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.
पराशर उवाच । इतीरितस्तेन स राजवर्य्य स्तत्याज भेदं परमार्थदृष्टिः । स चापि जातिस्मरणाप्तबोध- स्तत्रैव जन्मन्यपवर्गमाप
Parāśara said: Thus addressed by him, the excellent king abandoned the notion of difference and attained the vision of ultimate reality; and, endowed with recollection of past births and true knowledge, he attained liberation in that very life.
इति भरतःनरेन्द्रसारवृत्तं कथयति यश्व श्वृणोति भक्तियुक्तः । स विमलमतिरेति नात्ममोहं भवति च संसरणेषु मुक्तियोग्यः
Whoever, with devotion, tells or hears this account of the noble king Bharata, gains a pure mind, is freed from self-delusion, and becomes fit for liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
मैत्रेय उवाच कथिता गुरुणा सम्यग्भूसमुद्रादिसंस्थितिः । सूर्यादिनां च संस्थानं ज्योतिषां चातिविस्तरात् ॥ ३,१.
Maitreya said: The teacher has fully described the existence of the earth, oceans, and so on, as well as the forms of the sun and other luminaries, and the details of the stars.
देवादीनां तथा सृष्टिर्ऋषीणां चापि वर्णिता । चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य चोत्पत्तिस्तिर्यग्योनिगतस्य च ॥ ३,१.
The creation of the gods and others, and also of the sages, has been narrated; the origin of the four varṇas and of beings born in other wombs as well.
ध्रुवप्रह्लादचरितं विस्तराच्च त्वयोदितम् । मन्वन्तराण्यशेषाणि श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यनुक्रमात् ॥ ३,१.
You have described in detail the stories of Dhruva and Prahlāda; I wish to hear, in order, about all the remaining Manvantaras.
मन्वन्तराधिपांश्चैव शक३ एवपुरोगमान् । भवता कथितानेताञ्छ्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं गुरो ॥ ३,१.
And also the rulers of the Manvantaras, along with their leaders and followers, as you have recounted—these too, O teacher, I wish to hear from you.
श्रीपराशर उवाच अतीतानागतानीह यानि मन्वन्तराणि वै । तान्यहं भवतः सम्यक्लथयामि यथा क्रमम् ॥ ३,१.
Śrī Parāśara said: The Manvantaras that have passed and those yet to come—I shall properly recount them to you, in order.
स्वायंभुवो मनुः पूर्वं परः स्वारोचिषस्तथा । उत्तमस्तामसश्चैव रैवतश्चाक्षुषस्तथा ॥ ३,१.
Svāyambhuva Manu was first, then Svārociṣa, followed by Uttama, Tāmasa, Raivata, and then Cākṣuṣa.
षडेते मनवोतीताः सांप्रतं तु रवेः सुतः । वैवस्वतेयं यस्त्वेतत्मप्तमं वर्ततेन्तरम् ॥ ३,१.
These six Manus have passed; now, the son of the sun, Vaivasvata, is the Manu of the present Manvantara.
स्वायंभुवं तु कथितं कल्पादावन्तरं मया । देवाः सप्तर्षयश्चैव यथावत्कथिता मया ॥ ३,१.
The Svāyambhuva Manvantara at the beginning of the kalpa has been described by me, along with the gods and the seven sages, as appropriate.