70. Chapter 70

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । जीवोऽजीवो भवत्याशु याति चित्तमचित्तताम् । विचारादित्यविद्यान्तो मोक्ष इत्यभिधीयते ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | jīvo'jīvo bhavatyāśu yāti cittamacittatām | vicārādityavidyānto mokṣa ityabhidhīyate || 1 ||

Vasishtha resumed:—Life becomes no life (becomes immortal), and the mind turns to no mind, immerges in the soul; no sooner is the cloud of ignorance dispersed by the bright sun beams of right reason. This is the state which is termed moksha or liberation (from error) by the wise.

मृगतृष्णाजलमिव मनोऽहंतादि दृश्यते । असदेव मनागेव तद्विचारात्प्रलीयते ॥ २ ॥

mṛgatṛṣṇājalamiva mano'haṃtādi dṛśyate | asadeva manāgeva tadvicārātpralīyate || 2 ||

The mind and its egoism and tuism (subjectivity and objectivity), appear as water in the mirage, but all these unrealities vanish away, no sooner we come to our right reason;

संसृतिस्वप्नविभ्रान्तौ वेतालोदाहृतानिमान् । प्रश्नानाकर्णय शुभान्प्रसङ्गात्स्मृतिमागतान् ॥ ३ ॥

saṃsṛtisvapnavibhrāntau vetālodāhṛtānimān | praśnānākarṇaya śubhānprasaṅgātsmṛtimāgatān || 3 ||

Attend now to the queries of a vetala, which I come to remember at present, concerning our erroneous and dreaming conception of the phenomenal world, and which will serve to example by the subject of our last lecture.

अस्ति विन्ध्यमहाटव्यां वेतालो विपुलाकृतिः । स किंचिन्मण्डलं गर्वादाजगाम जिघांसया ॥ ४ ॥

asti vindhyamahāṭavyāṃ vetālo vipulākṛtiḥ | sa kiṃcinmaṇḍalaṃ garvādājagāma jighāṃsayā || 4 ||

There lived a gigantic vetala in the vast wilderness of the Vindhya mountains, who happened to come out on an excursion to the adjoining districts in search of his prey of human beings.

स वेतालोऽवसत्पूर्वं कस्मिंश्चित्सज्जनास्पदे । बहुबल्युपहारेण नित्यतृप्ततया सुखी ॥ ५ ॥

sa vetālo'vasatpūrvaṃ kasmiṃścitsajjanāspade | bahubalyupahāreṇa nityatṛptatayā sukhī || 5 ||

He used to live before in the neighbourhood of a populous city, where he lived quite happy and well satisfied with the victims; which were daily offered to him by the good citizens.

निर्निमित्तं निरागस्कं पुरोऽप्यभ्यागतं न सः । क्षुधितोऽपि नरं हन्ति सन्तो हि न्यायदर्शकाः ॥ ६ ॥

nirnimittaṃ nirāgaskaṃ puro'pyabhyāgataṃ na saḥ | kṣudhito'pi naraṃ hanti santo hi nyāyadarśakāḥ || 6 ||

He never killed a human being without some cause or harm, although he roved through the city, pinched by hunger and thirst. He walked in the ways of the honest and equitable men in the place.

स कालेनाटवीगेहो जगाम नगरान्तरम् । न्याययुक्त्या जनं भोक्तुं क्षुधा समभिचोदितः ॥ ७ ॥

sa kālenāṭavīgeho jagāma nagarāntaram | nyāyayuktyā janaṃ bhoktuṃ kṣudhā samabhicoditaḥ || 7 ||

It came to pass in course of time that he went out of the city, to reside in his woody retreat; where he never killed any man, except when pressed by excessive hunger, and when he thought it was equitable for him to do so.

तत्र प्राप स भूपालं रात्रिचर्याविनिर्गतम् । तमाह घनघोरेण शब्देनोग्रनिशाचरः ॥ ८ ॥

tatra prāpa sa bhūpālaṃ rātricaryāvinirgatam | tamāha ghanaghoreṇa śabdenograniśācaraḥ || 8 ||

He happened to meet there once a ruler of the land, strolling about in his nightly round;to whom he cried out in a loud and appalling voice.

वेताल उवाच । राजँल्लब्धोऽसि भीमेन वेतालेन मयाधुना । क्व गच्छसि विनष्टोऽसि भव भोजनमद्य मे ॥ ९ ॥

vetāla uvāca | rājaṃllabdho'si bhīmena vetālena mayādhunā | kva gacchasi vinaṣṭo'si bhava bhojanamadya me || 9 ||

The vetala exclaimed said:—Where goest thou, O prince, said he, thou art now caught in the clutches of a hideous monster, thou art now a dead man, and hast become my ration of this day.

राजोवाच । हे रात्रिचर निर्न्याय्यं मां चेदत्सि बलादिह । तत्ते सहस्रधा मूर्धा स्फुटिष्यति न संशयः ॥ १० ॥

rājovāca | he rātricara nirnyāyyaṃ māṃ cedatsi balādiha | tatte sahasradhā mūrdhā sphuṭiṣyati na saṃśayaḥ || 10 ||

The ruler replied:—Beware, O nocturnal fiend! that I will break thy skull into a thousand pieces, if you will unjustly attempt to kill me by force at this spot, and make thy ration of me.

वेताल उवाच । न त्वामद्म्यहमन्यायं न्यायोऽयं हि मयोच्यते । राजासि सकलाशाश्च पूरणीयास्त्वयार्थिनाम् ॥ ११ ॥

vetāla uvāca | na tvāmadmyahamanyāyaṃ nyāyo'yaṃ hi mayocyate | rājāsi sakalāśāśca pūraṇīyāstvayārthinām || 11 ||

The vetala rejoined:—I do not tell thee unjustly, and speak it rightly unto thee; that as thou art a ruler, it is thy duty to attend to the petition of every body.

ममैतामर्थितां राजन्संभवार्थां प्रपूरय । प्रश्नानिमान्मयोक्तांस्त्वं सम्यगाख्यातुमर्हसि ॥ १२ ॥

mamaitāmarthitāṃ rājansaṃbhavārthāṃ prapūraya | praśnānimānmayoktāṃstvaṃ samyagākhyātumarhasi || 12 ||

I request thee, O prince! to solve the questions that I propose to thee; because I believe thou art best able to give a full and satisfactory answer to every one of them.

कस्य सूर्यस्य रश्मीनां ब्रह्माण्डान्यणवः कृशाः । कस्मिन्स्फुरन्ति पवने महागगनरेणवः ॥ १३ ॥

kasya sūryasya raśmīnāṃ brahmāṇḍānyaṇavaḥ kṛśāḥ | kasminsphuranti pavane mahāgaganareṇavaḥ || 13 ||

Who is that glorious sun, the particles of whose rays, are seen to glitter in the surrounding worlds: and what is that wind (or force), which wafts these dusts of stars, in the infinite space of vacuum.

स्वप्नात्स्वप्नान्तरं गच्छञ्छतशोऽथ सहस्रशः । त्यजन्न त्यजति स्वच्छं कः स्वरूपं प्रभास्वरम् ॥ १४ ॥

svapnātsvapnāntaraṃ gacchañchataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ | tyajanna tyajati svacchaṃ kaḥ svarūpaṃ prabhāsvaram || 14 ||

What is that self-same thing, which passes from one dream to another, and assumes different forms by hundreds and thousands, and yet does not forsake its original form.

रम्भास्तम्भो यथा पत्रमात्रमेवं पुनःपुनः । अन्तरन्तस्तथान्तश्च तथा कोऽणुः स एव हि ॥ १५ ॥

rambhāstambho yathā patramātramevaṃ punaḥpunaḥ | antarantastathāntaśca tathā ko'ṇuḥ sa eva hi || 15 ||

Tell me what is that pithy particle in bodies, which is enveloped under a hundred folds or sheaths, which are laid over and under one another, like the coats or lamina of a plantain tree.

ब्रह्माण्डाकाशभूतौघसूर्यमण्डलमेरवः । अपरित्यजतोऽणुत्वं कस्याणोः परमाणवः ॥ १५ ॥

brahmāṇḍākāśabhūtaughasūryamaṇḍalameravaḥ | aparityajato'ṇutvaṃ kasyāṇoḥ paramāṇavaḥ || 15 ||

Tell me what is that pithy particle in bodies, which is enveloped under a hundred folds or sheaths, which are laid over and under one another, like the coats or lamina of a plantain tree.

कस्यानवयवस्यैव परमाणुमहागिरेः । शिलान्तर्निविडैकान्तरूपमज्जा जगत्त्रयी ॥ १७ ॥

kasyānavayavasyaiva paramāṇumahāgireḥ | śilāntarniviḍaikāntarūpamajjā jagattrayī || 17 ||

What is that shapeless and formless thing atom, which remains as the pith and marrow under the rocks of huge mountains, and which is the substratum of the triple world.

इति कथयसि चेन्न मे दुरात्मंस्तदिह निगीर्य भवन्तमात्मघातिन् । फलमिव तव मण्डलं ग्रसेयं प्रसभमुपेत्य जगद्यथा कृतान्तः ॥ १८ ॥

iti kathayasi cenna me durātmaṃstadiha nigīrya bhavantamātmaghātin | phalamiva tava maṇḍalaṃ graseyaṃ prasabhamupetya jagadyathā kṛtāntaḥ || 18 ||

If you, O wicked soul, fail to answer to these queries, then shalt thou be a killer of thyself, by your being made my food this moment. And know that at the end, I will devour all thy people, as the regent of death destroys every body in the world.