Bhagavata Purana

अहो महीयसी जन्तोः जीविताशा यया भवान् । भीमापवर्जितं पिण्डं आदत्ते गृहपालवत्

Ah, how great is the hope for life in a living being, by which you, like a caretaker, accept food left aside by Bhima.

अग्निर्निसृष्टो दत्तश्च गरो दाराश्च दूषिताः । हृतं क्षेत्रं धनं येषां तद्दत्तैरसुभिः कियत्

Fire has been set, gifts given, poison administered, wives dishonored, land and wealth stolen—how much remains for those who gave their lives for such things?

तस्यापि तव देहोऽयं कृपणस्य जिजीविषोः । परैत्यनिच्छतो जीर्णो जरया वाससी इव

Even your body, O pitiable one, desiring to live, though unwilling, will depart, worn out by old age, like clothes that are threadbare.

गतस्वार्थमिमं देहं विरक्तो मुक्तबन्धनः । अविज्ञातगतिः जह्यात् स वै धीर उदाहृतः

One who, having lost all purpose for this body, becomes detached and freed from bonds, leaves it without concern for its destination; such a person is called wise.

यः स्वकात्परतो वेह जातनिर्वेद आत्मवान् । हृदि कृत्वा हरिं गेहात् प्रव्रजेत् स नरोत्तमः

He who, whether from his own or another's cause, has become disillusioned and self-possessed, placing Hari in his heart, leaves home; such a man is supreme.

अथोदीचीं दिशं यातु स्वैरज्ञात गतिर्भवान् । इतोऽर्वाक् प्रायशः कालः पुंसां गुणविकर्षणः

Therefore, let your journey be toward the northern direction, with your path unknown to others; for from here onward, time generally draws men away through the influence of the qualities.

एवं राजा विदुरेणानुजेन प्रज्ञाचक्षुर्बोधित आजमीढः । छित्त्वा स्वेषु स्नेहपाशान्द्रढिम्नो निश्चक्राम भ्रातृसन्दर्शिताध्वा

Thus, King Dhritarashtra, awakened by his wise younger brother Vidura, cut the strong bonds of affection for his own people and departed along the path shown by his brother.

पतिं प्रयान्तं सुबलस्य पुत्री पतिव्रता चानुजगाम साध्वी । हिमालयं न्यस्तदण्डप्रहर्षं मनस्विनामिव सत्सम्प्रहारः

The virtuous daughter of Subala, devoted to her husband, followed him as he left, laying aside her staff of authority, just as noble souls relinquish their attachments at the end.

अजातशत्रुः कृतमैत्रो हुताग्निः विप्रान् नत्वा तिलगोभूमिरुक्मैः । गृहं प्रविष्टो गुरुवन्दनाय न चापश्यत् पितरौ सौबलीं च

Ajatashatru, having made peace with all, performed fire sacrifices, honored the brahmins with sesame, cows, land, and gold, and entered his house to pay respects to his elders, but did not see his parents or the daughter of Subala.

तत्र सञ्जयमासीनं पप्रच्छोद्विग्नमानसः । गावल्गणे क्व नस्तातो वृद्धो हीनश्च नेत्रयोः

There, finding Sanjaya seated, he anxiously asked, 'O Gavalgana, where is our aged father, now deprived of sight?'

अम्बा च हतपुत्राऽऽर्ता पितृव्यः क्व गतः सुहृत् । अपि मय्यकृतप्रज्ञे हतबन्धुः स भार्यया । आशंसमानः शमलं गङ्‌गायां दुःखितोऽपतत्

'And where is mother, grieving for her slain sons? Where has my uncle, our friend, gone? Perhaps, thinking me lacking in wisdom and now bereft of kin, he has, with his wife, sought the Ganga, hoping for relief from sorrow,' he wondered, falling into distress.

पितर्युपरते पाण्डौ सर्वान्नः सुहृदः शिशून् । अरक्षतां व्यसनतः पितृव्यौ क्व गतावितः

'After our father Pandu passed away, our uncles protected all our friends and children from calamity. Where have those protectors gone now, leaving us behind?'

सूत उवाच । कृपया स्नेहवैक्लव्यात् सूतो विरहकर्शितः । आत्मेश्वरमचक्षाणो न प्रत्याहातिपीडितः

Suta said: Out of compassion and the pain of separation, Suta, overwhelmed and unable to see the Lord within himself, could not reply, being deeply afflicted.

विमृज्याश्रूणि पाणिभ्यां विष्टभ्यात्मानमात्मना । अजातशत्रुं प्रत्यूचे प्रभोः पादावनुस्मरन्

Wiping his tears with his hands and steadying himself, Sanjaya answered Ajatashatru, remembering the feet of the Lord.

सञ्जय उवाच । नाहं वेद व्यवसितं पित्रोर्वः कुलनन्दन । गान्धार्या वा महाबाहो मुषितोऽस्मि महात्मभिः

Sanjaya said: O delight of your lineage, I do not know the decision of your parents or of Gandhari, O mighty-armed one; I have been deceived by these great souls.

अथाजगाम भगवान् नारदः सहतुम्बुरुः । प्रत्युत्थायाभिवाद्याह सानुजोऽभ्यर्चयन् मुनिम्

Then the venerable sage Narada arrived with Tumburu. Rising to greet and honor him, Yudhishthira and his brothers worshipped the sage.

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । नाहं वेद गतिं पित्रोः भगवन् क्व गतावितः । अम्बा वा हतपुत्रार्ता क्व गता च तपस्विनी

Yudhishthira said: O revered one, I do not know where my parents have gone, nor where my mother, grieving for her slain sons and devoted to austerity, has departed.

कर्णधार इवापारे भगवान् पारदर्शकः । अथाबभाषे भगवान् नारदो मुनिसत्तमः

Then, like a helmsman who shows the way across the sea, the illustrious sage Narada, best among sages, spoke.

यथा गावो नसि प्रोताः तन्त्यां बद्धाः स्वदामभिः । वाक्तन्त्यां नामभिर्बद्धा वहन्ति बलिमीशितुः

Just as cows, tied by their own ropes to a stake, are bound by a cord, so too are beings bound by names and words, carrying out the offerings for the Lord.

यथा क्रीडोपस्कराणां संयोगविगमाविह । इच्छया क्रीडितुः स्यातां तथैवेशेच्छया नृणाम्

Just as the coming together and separation of playthings depend on the will of the player, so too do the unions and separations of people occur by the will of the Lord.

यन्मन्यसे ध्रुवं लोकं अध्रुवं वा न चोभयम् । सर्वथा न हि शोच्यास्ते स्नेहात् अन्यत्र मोहजात्

What you consider as permanent or impermanent in this world is neither truly so; in any case, they are not to be grieved for, except due to attachment born of delusion.

तस्माज्जह्यङ्‌ग वैक्लव्यं अज्ञानकृतमात्मनः । कथं त्वनाथाः कृपणा वर्तेरंस्ते च मां विना

Therefore, O dear one, give up this weakness of heart, born of ignorance. How could those helpless and pitiable ones survive without me?

कालकर्म गुणाधीनो देहोऽयं पाञ्चभौतिकः । कथमन्यांस्तु गोपायेत् सर्पग्रस्तो यथा परम्

This body, composed of the five elements, is subject to time, action, and the modes of nature. How can one protect others, just as someone seized by a serpent cannot save another?

अहस्तानि सहस्तानां अपदानि चतुष्पदाम् । फल्गूनि तत्र महतां जीवो जीवस्य जीवनम्

The handless are food for the handed, the footless for the four-footed; among all, the weak are the sustenance of the strong—life lives upon life.

तदिदं भगवान् राजन् एक आत्मात्मनां स्वदृक् । अन्तरोऽनन्तरो भाति पश्य तं माययोरुधा

O King, that Supreme Lord, who is the one Self of all selves and perceives Himself by Himself, dwells both within and without; see Him, who appears through the power of His own illusion.

सोऽयमद्य महाराज भगवान् भूतभावनः । कालरूपोऽवतीर्णोऽस्यां अभावाय सुरद्विषाम्

This very Lord, O great King, the creator and sustainer of beings, has now descended in the form of Time, to bring about the destruction of the enemies of the gods.

निष्पादितं देवकृत्यं अवशेषं प्रतीक्षते । तावद् यूयं अवेक्षध्वं भवेद् यावदिहेश्वरः

The divine task has been accomplished; now He awaits what remains to be done. Until then, you all should observe, as long as the Lord remains here.

धृतराष्ट्रः सह भ्रात्रा गान्धार्या च स्वभार्यया । दक्षिणेन हिमवत ऋषीणां आश्रमं गतः

Dhritarashtra, together with his brother and Gandhari his wife, has gone south of the Himalayas to the hermitage of the sages, accompanied by his own wife.

स्रोतोभिः सप्तभिर्या वै स्वर्धुनी सप्तधा व्यधात् । सप्तानां प्रीतये नाना सप्तस्रोतः प्रचक्षते

That river, the celestial Ganga, divided herself into seven streams by seven channels, for the pleasure of the seven sages; thus she is called the river of seven streams.