दयादानपरो नित्यं जीवमेव प्ररक्षयेत् । चांडालोऽप्यथ शूद्रो वा स वै ब्राह्मण उच्यते
One devoted always to compassion and giving protects life; even a Caṇḍāla or a Śūdra is called a brāhmaṇa.
ब्राह्मणो निर्दयो यो वै पशुघातपरायणः । स वै सुनिर्दयः पापी कठिनः क्रूरचेतनः
A brāhmaṇa who is merciless and intent on killing animals is indeed utterly merciless, sinful, hard-hearted, and cruel-minded.
वंचकैः कथितो वेदो यो वेदो ज्ञानवर्जितः । यत्र ज्ञानं भवेन्नित्यं तत्र वेदः प्रतिष्ठति
The Veda spoken by deceivers is a Veda devoid of knowledge; where knowledge always exists, there the Veda stands firm.
दयाहीनेषु वेदेषु विप्रेषु च महामते । नास्ति सत्यं क्रिया तत्र वेदविप्रेषु वै तदा
In Vedas and brāhmaṇas lacking compassion, O wise one, there is no truth or ritual there, truly, in those Vedas and brāhmaṇas.
वेदा न वेदा राजेंद्र ब्राह्मणाः सत्यवर्जिताः । दानस्यापि फलं नास्ति तस्माद्दानं न दीयते
Vedas are not Vedas, O king, and brāhmaṇas are devoid of truth; even the fruit of giving does not exist, therefore giving is not to be performed.
यथा श्राद्धस्य वै चिह्नं तथा दानस्य लक्षणम् । जिनस्यापि च यद्धर्मं भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकम्
Just as there is a mark of the śrāddha, so is there a mark of giving; and the righteousness of the Jina also grants enjoyment and liberation.
तवाग्रेऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि बहुपुण्यप्रदायकम् । आदौ दया प्रकर्तव्या शांतभूतेन चेतसा
In your presence I shall declare that which grants much merit; at the outset, compassion must be practiced with a mind made peaceful.
आराधयेद्धृदा देवं जिनं येन चराचरम् । मनसा शुद्धभावेन जिनमेकं प्रपूजयेत्
One should worship with heart the god Jina, by whom the moving and unmoving exist; with a pure mind, one should honor the one Jina.
नमस्कारः प्रकर्तव्यस्तस्य देवस्य नान्यथा । मातापित्रोस्तु वै पादौ कदा नैव प्रवंदयेत्
One must offer obeisance only to that deity, not otherwise; but as for the feet of mother and father, one should never bow to them.
अन्येषामपि का वार्ता श्रूयतां राजसत्तम । वेन उवाच- एते विप्राश्च आचार्या गंगाद्याः सरितस्तथा
What need is there to speak of others? Listen, O best of kings. Vena said: These Brahmins, teachers, and sacred rivers like the Ganga—
वदंति पुण्यतीर्थानि बहुपुण्यप्रदानि च । तत्किं वदस्व सत्यं मे यदि धर्ममिहेच्छसि
They declare that these are holy places, bestowing much merit; so tell me truly, if you desire righteousness here, what is your view?
पातक उवाच- आकाशाद्वै महाराज मेघा वर्षंति वै जलम् । भूमौ हि पर्वतेष्वेवं सर्वत्र पतिते जलम्
The embodiment of sin said: O great king, clouds pour down water from the sky; that water falls everywhere on the earth, on mountains and all places.
स आप्लाव्य ततस्तिष्ठेद्दयां सर्वत्र भावयेत् । नद्यः पापप्रवाहास्तु तासु तीर्थं श्रुतं कथम्
That water, after flooding, remains, and one should cultivate compassion everywhere; but the rivers are streams of sin—how then are they called holy places?
जलाशया महाराज तडागाः सागरास्तथा । पृथिव्याधारकाश्चैव गिरयो अश्मराशयः
O king, reservoirs of water, lakes, and oceans, as well as the mountains and rocky beds that support the earth—
नास्त्येतेषु च वै तीर्थं जलैर्जलदमुत्तमम् । स्नाने यदा महत्पुण्यं कस्मान्मत्स्येषु वै नहि
In these, there is truly no holy place, nor is water superior to water; if bathing brings great merit, why is it not so among the fish?
दृष्टा स्नानेन वै सिद्धिर्मीनाः शुद्ध्यंति नान्यथा । यत्र जिनस्तत्र तीर्थं तत्र धर्मः सनातनः
It is seen that only by bathing do fish become purified, not otherwise; where the Jina is, there is the holy place, there is the eternal dharma.
तपोदानादिकं सर्वं पुण्यं तत्र प्रतिष्ठितम्
All merit arising from austerity, charity, and the like is established there.
एको जिनः सर्वमयो नृपेंद्र नास्त्येव धर्मं परमं हि तीर्थम् । अयं तु लाभः परमस्तु तस्माद्ध्य्यास्व नित्यं सुसुखो भविष्यसि
The one Jina is all-pervading, O king; there is truly no higher dharma, no greater holy place. This indeed is the supreme gain; therefore, meditate always, and you will be supremely happy.
विनिंद्य धर्मं सकलं सवेदं दानं सपुण्यं परयज्ञरूपम् । पापस्वभावैर्बहुबोधितो नृपस्त्वंगस्य पुत्रो भुवि तेन पापिना
Rejecting all dharma, the Vedas, charity, merit, and the highest form of sacrifice, you, king, have been instructed by many with sinful tendencies, being the son of Anga, by that sinner on earth.
सूत उवाच- एवं संबोधितो वेनः पापभावं गतः किल । पुरुषेण तेन जैनेन महापापेन मोहितः
Sūta said: Thus addressed, Vena indeed became possessed by sin, deluded by that Jain man, the great sinner.
नमस्कृत्य ततः पादौ तस्यैव च दुरात्मनः । वेदधर्मं परित्यज्य सत्यधर्मादिकां क्रियाम्
Then, bowing to the feet of that wicked one, he abandoned Vedic dharma and all acts of truth and righteousness.
सुयज्ञानां निवृत्तिः स्याद्वेदानां हितथैव च । पुण्यशास्त्रमयो धर्मस्तदा नैव प्रवर्तितः
The cessation of proper sacrifices and the neglect of the Vedas occurred; the dharma composed of meritorious scriptures was then not practiced.
सर्वपापमयो लोकः संजातस्तस्य शासनात् । नैव यागाश्च वेदाश्च धर्मशास्त्रार्थमुत्तमम्
By his command, the world became filled with all manner of sin; there were no sacrifices, no Vedas, nor the supreme meaning of the dharma-śāstras.
न दानाध्ययनं विप्रास्तस्मिञ्छासति पार्थिवे । एवं धर्मप्रलोपोभून्महत्पापं प्रवर्तितम्
Under that king's rule, the Brahmins did not give gifts or study; thus, the destruction of dharma occurred, and great sin arose.
अंगेन वार्यमाणस्तु अन्यथा कुरुते भृशम् । न ननाम पितुः पादौ मातुश्चैव दुरात्मवान्
Though restrained by Anga, he acted otherwise with great intensity; he, wicked in mind, did not bow to the feet of his father or mother.
सनकस्यापि विप्रस्य अहमेकः प्रतापवान् । पित्रा निवार्यमाणश्च मात्रा चैव दुरात्मवान्
Even to the sage Sanaka, I alone am powerful; though restrained by my father and mother, I, wicked in mind, did not heed them.
न करोति शुभं पुण्यं तीर्थदानादिकं कदा । आत्मभावानुरूपं च बहुकालं महायशाः
He never performed virtuous deeds such as pilgrimages, giving gifts, or the like; for a long time, his actions were in accordance with his own nature, O illustrious one.
पुनः सर्वैर्विचार्यैवं कस्मात्पापी व्यजायत । अंगप्रजापतेः पुत्रो वंशलाञ्छनमागतः
Then, after considering all this, they wondered: Why was such a sinful one born, bringing disgrace to the lineage as the son of King Anga?
पुनः पप्रच्छ धर्मात्मा सुतां मृत्योर्महात्मनः । कस्य दोषात्समुत्पन्नो वद सत्यं मम प्रिये
Again, the righteous one questioned the daughter of mighty Mṛtyu: 'Tell me truly, my dear, through whose fault was he born?'
सुनीथोवाच- पूर्वमेव स्ववृत्तांतमात्मपुण्यं च नंदिनी । समाचष्ट च अंगाय मम दोषान्महामते
Sunītha said: 'Previously, Nandinī herself told Anga about her own conduct and merit, and also, O wise one, about my faults.'