भारतसावित्री
Bhārata Sāvitrī

Śrī Vedavyāsa’s final message to humanity in Mahābhārata.

Excerpted from the Svargārohana Parva, 5.47–51.

मातापितृसहस्राणि पुत्रदारशतानि च ।
संसारेष्वनुभूतानि यान्ति यास्यन्ति चापरे ॥

mātā-pitṛ-sahasrāṇi putra-dāra-śatāni ca |
saṁsāreṣv anubhūtāni yānti yāsyanti cāpare ||

Thousands of mothers and fathers
And hundreds of sons and wives
Known [to us] in our transmigrations
Pass away
And will pass away again in the future.

हर्षस्थानसहस्राणि भयस्थानशतानि च ।
दिवसे दिवसे मूढं आविशन्ति न पण्डितम् ॥

harṣa-sthāna-sahasrāṇi bhaya-sthāna-śatāni ca |
divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ||

Thousands of occasions for joy,
And hundreds of occasions for fear,
Day by day affect the foolish,
But not the wise.

ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्विरौम्येष न च कश्चिच्छृणोति माम् ।
धर्मादर्थश्च कामश्च स किमर्थं न सेव्यते ॥

ūrdhva-bāhur viraumy eṣa na ca kaścic chṛṇoti me |
dharmād arthaś ca kāmaś ca sa kim arthaṁ na sevyate ||

With arms upraised, I shout this,
But no one listens to me.
From dharma come artha and kāma.
For the sake of what is it [i.e., dharma,] not followed?

न जातु कामान्न भयान्न लोभा-
द्धर्मं त्यजेज्जीवितस्यापि हेतोः ।
नित्यो धर्मः सुखदुःखे त्वनित्ये
जीवो नित्यो हेतुरस्य त्वनित्यः ॥

na jātu kāmān na bhayān na lobhād
dharmaṁ tyajej jīvitasyāpi hetoḥ |
nityo dharmaḥ sukha-duḥkhe tv anitye
jīvo nityo hetur asya tv anityaḥ ||

Never—
Neither because of desire,
Nor because of fear,
Nor because of greed—
Forsake dharma,
Even for the sake of [one’s] life.
Dharma is eternal,
Whereas happiness and sorrow are non-eternal.
Life is eternal,
Whereas its means is non-eternal.

Commentary

“Means” (hetuḥ) can be understood to refer to the body, that is, the means by which an eternal living entity (jīva) experiences happiness and sorrow within saṁsāra. Alternately, hetuḥ can be understood to mean “cause” and refer to ignorance (avidyā) of the eternal self (jīva) as a result of which one becomes subject to bondage in saṁsāra.

इमां भारतसावित्रीं प्रातरुत्थाय यः पठेत् ।
स भारतफलं प्राप्य परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति ॥

imāṁ bhārata-sāvitrīṁ prātar utthāya yaḥ paṭhet |
sa bhārata-phalaṁ prāpya paraṁ brahmādhigacchati ||

One who upon arising in the morning,
Recites this Bhārata Sāvitrī 
[i.e., the four previous verses,]
Gains the result of [reciting in full] the Mahābhārata,
And realizes the Supreme Brahman.

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