Agni Purana

यद्द्रव्या शिविका चेयं तद्‌द्रव्यो भूतसंग्रहः । भवतो मेऽखिलस्यास्य समत्वेनोपबृंहितः ।। ३८०.

Of whatever material this palanquin is, that material is a collection of elements; you and I and all this are equally supported by it.

तच्छ्रु त्वोवाच राजा तं गृहीत्वाङ्‌घ्री क्षमाप्य च । प्रसादं कुरु त्वक्त्वेमां शिविकां ब्रूहि श्रृण्वते । यो भवान् यन्निमित्तं वा यदागमनकारणम् ।। ३८०.

Hearing this, the king spoke, taking his feet and bowing: 'Show your favor, tell me about this palanquin for my understanding—who are you, for what reason, and what is the cause of your coming?'

श्रूयतां कोहमित्येतद्वक्तु नैव च शक्यते । उपभोगनिमित्तञ्च सर्वत्रागमनक्रिया ।। ३८०.

Listen: 'Who am I?'—this cannot truly be spoken; for everywhere, the act of coming is for the sake of experience.

सुखदुःखोपभोगौ तु तौ देशाद्युपपादकौ । धर्माघर्मोद्भवौ भोक्तुं जन्तुर्देशादिमृच्छति ।। ३८०.

Pleasure and pain are to be experienced, and they arise from place and other causes; produced by merit and demerit, the being seeks place and so on to enjoy them.

राजोवाच योऽस्ति सोहमिति ब्रह्मन् कथं वक्तुं न शक्यते । आत्मन्येष न दोषाय शब्कदोहमिति यो द्विज ।। ३८०.

The king said: 'If one exists, O Brahman, how can it not be spoken? If one says "I am this," there is no fault in the self, O twice-born.'

शब्दोहमित्रि दोषाय नात्मन्येष तथैव तत् । अनात्मन्यात्मविज्ञानं शब्दो वा भ्रान्तिलक्षणः ।। ३८०.

The word 'I am this' is indeed faulty, but not so in the self; knowledge of the self in the not-self, or the word itself, is a mark of delusion.

यदा समस्तदेहेषु पुमानेको व्यवस्थितः । तदा हि को भवान् कोहमित्येतद्विफलं वचः ।। ३८०.

When the one person is established in all bodies, then, indeed, 'Who are you? Who am I?'—such speech is fruitless.

त्वं राजा शिविका चेयं वयं वाहाः पुरःसराः । अयञ्च भवतो लोको न सदेनन्नृपोच्यते ।। ३८०.

You are the king, this is the palanquin, we are the bearers leading the way; but this world of yours, O king, is not truly thus.

वृक्षाद्दारु ततश्चेयं शिविका त्वदधिष्ठता । का वृक्षसंज्ञा जातास्य दारुसंज्ञाथ वा नृप ।। ३८०.

From the tree comes the wood, and from that, this palanquin under your authority; what is the designation of tree or wood for this, O king?

वृक्षारूढ़ो महाराजो नायं वदति चेतनः । न च दारुणि सर्वस्त्वां ब्रवीति शिविकागतं ।। ३८०.

The great king mounted upon the tree does not speak with awareness; nor does the wood itself say anything to you, who are seated in the palanquin.

शिविकादारुसङ्घातो रचनास्थितिसंस्थितः । अन्विष्यतां नृपश्रेष्ट तद्भेदे शिविका त्वया ।। ३८०.

The palanquin is a collection of wooden parts, constructed and assembled; O foremost of kings, examine this—if it is broken, the palanquin is no longer by you.

पुमान् स्त्री गौरयं वाजी कुञ्जरो विहगस्तरुः । देहेषु लोकसंज्ञेयं विज्ञेया कर्महेतुषु ।। ३८०.

Man, woman, cow, horse, elephant, bird, tree—these bodies are known in the world by their respective names; understand that these are due to the causes of action.

जिह्वा व्रवीत्यहमिति दन्तौष्ठौ तालुकं नृप । एते नाहं यतः सर्व्वेवाङ्निपादनहेतवः ।। ३८०.

The tongue says 'I speak,' but the teeth, lips, and palate, O king, do not; for all these are merely instruments for producing speech.

किं हेतुभिर्वदत्येषा वागेवाहमिति स्वयं । तथापि वाङ्नाहमेतदुक्तं मिथ्या न युज्यते ।। ३८०.

What is the reason that this speech says 'I am speech' by itself? Even so, speech is not truly 'I'; this statement is not accurate.

पिण्डः पृथग्‌ यतः पुंसः शिरःपाय्वादिलक्षणः । ततोऽहमिति कुत्रैतां संज्ञां राजन् करोम्यहं ।। ३८०.

Since the body is distinct, marked by head, feet, and other features, O king, how then do I make this designation of 'I'?

यदन्योऽस्ति परः कोपि मत्तः पार्थिवसत्तम । तदेषोहमयं चान्यो वक्तुमेवमपीष्यते ।। ३८०.

If there is another, a separate entity apart from me, O best of kings, then this 'I' is that other, and it too is said to be so.

परमार्थभेदो न नगो न पशुर्नच पादपः । शरीराश्च विभेदाश्च य एते कर्मयोनयः ।। ३८०.

In ultimate reality, there is no elephant, no animal, nor tree; the bodies and their distinctions are merely sources of action.

यस्तु राजेत् यल्लोके यच्च राजभटात्मकम् । तच्चान्यच्च नृपेत्थन्तु न सत् सम्यगनामयं ।। ३८०.

Whatever rules, whatever exists in the world, and whatever is of the nature of king and his attendants—all these, O king, are other and not truly named rightly.

त्वं राजा सर्वलोकस्य पितुः पुत्रो रिपोरिपुः । पत्न्याः पतिः पिता सूनोः कस्त्वां भूप वदाम्यहं ।। ३८०.

You are the king of all worlds, son of your father, enemy of your enemy, husband of your wife, father of your son—O ruler, who am I to call you?

त्वं किमेतच्छिरः किन्नु शिरस्तव तथोदरं । किमु पादादिकं त्वं वै तवैतत् किं महीपते ।। ३८०.

Are you this head? Is this head yours? Likewise, is this abdomen yours? Are you the feet and so on? Is this truly yours, O king?

समस्तावयवेभ्यस्त्वं पृथग्भूतो व्यवस्थितः । कोहमित्यत्र निपुणं भूत्वा चिन्तय पार्थिव ३८०.

You are established as distinct from all the limbs; become discerning and reflect deeply, O king, on 'Who am I?'

श्रेयोऽर्थमुद्यतः प्रष्ट्रं कपिलर्षिमहं द्विज । तस्याशः कपिलर्षेस्त्वं मत् कृते ज्ञानदो भुवि ३८०.

I am Kapila, the sage, who has come to question you for the sake of the highest good; your hope is that Kapila, for my sake, will grant knowledge on earth.

ब्राह्मण उवाच भूयः पृच्छसि किं श्रेयः परमार्थन्न पृच्छसि । श्रेयांस्यपरमार्थानि अशेषाण्येव भूपते ।। ३८०.

The Brahmin said: You ask again about what is good, but do not inquire about ultimate reality; O king, all that is good is not ultimate reality.

देवताराधनं कृत्वा धनसम्पत्तिमिच्छति । पुत्रानिच्छति राज्यञ्च श्रेयस्तस्यैव किं नृपः ।। ३८०.

After worshipping the gods, one desires wealth and prosperity, children, and a kingdom; O king, is this truly the highest good for him?

विवेकिनस्तु संयोगः श्रेयो यः परमात्मनः । यज्ञादिका क्रिया न स्यात् नास्ति द्रव्योपपत्तिता ।। ३८०.

For the discerning, union with the supreme self is the highest good; ritual acts like sacrifice are not possible without the means of material objects.

परमार्थात्मनोर्योगः परमार्थ इतीष्यते । एको व्यापी समः शुद्धो निर्गुणः प्रकृतेः परः ।। ३८०.

Union with the supreme self is considered ultimate reality; it is one, all-pervading, equal, pure, without qualities, and beyond nature.

जन्मवृद्ध्यादिरहित आत्मा सर्वगतोऽव्ययः । परं ज्ञानमयोऽसङ्गी गुणजात्यादिभिर्विभुः ।। ३८०.

The self is free from birth, growth, and so on, all-pervading and imperishable; it is supreme, composed of knowledge, unattached, and transcendent over qualities and categories.

ऋतुर्ब्रह्मसुतो ज्ञानी तच्छिष्योऽभूत् पुलत्स्यजः ।। ३८०.

Ṛtu, the son of Brahmā, was a knower of true knowledge; Pulastya's descendant became his disciple.

निदाघः प्राप्तविद्योऽस्मान्नगरे वै पुरे स्थितः । देविकायास्तटे तञ्च तर्कयामास वै ऋतुः ।। ३८०.

Nidāgha, having attained knowledge, remained in the city; Ṛtu approached him on the banks of the Devikā river and began to question him.