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.'
उपर्य्यहं यथा राजा त्वमधः कूञ्जरो यथा । अवबोधाय ते ब्रह्मन् ! दृष्टान्तो दसितो मया
'Just as I am now above and you are below like the elephant, so, O brāhmaṇa, I have shown you this example for your understanding.'
त्वं राजेव द्रिजश्वेष्ठ! स्थितोऽहं गजवद् यदि । तदेतत् त्वं समाचक्ष्व कतमस्त्वमहं तता
'If you are like the king, best of twice-born, and I am standing like the elephant, then tell me which is you and which am I.'
इत्युक्तः सत्वरं तस्य प्रगृह्म चरणावुभौ । निदाघः प्राह भगवानाचार्य्यस्त्वमृबुध्रुर्वम्
Thus addressed, Nidāgha quickly took hold of both his feet and said: 'You are the revered teacher Ṛbhu, and I am Nidāgha.'
नान्यस्यादू तसंस्कारस्कृतं मानसं तथा । यथाचार्य्यस्य तन त्वां मन्ये प्राप्तमह गुरुम् ।। 16 तवोपदेशदानाय पूर्व्वशुश्रूषणादृतः । गुरुस्तेऽहमृभुर्नाम्रा निदाघ! समुपागतः
'No one else’s mind is shaped by discipline as much as the disciple’s by the teacher; therefore, I consider you to have attained the highest teacher.'
तदेतदुपदिष्टं सङ्क्ष पेण महामते । परमार्थसारभूतं यददूतैमशेषतः
'Thus, in brief, I have instructed you, O wise one, in the essence of the highest truth, as it has been taught to me in full.'
एवमुक्त्वा ययौ विद्रान् निदाघं स ऋबुर्गुरुः । नदाघोऽप्युपदेशीन तेनादूतैपरोऽभवत्
Having spoken thus, Ṛbhu, the teacher, departed from Nidāgha; and Nidāgha, having received his instruction, became devoted to the supreme truth.
सर्व्भूतान्यभेदेन ददृशे स तदान्मनः । यथा ब्रह्मपरो मुक्तिपवाप परमां द्रिज
At that time, his mind perceived all beings as non-different; just as one devoted to Brahman attains the supreme liberation, O twice-born one.
तथा त्वमपि धर्म्मज्ञ ! तुल्यात्मरिपुबान्धवः । भव सर्व्वगतं जानन्नात्मानमवनीपते
So too, O knower of dharma, you should be equal towards friend and foe, recognizing the Self as present in all, O king.
सितनीलादिभेदेन यथैकः दृश्यते नभः । भ्रान्तिदृष्टिभिरात्मापि तथैकं सन् पृथक् पृथक्
Just as the one sky appears as white, blue, and so on, due to differences, so too the one Self, though truly one, appears as many through deluded vision.
एकः समस्तं यदिहास्ति किञ्चित् तदच्युतो नास्ति परं ततोऽन्यत् । सोऽहं स च त्वं स च सर्व्वमेत- दात्मखरूपं त्यज भेदमोहम्
That which exists here as one alone—whatever it may be—is the imperishable; there is nothing else beyond it. I am that, you are that, and all this is that; abandon the delusion of difference, which arises from ignorance of the Self.