21. Chapter 21

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । ज्ञानिनैव सदा भाव्यं राम न ज्ञानबन्धुना । अज्ञातारं वरं मन्ये न पुनर्ज्ञानबन्धुताम् ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | jñāninaiva sadā bhāvyaṃ rāma na jñānabandhunā | ajñātāraṃ varaṃ manye na punarjñānabandhutām || 1 ||

Vasishtha continued:—The wise man must always conduct himself wisely, and not with mere show or affectation of wisdom; because the ignorant even are preferable to the affected and pretended lovers of learning.

श्रीराम उवाच । किमुच्यते ज्ञानबन्धुर्ज्ञानी चैव किमुच्यते । किं फलं ज्ञानबन्धुत्वे ज्ञानित्वेऽपि च किं फलम् ॥ २ ॥

śrīrāma uvāca | kimucyate jñānabandhurjñānī caiva kimucyate | kiṃ phalaṃ jñānabandhutve jñānitve'pi ca kiṃ phalam || 2 ||

Rama rejoined:—Tell me sir, what is meant by true wisdom, and by the show or affectation of it; and what is the good or bad result of either.

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । व्याचष्टे यः पठति च शास्त्रं भोगाय शिल्पिवत् । यतते न त्वनुष्ठाने ज्ञानबन्धुः स उच्यते ॥ ३ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | vyācaṣṭe yaḥ paṭhati ca śāstraṃ bhogāya śilpivat | yatate na tvanuṣṭhāne jñānabandhuḥ sa ucyate || 3 ||

Vasishtha replied:—He who reads the sastras, and practices his learning as a practitioner for earning his livelihood, without endeavouring to investigate into the principles of his knowledge, is called a friend to learning.

कर्मस्पन्देषु नो बोधः फलितो यस्य दृश्यते । बोधशिल्पोपजीवित्वाज्ज्ञानबन्धुः स उच्यते ॥ ४ ॥

karmaspandeṣu no bodhaḥ phalito yasya dṛśyate | bodhaśilpopajīvitvājjñānabandhuḥ sa ucyate || 4 ||

Whose learning is seen to be employed in busy life only, without showing its true effect in the improvement of the understanding;such learning being but an art or means of getting a livelihood, its possessor is called a fellow of learning;

वसनाशनमात्रेण तुष्टाः शास्त्रफलानि ये । जानन्ति ज्ञानबन्धूंस्तान्विद्याच्छास्त्रार्थशिल्पिनः ॥ ५ ॥

vasanāśanamātreṇa tuṣṭāḥ śāstraphalāni ye | jānanti jñānabandhūṃstānvidyācchāstrārthaśilpinaḥ || 5 ||

He who is satisfied with his food and dress only, as the best gain of his learning; is known as an amateur and novice in the art of explaining the sastra.

प्रवृत्तिलक्षणे धर्मे वर्तते यः श्रुतोचिते । अदूरवर्तिज्ञानत्वाज्ज्ञानबन्धुः स उच्यते ॥ ६ ॥

pravṛttilakṣaṇe dharme vartate yaḥ śrutocite | adūravartijñānatvājjñānabandhuḥ sa ucyate || 6 ||

He who persists in the performance of his righteous and ceremonial acts, as ordained by law (Srouta sastra) with an object of fruition, is termed a probationer in learning, and is near about to be crowned with knowledge.

आत्मज्ञानं विदुर्ज्ञानं ज्ञानान्यन्यानि यानि तु । तानि ज्ञानावभासानि सारस्याऽनवबोधनात् ॥ ७ ॥

ātmajñānaṃ vidurjñānaṃ jñānānyanyāni yāni tu | tāni jñānāvabhāsāni sārasyā'navabodhanāt || 7 ||

The knowledge of the soul (spiritual knowledge), is reckoned as the true knowledge; all other knowledge is merely a semblance of it, being void of the essential knowledge.

आत्मज्ञानमनासाद्य ज्ञानान्तरलवेन ये । संतुष्टाः कष्टचेष्टं ते ते स्मृता ज्ञानबन्धवः ॥ ८ ॥

ātmajñānamanāsādya jñānāntaralavena ye | saṃtuṣṭāḥ kaṣṭaceṣṭaṃ te te smṛtā jñānabandhavaḥ || 8 ||

Those who without receiving the spiritual knowledge, are content with bits of their secular learning; all their labour is in vain in this world, and they are styled as mere noviciates in learning.

ज्ञानादितज्ज्ञेयविकाशशान्त्या विना न संतुष्टधियेह भाव्यम् । त्वं ज्ञानबन्धुत्वमुपेत्य राम रमस्व मा भोगभवामयेषु ॥ ९ ॥

jñānāditajjñeyavikāśaśāntyā vinā na saṃtuṣṭadhiyeha bhāvyam | tvaṃ jñānabandhutvamupetya rāma ramasva mā bhogabhavāmayeṣu || 9 ||

Rama, you must not rest here with your heart's content, unless you can rest in the peace of your mind, with your full knowledge of the knowable one; you must not remain like a novice in learning, in order to enjoy the fruitions of this deleterious world.

अत्राहारार्थं कर्म कुर्यादनिन्द्यं कुर्यादाहारं प्राणसंधारणार्थम् । प्राणाः संधार्यास्तत्त्वजिज्ञासनार्थं तत्त्वं जिज्ञास्यं येन भूयो न दुःखम् ॥ १० ॥

atrāhārārthaṃ karma kuryādanindyaṃ kuryādāhāraṃ prāṇasaṃdhāraṇārtham | prāṇāḥ saṃdhāryāstattvajijñāsanārthaṃ tattvaṃ jijñāsyaṃ yena bhūyo na duḥkham || 10 ||

Let men work honestly on earth to earn their bread, and let them take their food for sustenance of their lives; let them live for the inquiry after truth, and let them learn that truth, which is calculated to prevent their return to this miserable world.