ॥ १ ॥

śrīrāma uvāca | svabhāvagambhīrametadbhagavanvacanaṃ tava | yadahaṃkāratṛṣṇāṃ tvaṃ mā gṛhāṇeti vakṣi mām || 1 ||

Rama said:—It is too deep for me sir, to understand what you say to me, for the abandonment of my egoism and avarice.

यद्यहंकारसंत्यागं करोमि तदिदं प्रभो । त्यजामि देहनामानं संनिवेशमशेषतः ॥ २ ॥

yadyahaṃkārasaṃtyāgaṃ karomi tadidaṃ prabho | tyajāmi dehanāmānaṃ saṃniveśamaśeṣataḥ || 2 ||

For how is it possible, sir, to forsake my egoism, without forsaking this body and every thing that bears relation to it?

जानुस्तम्भेन महता धार्यते सुतरुर्यथा । अहंकारेण देहोऽयं तथैव किल धार्यते ॥ ३ ॥

jānustambhena mahatā dhāryate sutaruryathā | ahaṃkāreṇa deho'yaṃ tathaiva kila dhāryate || 3 ||

It is egoism which is the chief support of the body, as a post or prop is the support of a thatched house.

अहंकारक्षये देहः किलावश्यं विनश्यति । मूले क्रकचसंलूने सुमहानिव पादपः ॥ ४ ॥

ahaṃkārakṣaye dehaḥ kilāvaśyaṃ vinaśyati | mūle krakacasaṃlūne sumahāniva pādapaḥ || 4 ||

The body will surely perish without its egoism, and will be cut short of its durability, as a tree is felled by application of the saw to its root.

तत्कथं संत्यजाम्येनं जीवामि च कथं मुने । एनमर्थं विनिश्चित्य वद मे वदतां वर ॥ ५ ॥

tatkathaṃ saṃtyajāmyenaṃ jīvāmi ca kathaṃ mune | enamarthaṃ viniścitya vada me vadatāṃ vara || 5 ||

Now tell me, O most eloquent sir, how I may live by forsaking my egoism (which is myself); give me your answer, according to your right judgement.

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । सर्वत्र वासनात्यागो राम राजीवलोचन । द्विविधः कथ्यते तज्ज्ञैर्ज्ञेयो ध्येयश्च मानद ॥ ६ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | sarvatra vāsanātyāgo rāma rājīvalocana | dvividhaḥ kathyate tajjñairjñeyo dhyeyaśca mānada || 6 ||

Vasishtha replied:—O lotus-eyed and respectful Rama! abandonment of desires, is said to be of two kinds by the wise, who are well acquainted with the subject; the one is called the jneya or knowable and the other is what they style the thinkable.

अहमेषां पदार्थानामेते च मम जीवितम् । नाहमेभिर्विना कश्चिन्न मयैते विना किल ॥ ७ ॥

ahameṣāṃ padārthānāmete ca mama jīvitam | nāhamebhirvinā kaścinna mayaite vinā kila || 7 ||

The knowledge that I am the life of my body and its powers, and these are the supports of my life, and that I am something.

इत्यन्तर्निश्चयं कृत्वा विचार्य मनसा सह । नाहं पदार्थस्य न मे पदार्थ इति भाविते ॥ ८ ॥

ityantarniścayaṃ kṛtvā vicārya manasā saha | nāhaṃ padārthasya na me padārtha iti bhāvite || 8 ||

But this internal conviction being weighed well by the light of reason, will prove that neither am I related with the external body, nor does it bear any relation with my internal soul.

अन्तःशीतलया बुद्ध्या कुर्वत्या लीलया क्रियाम् । यो नूनं वासनात्यागो ध्येयो राम स कीर्तितः ॥ ९ ॥

antaḥśītalayā buddhyā kurvatyā līlayā kriyām | yo nūnaṃ vāsanātyāgo dhyeyo rāma sa kīrtitaḥ || 9 ||

Therefore the performance of one's duties, with calmness and coolness of his understanding, and without any desire of fruition, is called the abandonment of desire in thought.

सर्वं समतया बुद्ध्वा यं कृत्वा वासनाक्षयम् । जहाति निर्ममो देहं ज्ञेयोऽसौ वासनाक्षयः ॥ १० ॥

sarvaṃ samatayā buddhvā yaṃ kṛtvā vāsanākṣayam | jahāti nirmamo dehaṃ jñeyo'sau vāsanākṣayaḥ || 10 ||

But the understanding which views things in an equal light, and by forsaking its desires, relinquishes the body without taking any concern for it, and is called the knowing abandonment of desires.

अहंकारमयीं त्यक्त्वा वासनां लीलयैव यः । तिष्ठति ध्येयसंत्यागी जीवन्मुक्तः स उच्यते ॥ ११ ॥

ahaṃkāramayīṃ tyaktvā vāsanāṃ līlayaiva yaḥ | tiṣṭhati dhyeyasaṃtyāgī jīvanmuktaḥ sa ucyate || 11 ||

He who foregoes with ease the desires arising from his egoism, is styled the thinking abjurer of his desires, and is liberated in his life time.

निर्मूलकलनां त्यक्त्वा वासनां यः शमं गतः । ज्ञेयत्यागमयं विद्धि मुक्तं तं रघुनन्दन ॥ १२ ॥

nirmūlakalanāṃ tyaktvā vāsanāṃ yaḥ śamaṃ gataḥ | jñeyatyāgamayaṃ viddhi muktaṃ taṃ raghunandana || 12 ||

He who is calm and even-minded, by his abandonment of vain and imaginary desires; is a knowing deserter of his desires, and is liberated also in this world.

ध्येयं तं वासनात्यागं कृत्वा तिष्ठन्ति लीलया । जीवन्मुक्ता महात्मानः सुजना जनकादयः ॥ १३ ॥

dhyeyaṃ taṃ vāsanātyāgaṃ kṛtvā tiṣṭhanti līlayā | jīvanmuktā mahātmānaḥ sujanā janakādayaḥ || 13 ||

Those who abandon the desires in their thought, and remain with listless indifference to everything, are like those who are liberated in their life time.

ज्ञेयं तु वासनात्यागं कृत्वोपशममागताः । विदेहमुक्तास्तिष्ठन्ति ब्रह्मण्येव परावरे ॥ १४ ॥

jñeyaṃ tu vāsanātyāgaṃ kṛtvopaśamamāgatāḥ | videhamuktāstiṣṭhanti brahmaṇyeva parāvare || 14 ||

They are also called the liberated, who have had their composure (insouciance) after abandonment of their desires, and who rest in the Supreme Spirit, with their souls disentangled from their bodies.

द्वावेव राघव त्यागौ समौ मुक्तपदे स्थितौ । द्वावेतौ ब्रह्मतां यातौ द्वावेव विगतज्वरौ ॥ १ ॥

dvāveva rāghava tyāgau samau muktapade sthitau | dvāvetau brahmatāṃ yātau dvāveva vigatajvarau || 1 ||

Rama said:—It is too deep for me sir, to understand what you say to me, for the abandonment of my egoism and avarice.

युक्तायुक्तमती स्वासे केवलं विमलेऽनघ । एकः स्थितः स्फुरद्देहः शान्तदेहः स्थितोऽपरः ॥ १६ ॥

yuktāyuktamatī svāse kevalaṃ vimale'nagha | ekaḥ sthitaḥ sphuraddehaḥ śāntadehaḥ sthito'paraḥ || 16 ||

The mind whether engaged in acts or disengaged from them, rests in the pure spirit of God, by forsaking its desires.

एकः सदेहो निर्मुक्तस्तिष्ठत्यपगतज्वरः । त्यक्तदेहो विमुक्तोऽन्यो वर्ततेऽज्ञेयवासनः ॥ १७ ॥

ekaḥ sadeho nirmuktastiṣṭhatyapagatajvaraḥ | tyaktadeho vimukto'nyo vartate'jñeyavāsanaḥ || 17 ||

The former kind of yogi is liberated in his embodied state, and freed from pain throughout his life time; but the latter that has obtained his liberation in his bodiless state after his demise, remains quite unconscious of his desires.

आपतत्सु यथाकालं सुखदुःखेष्वनारतम् । न हृष्यति ग्लायति यः स मुक्त इति होच्यते ॥ १८ ॥

āpatatsu yathākālaṃ sukhaduḥkheṣvanāratam | na hṛṣyati glāyati yaḥ sa mukta iti hocyate || 18 ||

He who feels no joy nor sorrow at the good or evil, which befalls to him in his life time, as it is the course of nature, is called the living liberated man.

ईप्सितानीप्सिते न स्तो यस्येष्टानिष्टवस्तुषु । सुषुप्तवच्चरति यः स मुक्त इति कथ्यते ॥ १९ ॥

īpsitānīpsite na sto yasyeṣṭāniṣṭavastuṣu | suṣuptavaccarati yaḥ sa mukta iti kathyate || 19 ||

He who neither desires nor dreads the casualties of good or evil, which are incidental to human life; but remains quiet regardless of them as in his dead sleep, is known as the truly liberated man.

हेयोपादेयकलने ममेत्यहमिहेति च । यस्यान्तः संपरिक्षीणे स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते ॥ २० ॥

heyopādeyakalane mametyahamiheti ca | yasyāntaḥ saṃparikṣīṇe sa jīvanmukta ucyate || 20 ||

He whose mind is freed from the thoughts, of what is desirable or undesirable to him, and from his differentiation of mine, thine and his (i.e. of himself from others), is called the truly liberated.

हर्षामर्षभयक्रोधकामकार्पण्यदृष्टिभिः । न परामृश्यते योऽन्तः स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते ॥ २१ ॥

harṣāmarṣabhayakrodhakāmakārpaṇyadṛṣṭibhiḥ | na parāmṛśyate yo'ntaḥ sa jīvanmukta ucyate || 21 ||

He whose mind is not subject to the access of joy and grief, of hope and fear, of anger, boast and niggardliness, is said to have his liberation.

सुषुप्तवत्प्रशमितभाववृत्तिना स्थितं सदा जाग्रति येन चेतसा । कलान्वितो विधुरिव यः सदा मुदा निषेव्यते मुक्त इतीह स स्मृतः ॥ २२ ॥

suṣuptavatpraśamitabhāvavṛttinā sthitaṃ sadā jāgrati yena cetasā | kalānvito vidhuriva yaḥ sadā mudā niṣevyate mukta itīha sa smṛtaḥ || 22 ||

He whose feelings are all obtundent within himself as in his sleep, and whose mind enjoys its felicity like the beams of the full moon, is said to be the liberated man in this world.

श्रीवाल्मीकिरुवाच । इत्युक्तवत्यथ मुनौ दिवसो जगाम सायंतनाय विधयेऽस्तमिनो जगाम । स्नातुं सभा कृतनमस्करणा जगाम श्यामाक्षये रविकरैश्च सहाजगाम ॥ २३ ॥

śrīvālmīkiruvāca | ityuktavatyatha munau divaso jagāma sāyaṃtanāya vidhaye'stamino jagāma | snātuṃ sabhā kṛtanamaskaraṇā jagāma śyāmākṣaye ravikaraiśca sahājagāma || 23 ||

Valmiki says:—After the sage had said so far, the day departed to its evening service with the setting sun. The assembled audience retired to their evening ablutions, and repaired again to the assembly with the rising sun on the next day.