जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु मानुष्यं प्राप्य दुर्लभम् यो हि नाचरते धर्मं भवेत् स खलु वञ्चितः
He who, after attaining rare human birth in thousands of previous lives, does not practice righteousness, is truly deceived.
कुत्सिता ये दरिद्राश् च विरूपा व्याधितास् तथा परप्रेष्याश् च मूर्खाश् च ज्ञेया धर्मविवर्जिताः
Those who are degraded, poor, deformed, diseased, servants of others, or ignorant—know them to be devoid of righteousness.
ये हि दीर्घायुषः शूराः पण्डिता भोगिनो ऽर्थिनः अरोगा रूपवन्तश् च तैस् तु धर्मः पुरा कृतः
Those who are long-lived, heroic, learned, prosperous, wealthy, healthy, and handsome—by them righteousness was practiced before.
एवं धर्मरता विप्रा गच्छन्ति गतिम् उत्तमाम् अधर्मं सेवमानास् तु तिर्यग्योनिं व्रजन्ति ते
Thus, O Brahmins, those devoted to righteousness attain the highest state; but those who pursue unrighteousness enter the wombs of animals.
ये नरा नरकध्वंसिवासुदेवम् अनुव्रताः ते स्वप्ने ऽपि न पश्यन्ति यमं वा नरकाणि वा
Those men who are devoted to Vāsudeva, destroyer of hell, do not see Yama or the hells, even in dreams.
अनादिनिधनं देवं दैत्यदानवदारणम् ये नमन्ति नरा नित्यं नहि पश्यन्ति ते यमम्
Those men who always bow to the beginningless and endless God, destroyer of demons and Dānavas, do not see Yama.
कर्मणा मनसा वाचा ये ऽच्युतं शरणं गताः न समर्थो यमस् तेषां ते मुक्तिफलभागिनः
Those who take refuge in Acyuta through action, mind, and speech—Yama is not able to reach them; they partake of the fruit of liberation.
ये जना जगतां नाथं नित्यं नारायणं द्विजाः नमन्ति नहि ते विष्णोः स्थानाद् अन्यत्र गामिनः
Those people, O Brahmins, who always bow to Nārāyaṇa, Lord of the worlds, do not go anywhere apart from Viṣṇu's abode.
न ते दूतान् न तन् मार्गं न यमं न च तां पुरीम् प्रणम्य विष्णुं पश्यन्ति नरकाणि कथंचन
They do not see the messengers, nor that path, nor Yama, nor that city; having bowed to Viṣṇu, they never see the hells in any way.
कृत्वापि बहुशः पापं नरा मोहसमन्विताः न यान्ति नरकं नत्वा सर्वपापहरं हरिम्
Even those men who, possessed by delusion, commit many sins, do not go to hell if they bow to Hari, destroyer of all sins.
शाठ्येनापि नरा नित्यं ये स्मरन्ति जनार्दनम् ते ऽपि यान्ति तनुं त्यक्त्वा विष्णुलोकम् अनामयम्
Even those people who remember Janardana always, though with deceit, they too, upon leaving the body, go to the flawless world of Vishnu.
अत्यन्तक्रोधसक्तो ऽपि कदाचित् कीर्तयेद् धरिम् सो ऽपि दोषक्षयान् मुक्तिं लभेच् चेदिपतिर् यथा
Even one who is extremely attached to anger, if he should sometimes praise Hari, he too, when his faults are destroyed, attains liberation, just as the lord of the gods.
श्रुत्वैवं यममार्गं ते नरकेषु च यातनाम् पप्रच्छुश् च पुनर् व्यासं संशयं मुनिसत्तमाः
Having heard thus about the path of Yama and the torments in hell, the best of sages again questioned Vyasa regarding their doubt.
भगवन् सर्वधर्मज्ञ सर्वशास्त्रविशारद मर्त्यस्य कः सहायो वै पिता माता सुतो गुरुः
O Lord, knower of all dharma, expert in all scriptures, who truly is the companion of a mortal—father, mother, son, or teacher?
ज्ञातिसंबन्धिवर्गश् च मित्रवर्गस् तथैव च गृहं शरीरम् उत्सृज्य काष्ठलोष्टसमं जनाः गच्छन्त्य् अमुत्र लोके वै कश् च तान् अनुगच्छति
And the group of relatives and kinsmen, and likewise the group of friends—when a person leaves house and body, which become like wood or clay, who among them follows him to the other world?
एकः प्रसूयते विप्रा एक एव हि नश्यति एकस् तरति दुर्गाणि गच्छत्य् एकस् तु दुर्गतिम्
Alone is one born, O Brahmins, and alone indeed does one perish; alone one crosses difficulties, and alone one goes to misfortune.
असहायः पिता माता तथा भ्राता सुतो गुरुः ज्ञातिसंबन्धिवर्गश् च मित्रवर्गस् तथैव च
Father, mother, likewise brother, son, teacher, the group of relatives and kinsmen, and likewise the group of friends—all are without companionship.
मृतं शरीरम् उत्सृज्य काष्ठलोष्टसमं जनाः मुहूर्तम् इव रोदित्वा ततो यान्ति पराङ्मुखाः
Having abandoned the dead body, which is like wood or clay, people, after weeping for a moment, then turn away.
तैस् तच् छरीरम् उत्सृष्टं धर्म एको ऽनुगच्छति तस्माद् धर्मः सहायश् च सेवितव्यः सदा नृभिः
Having abandoned that body, only dharma follows; therefore, dharma alone should always be cultivated by men as a companion.
प्राणी धर्मसमायुक्तो गच्छेत् स्वर्गगतिं पराम् तथैवाधर्मसंयुक्तो नरकं चोपपद्यते
A living being endowed with dharma attains the highest path to heaven; likewise, joined with adharma, he goes to hell.
तस्मात् पापागतैर् अर्थैर् नानुरज्येत पण्डितः धर्म एको मनुष्याणां सहायः परिकीर्तितः
Therefore, a wise person should not become attached to wealth obtained through sin, for dharma alone is declared to be the companion of humans.
लोभान् मोहाद् अनुक्रोशाद् भयाद् वाथ बहुश्रुतः नरः करोत्य् अकार्याणि परार्थे लोभमोहितः
Out of greed, delusion, compassion, or fear, or even though well-learned, a man, deluded by greed for another's sake, commits wrongful acts.
धर्मश् चार्थश् च कामश् च त्रितयं जीवतः फलम् एतत् त्रयम् अवाप्तव्यम् अधर्मपरिवर्जितम्
Dharma, artha, and kama—these three are the fruits for the living; these three are to be attained, avoiding adharma.
श्रुतं भगवतो वाक्यं धर्मयुक्तं परं हितम् शरीरनिचयं ज्ञातुं बुद्धिर् नो ऽत्र प्रजायते
Though the words of the Blessed Lord, endowed with dharma and of supreme benefit, have been heard, the mind does not arise here to know the collection of bodies.
मृतं शरीरं हि नृणां सूक्ष्मम् अव्यक्ततां गतम् अचक्षुर्विषयं प्राप्तं कथं धर्मो ऽनुगच्छति
For the dead body of men, having become subtle and unmanifest, having reached a state beyond the senses, how does dharma follow it?
पृथिवी वायुर् आकाशम् आपो ज्योतिर् मनोन्तरम् बुद्धिर् आत्मा च सहिता धर्मं पश्यन्ति नित्यदा
Earth, air, space, water, fire, the inner mind, intellect, and self—together, these always perceive dharma.
प्राणिनाम् इह सर्वेषां साक्षिभूता दिवानिशम् एतैश् च सह धर्मो हि तं जीवम् अनुगच्छति
For all living beings here, these are witnesses day and night; and with these, dharma indeed follows that living being.
त्वग् अस्थि मांसं शुक्रं च शोणितं च द्विजोत्तमाः शरीरं वर्जयन्त्य् एते जीवितेन विवर्जितम्
Skin, bone, flesh, semen, and blood, O best of Brahmins—these abandon the body when life has departed.
ततो धर्मसमायुक्तः स जीवः सुखम् एधते इहलोके परे चैव किं भूयः कथयामि वः
Then, endowed with righteousness, that living being prospers happily in this world and the next; what more shall I tell you?
तद् दर्शितं भगवता यथा धर्मो ऽनुगच्छति एतत् तु ज्ञातुम् इच्छामः कथं रेतः प्रवर्तते
This has been shown by the Blessed One, how righteousness follows; but now we wish to know: how does the seed proceed?