Bhagavata Purana

किं स्वल्पतपसां नॄणां अर्चायां देवचक्षुषाम् । दर्शनस्पर्शनप्रश्न प्रह्वपादार्चनादिकम्

What to say of those men of little austerity, who in the worship of the gods—who are the eyes of the world—gain the chance to see, touch, question, and bow to the feet of such beings?

न ह्यम्मयानि तीर्थानि न देवा मृच्छिलामयाः । ते पुनन्त्युरुकालेन दर्शनादेव साधवः

Neither sacred waters, nor gods made of clay and stone, purify in the same way; it is the holy ones who purify, simply by their sight, even in a brief moment.

( मिश्र ) नाग्निर्न सूर्यो न च चन्द्रतारका न भूर्जलं खं श्वसनोऽथ वाङ्‌मनः । उपासिता भेदकृतो हरन्त्यघं विपश्चितो घ्नन्ति मुहूर्तसेवया

Neither fire, nor sun, nor moon and stars, nor earth, water, sky, wind, speech, or mind—though worshipped as separate—remove sin; the wise destroy it by serving the enlightened, even for a moment.

यस्यात्मबुद्धिः कुणपे त्रिधातुके स्वधीः कलत्रादिषु भौम इज्यधीः । यत्तीर्थबुद्धिः सलिले न कर्हिचित् जनेष्वभिज्ञेषु स एव गोखरः

He who identifies the self with the body of three elements, regards wife and kin as his own, worships earth as sacred, and sees holy places only as water, but never seeks out the wise—he is no better than a cow or donkey.

श्रीशुक उवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) निशम्येत्थं भगवतः कृष्णस्याकुण्थमेधसः । वचो दुरन्वयं विप्राः तूष्णीमासन् भ्रमद्धियः

Śuka said: Hearing these words of Krishna, whose wisdom is unfathomable, the sages sat silent, their minds perplexed by the depth of his speech.

चिरं विमृश्य मुनय ईश्वरस्येशितव्यताम् । जनसङ्ग्रह इत्यूचुः स्मयन्तस्तं जगद्‌गुरुम्

After long deliberation, the sages, smiling at the Lord of the universe, said that his sovereignty was for gathering people together.

श्रीमुनय ऊचुः - ( मिश्र ) यन्मायया तत्त्वविदुत्तमा वयं विमोहिता विश्वसृजामधीश्वराः । यदीशितव्यायति गूढ ईहया अहो विचित्रं भगवद् विचेष्टितम्

The sages said: By your māyā, O highest knower of truth, even we, the lords among the creators of the world, are bewildered; your mastery is hidden by your own mysterious power—how wondrous are the Lord's actions!

अनीह एतद्‌ बहुधैक आत्मना सृजत्यवत्यत्ति न बध्यते यथा । भौमैर्हि भूमिर्बहुनामरूपिणी अहो विभूम्नश्चरितं विडम्बनम्

Though without desire, you create, maintain, and withdraw the world in many ways, yet are not bound—just as the earth, though appearing in many forms and names, remains unchanged. How marvelous and mysterious are the acts of your greatness!

अथापि काले स्वजनाभिगुप्तये बिभर्षि सत्त्वं खलनिग्रहाय च । स्वलीलया वेदपथं सनातनं वर्णाश्रमात्मा पुरुषः परो भवान्

Yet, at the proper time, for the protection of Your own people, You assume the mode of goodness, and also for the subjugation of the wicked; by Your own play, You uphold the eternal path of the Veda, O Supreme Person, who are the soul of the varṇāśrama order.

( अनुष्टुप् ) ब्रह्म ते हृदयं शुक्लं तपःस्वाध्यायसंयमैः । यत्रोपलब्धं सद्व्यक्तं अव्यक्तं च ततः परम्

O Brahman, Your heart is pure, attained through austerity, study, and self-restraint; in it is realized that which is manifest, unmanifest, and beyond both.

तस्माद्‌ ब्रह्मकुलं ब्रह्मन् शास्त्रयोनेस्त्वमात्मनः । सभाजयसि सद्धाम तद्‌ ब्रह्मण्याग्रणीर्भवान्

Therefore, O Brahman, You honor the community of Brahmins, the very source of the scriptures and of Yourself; thus You become the foremost among those devoted to Brahman.

अद्य नो जन्मसाफल्यं विद्यायास्तपसो दृशः । त्वया सङ्गम्य सद्‌गत्या यदन्तः श्रेयसां परः

Today, our birth, our learning, our austerity, and our vision have borne fruit, for by meeting You, who are the highest goal, we have attained the supreme good.

नमस्तस्मै भगवते कृष्णायाकुण्ठमेधसे । स्वयोगमाययाच्छन्न महिम्ने परमात्मने

Obeisance to that Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose intellect is unfailing, whose greatness is concealed by His own yogamāyā, and who is the Supreme Soul.

न यं विदन्त्यमी भूपा एकारामाश्च वृष्णयः । मायाजवनिकाच्छन्नं आत्मानं कालमीश्वरम्

He whom these kings and even the Vṛṣṇis, who delight in Him alone, do not know—He is the Lord of time and the Self, hidden by the curtain of māyā.

यथा शयानः पुरुष आत्मानं गुणतत्त्वदृक् । नाममात्रेन्द्रियाभातं न वेद रहितं परम्

Just as a man lying asleep, though perceiving the elements and qualities, does not know his own true self, which is distinct from mere names and sense-objects.

एवं त्वा नाममात्रेषु विषयेष्विन्द्रियेहया । मायया विभ्रमच्चित्तो न वेद स्मृत्युपप्लवात्

So too, by the delusion of māyā, the mind bewildered by attachment to names, objects, and senses, does not know You, due to the disturbance of memory.

( वसंततिलका ) तस्याद्य ते ददृशिमाङ्‌घ्रिमघौघमर्ष तीर्थास्पदं हृदि कृतं सुविपक्वयोगैः । उत्सिक्तभक्त्युपहताशय जीवकोशा आपुर्भवद्‌गतिमथानुगृहान भक्तान्

Today, we have seen Your feet, which remove the mass of sins, which are the very abode of holy places, established in the heart by those whose yoga is fully matured; O Lord, whose devotees, their inner coverings pierced by overflowing devotion, attain Your path—please grant them Your grace.

श्रीशुक उवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) इत्यनुज्ञाप्य दाशार्हं धृतराष्ट्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । राजर्षे स्वाश्रमान् गन्तुं मुनयो दधिरे मनः

Śuka said: Thus, after taking leave of the Dāśārha (Kṛṣṇa), Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Yudhiṣṭhira, the royal sage, the sages set their minds on returning to their own hermitages.

तद् वीक्ष्य तानुपव्रज्य वसुदेवो महायशाः । प्रणम्य चोपसङ्गृह्य बभाषेदं सुयन्त्रितः

Seeing them, the illustrious Vasudeva approached, bowed, honored them, and spoke these well-controlled words.

श्रीवसुदेव उवाच - नमो वः सर्वदेवेभ्य ऋषयः श्रोतुमर्हथ । कर्मणा कर्मनिर्हारो यथा स्यान्नस्तदुच्यताम्

Śrī Vasudeva said: O sages, I bow to you, who are all the gods. Please tell us how, by action, the bondage of action may be destroyed.

श्रीनारद उवाच - नातिचित्रमिदं विप्रा वसुदेवो बुभुत्सया । कृष्णं मत्वार्भकं यन्नः पृच्छति श्रेय आत्मनः

Śrī Nārada said: O Brāhmaṇas, it is not surprising that Vasudeva, out of eagerness to know, asks us about the highest good for himself, considering Kṛṣṇa as his own child.

सन्निकर्षोऽत्र मर्त्यानां अनादरणकारणम् । गाङ्गं हित्वा यथान्याम्भः तत्रत्यो याति शुद्धये

Here, among mortals, close association leads to disregard, just as one, leaving the Ganges, seeks other water for purification.

यस्यानुभूतिः कालेन लयोत्पत्त्यादिनास्य वै । स्वतोऽन्यस्माच्च गुणतो न कुतश्चन रिष्यति

He whose realization, by time, creation, dissolution, and so on, is never diminished by himself, by others, or by qualities, from anywhere.

( वसंततिलका ) तं क्लेशकर्मपरिपाकगुणप्रवाहैः अव्याहतानुभवमीश्वरमद्वितीयम् । प्राणादिभिः स्वविभवैरुपगूढमन्यो मन्येत सूर्यमिव मेघहिमोपरागैः

That Lord, who is undivided, whose experience is unobstructed by the flows of suffering, karma, and qualities, yet is concealed by His own powers such as life-force—one may mistake Him, as one mistakes the sun covered by clouds, mist, or eclipse.

( अनुष्टुप् ) अथोचुर्मुनयो राजन् आभाष्यानकदुंदुभिम् । सर्वेषां श्रृणतां राज्ञां तथैवाच्युतरामयोः

Then, O King, the sages, having addressed Anakadundubhi, spoke before all the assembled kings and the two descendants of Acyuta.

कर्मणा कर्मनिर्हार एष साधुनिरूपितः । यच्छ्रद्धया यजेद् विष्णुं सर्वयज्ञेश्वरं मखैः

The destruction of karma by action is thus established by the wise: with faith, one should worship Viṣṇu, the Lord of all sacrifices, through sacrificial rites.

चित्तस्योपशमोऽयं वै कविभिः शास्त्रचक्षुषा । दर्शितः सुगमो योगो धर्मश्चात्ममुदावहः

This tranquility of the mind, indeed, has been shown by poets with the eye of scripture; the path of yoga is easy and brings joy to the self.

अयं स्वस्त्ययनः पन्था द्विजातेर्गृहमेधिनः । यच्छ्रद्धयाऽऽप्तवित्तेन शुक्लेनेज्येत पूरुषः

This is the auspicious path for the twice-born householder, which a person should worship with pure means and faith, according to his acquired wealth.

वित्तैषणां यज्ञदानैः गृहैर्दारसुतैषणाम् । आत्मलोकैषणां देव कालेन विसृजेद्‌बुधः । ग्रामे त्यक्तैषणाः सर्वे ययुर्धीरास्तपोवनम्

The wise should renounce the pursuit of wealth through sacrifices and charity, the pursuit of wife and children through household life, and the pursuit of self through spiritual worlds, O Lord, in due time; those who have abandoned all pursuits in the village have gone, steadfast, to the forest of austerity.