Vayu Purana

यष्टव्यं पशुभिर्मेध्यैरथ बीजैः फलैस्तथा। हिंसास्वभावो यज्ञस्य इति मे दर्शयत्यसौ ।। ५७.

'Sacrifice may be performed with pure animals, or with seeds and fruits; this shows me that violence is inherent in sacrifice.'

यथेह संहितामन्त्रा हिंसालिङ्गा महर्षिभिः। दीर्घेण तपसा युक्तैर्दर्शनैस्तारकादिभिः। तत्प्रामाण्यान्मया चोक्तं तस्मान्मा मन्तुमर्हथ ।। ५७.

'Just as, in the collections of mantras, the signs of violence are found by the great sages, endowed with long austerity and vision like the stars, so, on the authority of that, I have spoken; therefore, you should not think otherwise.'

यदि प्रमाणं तान्येव मन्त्रवाक्यानि वै द्विजाः । तदा प्रावर्त्तता यज्ञो ह्यन्यथा नोऽनृतं वचः। एवं हृतोत्तरास्ते वै युक्तात्मानस्तपोधनाः ।। ५७.

'If those very mantra statements are the authority, O twice-born, then the sacrifice proceeded; otherwise, the statement is untrue.' Thus, those ascetics, with disciplined minds, were silenced.

अधस्व भवनं दृष्ट्वा तमर्थं वाग्यतो भव। मिथ्यावादी नृपो यस्मात् प्रविवेश रसातलम् ।। ५७.

'Having seen that matter, descend to the lower world and be silent, for the king, being a speaker of falsehood, entered the netherworld.'

इत्युक्तमात्रे नृपतिः प्रविवेश रसातलम्। ऊर्द्ध्वचारी वसुर्भूत्वा रसातलचरोऽभवत् ।। ५७.

As soon as this was spoken, the king entered the netherworld; becoming a spirit that moves upward, he became a dweller in the netherworld.

वसुधातलवासी तु तेन वाक्येन सोऽभवत्। धर्माणां संशयच्छेत्ता राजा वसुरथागतः ।। ५७.

Dwelling upon the earth, by that statement, he became the king Vasuratha, the remover of doubts regarding righteousness.

तस्मान्न वाच्यमेकेन बहुज्ञेनापि संशयः। बहूद्धारस्य धर्मस्य सूक्ष्माद्‌दूरमुपागतिः ।। ५७.

Therefore, even a single learned person should not declare a doubt; for the subtle and far-reaching nature of righteousness has many interpretations.

तस्मान्न निश्चयाद्वक्तुं धर्मः शक्यस्तु केनचित्। देवानृषीनुपादाय स्वायम्भुवमृते मनुम् ।। ५७.

Therefore, no one is able to speak with certainty about righteousness, except for Manu, the self-born, along with the gods and sages.

तस्मान्न हिंसाधर्मस्य द्वारमुक्तं महर्षिभिः। ऋषिकोटिसहस्राणि कर्मभिः स्वैर्दिवं ययुः ।। ५७.

Therefore, the door to unrighteous violence has not been declared by the great sages; countless thousands of sages have attained heaven by their own deeds.

तस्मान्न दानं यज्ञं वा प्रशंसन्ति महर्षयः। तुच्छं मूलं फलं शाकमुदपात्रं तपोधनाः। एवं दत्त्वा विभवतः स्वर्गलोके प्रतिष्ठिताः ।। ५७.

Therefore, the great sages do not praise giving or sacrifice; ascetics, having given even meager roots, fruits, vegetables, or a pot of water, have attained the heavenly world according to their means.

अद्रोहश्चाप्यलोभश्च दमो भूतदया तपः। ब्रह्मचर्यं तथा सत्यमनुक्रोशः क्षमा धृतिः। सनातनस्य धर्मस्य मूलमेतद्दुरासदम् ।। ५७.

Absence of malice, absence of greed, self-control, compassion for beings, austerity, celibacy, truthfulness, kindness, forgiveness, and steadfastness—these are the difficult-to-attain roots of the eternal law.

धर्ममन्त्रात्मको यज्ञस्तपश्चानशनात्मकम्। यज्ञेन देवानाप्नोति वैराग्यं तपसा पुनः ।। ५७.

Sacrifice is characterized by the essence of sacred formulas, and austerity by fasting; by sacrifice one attains the gods, and by austerity, dispassion.

ब्राह्मण्यं कर्मसंन्यासाद्वैराग्यात् प्रेक्षते लयम्। ज्ञानात् प्राप्नोति कैवल्यं पञ्चैता गतयः स्मृताः ।। ५७.

Brahminhood is achieved by renunciation of actions; by dispassion, one perceives dissolution; by knowledge, one attains liberation—these five paths are remembered.

एवं विवादः सुमहान् यज्ञस्यासीत् प्रवर्त्तने। ऋषीणां देवतानाञ्च पूर्वं स्वायम्भुवेऽन्तरे ।। ५७.

Thus, a great dispute arose regarding the practice of sacrifice among the sages and gods, in the interval of the Svāyambhuva era.

ततस्ते ऋषयो दृष्ट्वाद्भुतं वर्त्म बलेन तु। वसोर्वाक्यमनादृत्य जग्मुस्ते वै यथागताः ।। ५७.

Then those sages, seeing the wondrous path by force, disregarded the words of Vasu and departed as they had come.

गतेषु देवसङ्घेषु देवा यज्ञमवाप्नुयुः। श्रूयन्ते हि तपःसिद्धा ब्रह्मक्षत्रमया नृपाः ।। ५७.

When the assembly of gods had departed, the gods obtained the sacrifice; indeed, ascetic kings composed of Brahmins and Kshatriyas are heard of.

प्रियव्रतोत्तानपादौ ध्रुवो मेधातिथिर्वसुः। सुमेधा विरजाश्चैव शङ्खपाद्रज एव च। प्राचीनबर्हिः पर्जन्यो हविर्द्धानादयो नृपाः ।। ५७.

Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Dhruva, Medhātithi, Vasu, Sumedhā, Virajā, Śaṅkhapādraja, Prācīnabarhi, Parjanya, Havirdhāna, and other kings.

एते चान्ये च बहवो नृपाः सिद्धा दिवं गताः। राजर्षयो महासत्त्वा येषां कीर्त्तिः प्रतिष्ठिता ।। ५७.

These and many other kings, accomplished ones, have gone to heaven—royal sages of great strength whose fame is established.

तस्माद्विशिष्यते यज्ञात्तपः सर्वेषु कारणैः। ब्रह्मणा तपसा सृष्ट जगद्विश्वमिदं पुरा ।। ५७.

Therefore, austerity surpasses sacrifice in all respects; formerly, the creator produced this entire world through austerity.

तस्मान्नात्येति तद्यज्ञं तपोमूलमिदं स्मृतम्। यज्ञप्रवर्त्तनं ह्येवमतः स्वायम्भुवेऽन्तरे। ततःप्रभृति यज्ञोऽयं युगैः सह व्यवर्त्तत ।। ५७.

Therefore, sacrifice does not surpass that; this is remembered as rooted in austerity. Thus, in the Svāyambhuva interval, the initiation of sacrifice occurred; from then on, sacrifice proceeded along with the ages.

अत ऊर्द्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि द्वापरस्य विधिं पुनः। तत्र त्रेतायुगे क्षीणे द्वापरं प्रतिपद्यते ।। ५८.

Now I shall again describe the rule of the Dvāpara age; when the Tretā age declines, the Dvāpara is entered.

द्वापरादौ प्रजानान्तु सिद्धिस्त्रतायुगे तु या। परिवृत्ते युगे तस्मिंस्ततः सा संप्रणश्यति ।। ५८.

At the beginning of Dvāpara, the success among people that existed in the Tretā age disappears when that age passes.

ततः प्रवर्त्तते तासां प्रजानां द्वापरे पुनः। लोभोऽधृतिर्वणिग्युद्धं तत्त्वानामविनिश्चयः ।। ५८.

Then, in Dvāpara, among those people, greed, lack of fortitude, trade, war, and uncertainty regarding principles arise again.

तम्भेदश्चैव वर्णानां कार्याणाञ्चा विनिर्णयः। यज्ञौषधेः पशोर्दण्डो मदो दम्भोऽक्षमा बलम्। एषां रजस्तमोयुक्ता प्रवृत्तिर्द्वापरे स्मृता ।। ५८.

The distinctions among castes and the determination of their duties, the punishment for sacrificial transgressions, intoxication, hypocrisy, gambling, and strength—these activities, associated with passion and darkness, are said to arise in the Dvapara age.

आद्ये कृते च धर्मोऽस्ति त्रेतायां सम्प्रपद्यते। द्वापरे व्याकुलीभूत्वा प्रणश्यति कलौ युगे ।। ५८.

In the first age, the Krita, righteousness exists; in Treta, it is attained; in Dvapara, it becomes confused; and in the Kali age, it is destroyed.

वर्णानां विपरिध्वंसः संकीर्त्त्यते तथाश्रमः। द्वैधमुत्पद्यते चैव युगे तस्मिन् श्रुतौ स्मृतौ ।। ५८.

The complete destruction of castes is described, and likewise of the stages of life; in that age, division arises even in the revealed and remembered scriptures.

द्वैधात् श्रुतेः स्मृतेश्चैव निश्चयो नाधिगम्यते। अनिश्चयादिगमनाद्धर्मतत्त्वं निगद्यते। धर्मतत्त्वे तु भिन्नानां मतिभेदो भवेन्नृणाम् ।। ५८.

Because of the division in the Vedas and Smritis, certainty is not attained; due to the absence of certainty, the true nature of righteousness is declared to be unknown; and in the understanding of righteousness, differences of opinion arise among people.

परस्परविभिन्नैस्तैर्दृष्टीनां विभ्रमेण च। अयं धर्मो ह्ययं नेति निश्चयो नाभिगम्यते ।। ५८.

Because of the mutual contradictions and confusion of their views, certainty about what is or is not righteousness cannot be reached.

कारणानाञ्च वकैल्यात् कारणस्याप्यनिश्चयात्। मतिभेदे च तेषां वै दृष्टीनां विभ्रमो भवेत् ।। ५८.

Because of the imperfection of causes and the uncertainty of reasoning, and because of differences in their understanding, confusion arises in their views.