तस्मान्न विज्ञानमृतेस्ति किंचित्क्वचित्कदाचिद्द्विज वस्तुजातम् ।। विज्ञानमेकं निजकर्मभेदविभिन्नचित्तेर्बहुधाभ्युपेतम्
Therefore, O twice-born, there is never, anywhere, at any time, any real substance apart from consciousness; consciousness alone, appearing manifold due to the diversity of individual actions and thoughts, is accepted as many.
ज्ञानं विशुद्धं विमलं विशो कमश्षोलोभादिनिरस्तसङ्गम् । एकं सदैकं परमः परेशः स वासुदेवो न यतोन्यदस्ति
Knowledge that is pure, spotless, free from desire, anger, greed, and other attachments—this alone is eternal, one, and supreme; that is Vāsudeva, the highest Lord, and there is nothing else apart from Him.
सद्भाव एवं भवतो मयोक्तो ज्ञानं यथा सत्यमसत्यमन्यत् । एतत्तु यत्संव्यवहारभूतं तत्रापि चोक्तं भुवनाश्रितं ते
Thus I have explained to you the true nature of existence, and how knowledge is real while all else is unreal; as for that which is the basis of worldly dealings, I have also described to you how it is supported by the world.
यज्ञः पशुर्वह्निरश्षोऋत्विक्सोमः सुराः स्वर्गमयश्च कामः । इत्यादिकर्माश्रितमार्गदृष्टं भूरादिभोगाश्च फलानि तेषाम्
Sacrifice, the sacrificial animal, fire, the oblation, the officiating priests, soma, the gods, heaven, and desire—these and other results seen on the path of ritual action, and the enjoyments of earth and so forth, are their fruits.
यच्चैतद्भुवनगतं मया तवोक्तं सर्वत्र व्रजति हि तत्र कर्मवश्यः । ज्ञात्वैवं ध्रुवमचलं सदैकरूपं तत्कुर्याद्विशति हि येन वासुदेवम्
Whatever in this world I have told you about, all of it proceeds everywhere under the power of action; knowing this, one should perform that steadfast, unchanging, ever-same act by which one attains Vāsudeva.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच । भगवन् ! सम्यगाख्यातं यत् पृष्टोऽसि मयाखलम् । भूसमुद्रादिसरितां संस्थानं ग्रहसंस्थितिम्
Śrī Maitreya said: O Lord, you have properly explained, as I asked, the arrangement of the earth, oceans, rivers, and the positions of the planets.
विष्णवाधारं तथा चैतत् त्रैलोक्यं समवस्थितम् । परमार्थस्तु तेनोक्तो यथाज्ञानं प्रधानतः
You have also described how this threefold world is established upon Viṣṇu as its foundation; and you have explained the ultimate truth, according to knowledge, especially regarding the primary principle.
यत्त्वोतद्भगवानाह भरतस्य महीपतेः । कथयिष्यामि चरितं तन्माख्यातुमर्हसि
Now, whatever the Blessed Lord spoke about King Bharata, I wish to hear his story; please recount it to me.
भरतः स महीपालः शालग्रामेऽवसत् किल योगयुक्तः समाधाय वासुदेवे सदा मनः
That King Bharata once dwelled at Śālagrāma, always absorbed in yoga, with his mind constantly fixed on Vāsudeva.
पुण्यदेशप्रभावेण ध्यायतश्व सदा हरिम् । कथन्तु नाभवन्मुक्तिर्यदभूत् स द्रिजः पुनः
By the power of that holy place, he always meditated on Hari; yet, O twice-born, tell me how it happened that he did not attain liberation and was born again.
विप्रत्वे च कृतं तेन यद्भूयःसुमहात्मना । भरतेन मुनिश्वेष्ठ! तत् सर्व्वं वक्तुमर्हसि
And what did he do in his next birth as a brāhmaṇa, that great soul Bharata? O best of sages, please tell me all of this.
पराशार अवाच । शालग्रामे महाभागो भगवन्नयस्तमानसः । स उवास चिरं कालं मैत्रेय! पृथिवीपतिः
Paraśara said: In Śālagrāma, that blessed king, whose mind was devoted to the Lord, dwelled for a long time, O Maitreya.
अहिंसादिष्वशेषेषु गुणेषु गुणिनां वरः । अवाप परमां काष्ठां मनसश्चापि संयमे
Excelling in virtues like nonviolence and others, he attained the highest state of self-control over his mind.
यज्ञेशाच्युत गोविन्द माधवानन्त केशव ! कृष्णा विष्णो ह्टषीकेशेत्याह राजा स केवलम्
He would utter only the names Yajñeśa, Acyuta, Govinda, Mādhava, Ananta, Keśava, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, and Hṛṣīkeśa—nothing else did the king say.
नान्यज्जागाद मैत्रेय! किञ्चित् स्वप्नान्तरेऽपि च । एततूपरं तदर्थञ्च विना नान्यदचिन्तयत्
He spoke nothing else, O Maitreya, not even in dreams; apart from this, he thought of nothing else.
समित्-पुष्प-कुशादानं चक्र देवक्रियाकृते । नान्यानि चक्र कर्म्माणि निः सङ्गो योगतापसः
He performed the offering of fuel, flowers, and sacred grass for divine rites; but, detached and absorbed in yoga, he did no other actions.
जगाम सोऽबिषेकार्थमेकदा तु महानदीम् । सस्नौ तत्र तदा चक्र स्नानस्यनन्तरक्रियाः
Once, for the purpose of consecration, he went to a great river; there he bathed, and then performed the rituals that follow bathing.
अथातजगाम तत्तीर्थं जलं पात् पिपासिता । आसन्नप्रसवा ब्रह्मन्नेकैव हरिणी वनात्
Then, O Brahman, a thirsty pregnant doe came alone from the forest to that holy riverbank to drink water.
ततः समभवत्तत्र पीतप्राय जले तया । सिंहस्य नादः सुमहान् सर्व्वप्राणिभयङ्करः
Thereupon, as she was about to drink, a mighty roar of a lion arose, terrifying all living creatures.
ततः सा सहसा त्रासादाप्लुता निम्नगातटम् । अत्युज्वारोहणेनास्या नद्यां गर्भः पपात सः
Frightened, she suddenly leapt toward the riverbank; due to her excessive jump, her unborn young fell into the river.
तमुह्ममानं वेगेन वीचिमालापरिप्लुतम् । तजग्राह स नृपो गर्भात् पतितं मृगपोतकम्
The king seized the fawn, which had fallen from the womb and was swept away by the swift waves.
गर्भप्रव्युतिदोषेण प्रोत्तुङ्गाक्रमणोन च । मैत्रेय! सापि हरिणी पपात च ममार च
Due to the trauma of miscarriage and the strenuous leap, O Maitreya, the doe fell and died.
हरिणीं तां विलोक्याथ विपन्नां नृपतापसः । मृगपोतं समादाय निजमाश्वममागतः
Seeing the doe perished, the royal ascetic took the fawn and returned to his own hermitage.
चकारानुदिनञ्चासौ मृगपोतस्यवै नृपः । पोषण पुष्यमाणश्य स तेन वबृधे मुने
Day by day, the king cared for and nourished the fawn, and thus it grew, O sage.
चचाराश्रमपर्य्यन्तं तृणानि गहनेषु सः । दूरं गत्वा च शाद्दूलत्रासादभ्याययौ पुनः
He wandered around the hermitage, gathering grass in the thickets; when the fawn went far, it would return again out of fear of wild beasts.
प्रातर्गत्वातिदूरञ्च सायमायाद यथाश्वमम् । पुनश्च भरतस्याभूदाश्वमस्योटजाजिरे
In the morning it would go far, and in the evening return to the hermitage, just as a horse does; again, it became attached to Bharata’s hermitage.
तस्य तस्मिन्मृगे दूर-समीपपरिवर्त्तिनि । आसीच्चेतः समायुक्तं न ययावन्यतो द्रिज
The king’s mind became wholly absorbed in the fawn, whether it wandered near or far; he did not turn his attention elsewhere, O twice-born.
विमुक्तराज्यतनयः प्रोज्झिताशेषबान्धवः । ममत्वं स चकारोच्चैस्तस्मिन् हरिणबालके
Having renounced kingdom, sons, and all relatives, he developed intense affection for that young deer.
किं वृकैक्भक्षितो व्याघूः किं सिंहेन निपातितः । चिरायमाणे निष्कान्ते तस्यासीदिति मानसम्
He wondered anxiously, 'Has it been eaten by wolves? Has it been struck down by a tiger or lion? It has been gone a long time and has not returned.'
एषा वसुमती तस्य खुराग्रक्षतकर्बुरा । प्रीतये मम जातोऽसौ क्व ममैणकबालकः
'This earth is marked by the scratches of its hooves; it brings me joy. Where is my fawn?'