ऋबुरुवाच । क्षुदू यस्य तस्य भुक्तेऽन्ने तृप्तिर्ब्राह्मण! जायते । न मे क्षु न्नाभवत् तृप्तिः कस्मान्मां परिपृच्छसि
Ṛbhu said: O Brāhmaṇa, satisfaction arises from eating food for one who is hungry; but as I did not feel hunger, I did not experience satisfaction—so why do you question me?
वह्निना पार्थिवे धातौ क्षयिते क्षु त्सनुद्भवः । भवत्यम्भांस च क्षीणो नृणां तृड़पि जायते
Hunger arises when the element of earth is consumed by fire; and when the waters in the body are depleted, thirst arises in people.
क्षुत्तृषौ देहधर्म्माख्ये न ममैते यतो द्रिज । ततः क्षु त्सम्भवाभावात् तृप्तिरस्त्येव मे सदा
O twice-born, hunger and thirst are known as bodily conditions, but these do not pertain to me; therefore, as there is no arising of hunger for me, I am always satisfied.
मनसः स्वस्थता तुष्टिश्वित्तधर्म्माविमौ द्रिज । चेतसो यस्य तत् पृच्छ पुमानेबिर्न युज्यते
O Brāhmaṇa, the contentment of the mind and the satisfaction of desires are two qualities of the mind; ask about these, for a person is not bound by anything else.
क्व निवासस्तवेत्युक्तं क्व गन्तासि स यत् त्वया । कु तश्वागम्यते तत्र त्रितयेऽपि निबोध मे
When you ask, 'Where is your dwelling? Where will you go? From where have you come?'—listen to my answer regarding these three.
पुमान् सर्व्वगतो व्यापा आकाशवदयं यतः । कुतः कुत्र क्व गन्तासीत्येतदप्यर्थवत् कथम्
Since the person is all-pervading and spreads everywhere like space, how can questions like 'from where, to where, where will you go?' have any real meaning?
नाहं गन्ता न चागन्ता नैकदेशनिकेतनः । त्वं चान्येच न च त्वं त्वं नान्ये नैवाहमप्यहम्
I am neither a goer nor one who comes, nor am I confined to any one place; you are not another, nor are you yourself, nor am I another, nor am I myself.
मष्टं न मष्टमप्येषा जिज्ञासा मे कृता तव । किं वक्ष्यसीति तत्रापि श्रूयतां द्रिजसत्तम
You have asked this inquiry about 'mine' and 'not mine'; now hear, O best of Brāhmaṇas, what I will say in response.
किमस्वादूथवा मृष्टं भुञ्जतोऽन्नं द्रिजोत्तम । मृष्टमेव यदामृष्टं तदैवोदू गकारकम्
O best of Brāhmaṇas, when one eats food, is it tasteless or delicious? What is delicious becomes tasteless when it is no longer desired.
अमृष्टं जायते मृष्टं मृष्टादुद्रिजते जनः । आदिमध्यावसानेषु किमन्नं रुचिकारकम्
What is tasteless becomes delicious, and from the delicious, people turn away; at the beginning, middle, and end, what is it that makes food appealing?
मृन्मयं हि गृहं यदून्मृदा लिप्त स्थिरं भवेत् । पार्थिवोऽयं तथा देहः पार्थिवैः परमाणभिः
Just as a house made of clay, when coated with clay, becomes firm, so too this body is made of earthly atoms.
. यव-गोधूम-मुदूगादि घृतं तैलं पयो दधि । गुड फलादीनि तथा पार्थिवाः परमाणवः
Barley, wheat, pulses, clarified butter, oil, milk, curd, jaggery, fruits, and the like—all these are composed of earthly atoms.
तदेतदू भवता ज्ञात्वा मृष्टामृष्टविचारि यत् । तन्मनः समातालम्बि कार्य्यं साम्यं हि मुक्तय
Knowing this, consider the distinction between what is delicious and what is not; let the mind remain balanced, for equanimity is the means to liberation.
इतायाकर्ण्य वच्स्तस्य परमार्थाश्रितं नृफ! प्रणिपत्य महाभागे निदाघो वाक्यमब्रवीत्
Hearing these words, which rest on the highest truth, King, Nidāgha bowed to the great one and spoke.
प्रसीद मद्धितार्थाय कथ्यतां यस्त्वमागतः । नष्टो मोहस्तवाकर्ण्य वचांस्येतानि मे द्रिज
Be gracious, and tell me for my benefit why you have come; my delusion has vanished upon hearing these words of yours, O Brāhmaṇa.
ऋभुरस्मि तवाचार्य्यः प्रज्ञादानाय ते द्रिज! इहागतोऽहं यास्यामि परमार्थस्तवोदितः
I am Ṛbhu, your teacher, come here to bestow knowledge upon you, O Brāhmaṇa; now I will depart, for the highest truth has been declared to you.
एवमेकमिदं विद्धि न भेदि सकलं जगत् । वासुदेवाभिधेयस्य स्वरूपं परमात्मनः
Know this: all this world is one, not divided; it is the true nature of the Supreme Self, known as Vāsudeva.
तथेत्युक्त्वा निदाघेन प्रणिपातपुरः सरम् । पूजितः परया भतया इच्छातः प्रययावृभुः
Having said so, Nidāgha, bowing deeply, worshipped Ṛbhu with great devotion, and Ṛbhu departed as he wished.
ऋबुर्वर्षसहस्त्र तु समतीते नरेश्वर! निदाघज्ञानदानाय तदेव नगरं ययौ
O king, when a thousand years had passed, Ṛbhu went again to that city to impart knowledge to Nidāgha.
नगरस्य वहिः सोऽथ निदाघं ददृशे मुनिः । महाबलपरीवारे पुरं विशति पार्थिवे
Then, outside the city, the sage saw Nidāgha, who, surrounded by a great retinue, was entering the city of the king.
दूरे स्थितं महाभागं जंनसम्मर्द्द वर्ज्जकम् । क्षु त्क्षामकण्ठमायान्तमराण्यात् ससमितुकुशम्
He saw the illustrious one standing at a distance, avoiding the crowd, his throat parched, coming from the forest with sacrificial grass and sticks.
दृष्वा निदाघं स ऋभुरुपगम्याभिवाद्य च । उवाच कस्मादेकान्ते स्थीयते भवता द्रिज
Seeing Nidāgha, Ṛbhu approached and greeted him, then said: 'Why are you standing here alone, O twice-born?'
बो विप्र ! जनसम्मर्द्दो महानेष महनिष जनिश्वरे । प्रविविक्षौ पुरं रम्यं तेनात्र स्थीयते मया
'O brāhmaṇa, there is a great crowd here, O lord of men; wishing to avoid it, I am standing here outside the beautiful city.'
नराधिपोऽत्र कतमः कतमश्चेतरो जनः । कथ्यतां मे द्रिजश्वेष्ठ! त्वमभिज्ञो मतो मम
'Who here is the king, and who is the other people? Tell me, best of twice-born, for I consider you knowledgeable.'
योऽयं गजेन्द्रमुन्मत्तमद्रिश्वृङ्गसमुच्छिर्तम् । अधिरूढो नरेन्द्रोऽयं परलोकस्तथेतरः
'He who is mounted on the great elephant, whose head rises like a mountain peak, is the king; the rest are others.'
एतौ हि गज-राजानौ युगपदू दशितौ मम । बवता न विशेषेण पृथकूचिह्नपिलक्षणौ
'These two, the king and the elephant, are both equally visible to me; but you, without distinction, do not mark them as separate.'
तत् कथ्यतां महाभाग ! विशेषो भवतानयोः । ज्ञातु मिच्छाम्यहं कोऽत्र गजः को वा नराधिपः
'Therefore, O illustrious one, tell me the distinction between these two; I wish to know who here is the elephant and who is the king.'
गजो योऽयमधो ब्रह्मन् ! उपर्य्यस्यैष भूपतिः
'O brāhmaṇa, the one below is the elephant; the one above is the king.'
जानाम्यहं यथा ब्रह्म स्तथा मामवबोधम । अवःशह्दनिगद्य किं किञ्चोद्ध्व मभिधीयते
'I know this, O brāhmaṇa, just as you do; but why do you speak in such a way, and what else is being indicated?'
इत्युक्तः सहसारुह्म निदाघः प्राह त ऋबुम् । श्रूयतां कथयाम्येष यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि
Thus addressed, Nidāgha quickly mounted up and said to Ṛbhu: 'Listen, I will explain what you have asked me.'