Agni Purana

ऋतुरुवाच । क्षुदस्ति यस्य भुक्तेऽन्ने तुष्टिर्ब्राह्मण जायते । न मे क्षुदभवत्तृप्तिं कस्मात्त्वं परिपृच्छसि ।। ३८०.

Ṛtu said: 'Hunger arises in one who eats food, and satisfaction is born in a brāhmaṇa; I did not feel hunger, nor satisfaction—why do you question me about this?'

क्षुत्तृष्णे देहधर्म्माख्ये न ममैते यतो द्विज । पृष्टोहं यत्त्वाया ब्रूयां३ तृप्तिरस्त्येव मे सदा ।। ३८०.

Hunger and thirst are qualities of the body, not mine, O twice-born; you have asked, so I tell you—indeed, I am always satisfied.

सोऽहं गान्ता५ न चागन्ता नैकदेशनिकेतनः । त्वं चान्यो न भवेन्नापि नान्यस्त्वक्तोऽस्मि वा प्यहं ।। ३८०.

I am one who goes, yet not one who comes; I do not dwell in any single place; you are not other, nor am I other than you, nor is anyone else apart from us.

मृण्मयं हि गृहं यद्वन्मृदालिप्तं स्थिरीभबेत् । पार्थिवोऽयं तथा देहः पार्थिवैः परमाणुभिः ।। ३८०.

Just as a house made of clay, when smeared with clay, becomes firm, so too this body, made of earth, is composed of earthly atoms.

ऋतुरस्मि तवाचार्य्यः प्रज्ञादानाय ते द्विज । इहागतोऽहं यास्यामि परमार्थस्तवोदितः ।। ३८०.

I am Ṛtu, your teacher, come here to impart wisdom to you, O twice-born; I will depart, for the highest truth has been revealed to you.

एकमेवमिदं विद्धि न भेदः सकलं जगत् । वासुदेवाभिधेयस्य स्वरूपं परमात्मनः ।। ३८०.

Know this: all this is one, there is no division in the entire universe; it is the true nature of the Supreme Self, known as Vāsudeva.

ऋतुर्वर्षसहस्रान्ते पुनस्तन्नगरं ययौ । निदाघं नगरप्रान्ते एकान्ते स्थितमव्रवीत् ३८०.

At the end of a thousand years, Ṛtu again went to that city and spoke to Nidāgha, who was standing alone at the edge of the city.

निदाघ उवाच भो विप्र जनसंवादो महानेष नरेश्वर । प्रविवीक्ष्य पुरं रम्यं तेनात्र स्थीयते मया ।। ३८०.

Nidāgha said: 'O brāhmaṇa, this great gathering of people, O lord of men, after observing this beautiful city, I have remained here.'

ऋतुरुवाच नराधिपोऽत्र कतमः कतमश्चेतरो जनः । कथ्यतां मे द्विजश्रेष्ठ त्वमभिज्ञो द्विजोत्तम ।। ३८०.

Ṛtu said: 'Who here is the king among men, and who are the others? Tell me, best of twice-born, for you are knowledgeable, O excellent brāhmaṇa.'

गजो योऽयमधो ब्रह्मन्नुपर्य्येष स भूपतिः । ऋतुराह गजः कोऽत्र राजा चाह निदाघकः ।। ३८०.

That which is below, O brāhmaṇa, is the elephant; the one above is the king; Ṛtu asked, 'Who is the elephant here, and who is the king?' Nidāgha replied.

ऋतुर्निदाघ आरुढ़ो दृष्टान्तं पश्य वाहनं । उपर्य्यहं यथा राज त्वमधः कुञ्जरो यथा ।। ३८०.

Ṛtu and Nidāgha mounted up: 'See the example, the vehicle; just as I am above and you are below, so is the king above and the elephant below.'

ऋतुः७ प्राह निदाघन्तं कतमस्त्वामहं वदे । उक्तो निदाघस्तन्नत्वा प्राह मे त्वं गुरुर्घ्रुवम् ।। ३८०.

Ṛtu said to Nidāgha: 'Which one am I, and which one are you?' Nidāgha, bowing, replied: 'You are certainly my teacher.'

नात्यस्माद्‌द्वैतसंस्कारसंस्कृतं मानसं तथा । ऋतुः प्राह निदाघन्तं ब्रह्मज्ञानाय चागतः । परमार्थं सारभूतमद्वैतं दर्शितं मया ।। ३८०.

The mind is not truly shaped by the impressions of duality; Ṛtu said to Nidāgha: 'I have come for the knowledge of Brahman; I have shown you the essential, nondual highest reality.'

ब्राह्मण उवाच निदाघोऽप्युपदेशेन तेनाद्वैतपरोऽभवत् । सर्वभूतान्यभेदेन ददृशे स तदात्मनि ।। ३८०.

The brāhmaṇa said: 'By that instruction, Nidāgha also became devoted to nonduality; he saw all beings as non-different from his own Self.'

अवाप मुक्ति ज्ञानात्स तथा त्वं मुक्तिमाप्स्यसि । एकः समस्तं त्वञ्चाहं विष्णुः सर्वगतो यतः ।। ३८०.

By knowledge he attained liberation; in the same way, you too will attain liberation. Since Viṣṇu is all-pervading, you and I are one and the same.

पीतनीलादिभेदेन यथैकं दृश्यते तमः । भ्रान्तिदृष्टिभिरात्मापि तथैकः स पृथक् पृथक् ।। ३८०.

Just as darkness appears as one, though seen as yellow, blue, and other colors due to differences, so too the Self, though one, is perceived as many by deluded vision.

संसाराज्ञानवृक्षारिज्ञानं ब्रह्मेति चिन्तय ।। ३८०.

Know that the knowledge which destroys the tree of worldly ignorance is called Brahman.

अग्निरुवाच गीतासारं प्रवक्ष्यामि सर्वगीतोत्तमोत्तमं । कृष्णोऽर्जुनाय यमाह पुरा वै भुक्तिमुक्तिदं ।। ३८१.

Agni said: I will declare the essence of the Gītā, the highest of all Gītās, which Kṛṣṇa once spoke to Arjuna, bestowing both enjoyment and liberation.

श्रीभगवानुवाच गतासुरगतासुर्वा न शोच्यो देहवानजः । आत्माऽजरोऽमरोऽभेद्यस्तस्माच्छोकादिकं त्यजेत् ।। ३८१.

The Blessed Lord said: Whether the life force has departed or not, the embodied one is not to be grieved for; the Self is ageless, immortal, and indestructible—therefore, abandon sorrow and the like.

ध्यायतो विषयान् पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते । सङ्गात् कामस्ततः क्रोधः क्रोधात्सम्मोह एव च ।। ३८१.

As a person contemplates sense objects, attachment to them arises; from attachment comes desire, and from desire, anger is born.

सम्मोहात् स्मृतिविभ्रंशो बुद्धिनाशात् प्रणश्यति । दुःसङ्गहानिः सत्सङ्गान्मोक्षकामी च कामनुत् ।। ३८१.

From anger comes delusion, from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory, the destruction of intelligence, and by the ruin of intelligence, one is lost. Association with the wicked leads to harm; association with the good, to liberation, and the seeker of liberation abandons desire.

कामत्यागादात्मनिष्ठः स्थिरप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते । या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।। ३८१.

He who is established in the Self by abandoning desire is called one of steady wisdom. That which is night for all beings, in that the disciplined one remains awake.

यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः । आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ।। ३८१.

That which beings are awake to is night for the sage who sees. One who is content in the Self alone has nothing to do.

नैव तस्य कृते नार्थो नाकृते नेह कश्चन । तत्त्ववित्तु महावाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः ।। ३८१.

For him, there is no purpose in action done or not done in this world. O mighty-armed, the knower of reality understands the distinction between qualities and actions.

गुणा गुणेषु वर्त्तन्ते इति मत्वा न सज्जते । सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यति ।। ३८१.

Recognizing that qualities act upon qualities, he is not attached. By the boat of knowledge alone, one crosses over all suffering.

ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात् कुरुतेऽर्जुन । ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गन्त्यक्त्वा करोति यः ।। ३८१.

The fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes, O Arjuna. He who performs actions, having renounced attachment and established them in Brahman, is not bound.

लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा । सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानां सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।। ३८१.

He is not tainted by sin, just as a lotus leaf is not wetted by water. He sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.

न हि कल्याणकृतं कश्चिद्‌दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति । देवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया ।। ३८१.

No one who acts righteously ever comes to a bad end, dear one. For this divine power of Mine, made of qualities, is difficult to overcome.

मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतान्तरन्ति ते । आर्त्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ।। ३८१.

But those who take refuge in Me alone cross over this illusion. O best of the Bharatas, the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise worship Me.