Mahābhārata

ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyā cintitā hariḥ

ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyā cintitā hariḥ |
govinda dvārakā-vāsin kṛṣṇa gopī-jana-priya ||
kauravaiḥ paribhūtāṁ māṁ kiṁ na jānāsi keśava |
he nātha he ramānātha vrajanāthārti-nāśana |
kauravārṇava-magnāṁ mām uddharasva janārdana ||
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahāyogin viśvātman viśva-bhāvana |
prapannāṁ pāhi govinda kuru-madhye’vasīdatīm ||
ity anusmṛtya kṛṣṇaṁ sā hariṁ tribhuvaneśvaram |
prārudad duḥkhitā rājan mukham ācchādya bhāminī ||
yājñasenyā vacaḥ śrutvā kṛṣṇo gahvarito’bhavat |
tyaktvā śayyāsanaṁ padbhyāṁ kṛpāluḥ kṛpayābhyagāt ||
kṛṣṇaṁ ca viṣṇuṁ ca hariṁ naraṁ ca
trāṇāya vikrośati yājñasenī |
tatas tu dharmo’ntarito mahātmā
samāvṛṇod vai vividhaiḥ suvastraiḥ ||
ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyās tu viśāṁpate |
tad-rūpaṁ aparaṁ vastraṁ prādurāsīd anekaśāḥ ||
nānā-rāga-virāgāṇi vasanān yatha vai prabho |
prādurbhavanti śataśo dharmasya paripālanāt ||
tato halahalā-śabdas tatrāsīd ghora-nihsvanaḥ |
tad-adbhutatamaṁ loke vīkṣya sarve mahībhṛtaḥ |
śaśaṁsur draupadīṁ tatra kutsanto dhṛtarāṣṭrajam ||
(Mahābhārata: 2.68.41–49)

“Hari was thought of by Draupadī as her cloth was being pulled [off of her body by Duḥśāsana on the order of Duryodhana], ‘O Govinda! O Resident of Dvārakā! O Kṛṣṇa! O Beloved of the gopīs! Do you not know I am being humiliated by the Kauravas. O Keśava! O Lord! O Lord of Lakṣmī! O Lord of Vraja! O Destroyer of distress! Save I who am drowning in the ocean of the Kauravas! O Janārdana! O Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa! O Supreme Yogī! O Soul of the world! O Origin of the world! Please protect I who have taken shelter [in you] and am coming undone in the midst of the Kurus, O Govinda!’ In this way constantly remembering Kṛṣṇa, Hari, the Lord of the three worlds, this beautiful woman, distressed, cried aloud, covering her face, O king. Hearing the words of Yājñasenī [i.e., Draupadī], Kṛṣṇa became absorbed. Leaving his couch and seat, the Compassion One compassionately came [there] on foot. Yājñasenī cried out to Kṛṣṇa, to Viṣṇu, to Hari, to Nara, for deliverance. Then, concealed [from view], Dharma, the Supreme Self, indeed completely covered [her] with various excellent clothes. As Draupadī’s cloth was being pulled, O king, another similar cloth appeared many times. As clothes of various colors and tones appeared by the hundreds on account of [Draupadī’s] apt observance of dharma, so the sound of applause—an awe-inspiring reverberation—[also] arose there. Seeing this paramount wonder in the world [i.e., seeing that Draupadī was miraculously protected from being disrobed], all the kings there praised Draupadī and reproached the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra [i.e., Duryodhana].”

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tatra saṁsāra-cakrasya mokṣo jñānena dṛśyate

tatra saṁsāra-cakrasya mokṣo jñānena dṛśyate |
ādhyātma-tattva-vijñānaṁ jñānam ity abhidhīyate ||
(Mahābhārata: 13.243.22)

“In that regard, mokṣa is observed [to occur] through knowledge of the wheel of saṁsāra. Refined knowledge of the nature of the higher self is known as ‘knowledge’ (jñānam).”

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nivṛttiḥ paramo dharmo nivṛttiḥ paramaṁ sukham

nivṛttiḥ paramo dharmo nivṛttiḥ paramaṁ sukham |
manasā vinivṛttānāṁ dharmasya nicayo mahān ||
manaḥ-pūrvāgamā dharmā adharmāś ca na saṁśayaḥ |
manasā badhyate cāpi mucyate cāpi mānavaḥ ||
nigṛhīte bhavet svargo visṛṣṭe narako dhruvaḥ |
(Mahābhārata: 13.213.41–43)

“Desistance (nivṛtti) is the ultimate dharma. Desistance is the ultimate happiness. Those have amply desisted by mind have a vast accumulation of dharma. Dharma and adharma are of prior appearance in the mind [i.e., dharma and adharma first arise in the mind and then manifest in the form of action]. There is no doubt [of this]. A human being is bound and also liberated by means of the mind. When [the mind is] controlled, Svarga shall manifest, and when released [i.e., left uncontrolled], Naraka is certain.”

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yasmin yasmiṁs tu viṣaye yo yo yāti viniścayam

yasmin yasmiṁs tu viṣaye yo yo yāti viniścayam |
sa tam evābhijānāti nānyaṁ bharata-sattama ||
yathā yathā ca paryeti loka-tantram asāravat |
tathā tathā virāgo’tra jāyate nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
evaṁ vyavasite loke bahu-doṣe yudhiṣṭhira |
ātma-mokṣa-nimittaṁ vai yateta matimān naraḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.175.3–5)

“Whatever firm resolve one acquires in regard to whatever object—that alone one understands [to be truly beneficial], and not anything else, O best of the Bharatas. As far as one maturely recognizes [i.e., deliberates upon and thereby understands] the intrinsic nature of the world to be essenceless, so far detachment towards it arises. Of this there is no doubt. When the world is thus determined to be possessed of numerous defects, O Yudhiṣṭhra, an intelligent person shall certainly endeavor for the sake of liberation of the self.”

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lobha-moha-samāpannaṁ na daivaṁ trāyate naram

lobha-moha-samāpannaṁ na daivaṁ trāyate naram ||
yathāgniḥ pavanoddhūtaḥ sūkṣmo’pi bhavate mahān |
tathā karma-samāyuktaṁ daivaṁ sādhu vivardhate ||
yathā taila-kṣayād dīpaḥ pramlānim upagacchati |
tathā karma-kṣayād daivaṁ pramlānim upagacchati ||
(Mahābhārata: 13.6.42–44)

“Destiny does not save a person afflicted with greed and delusion. As even a small fire stoked by the wind becomes large, so destiny supported by karma greatly increases. As a lamp becomes extinguished as a result of the diminution of oil, so destiny becomes extinguished as a result of the diminution of karma.”

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aprākṛte tu paroḍha-ramaṇī-ratir eva sarvottamatayā bhūyasī

aprākṛte tu paroḍha-ramaṇī-ratir eva sarvottamatayā bhūyasī śrūyate, na tasyā anaucitya-pravartitattvam alaukikatva-siddher bhūṣaṇam eva na tu dūṣaṇam iti nyāyāt, tarkāgocaratvāc ca, tathā ca ‘alaukikāś ca ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet’ iti ca | vraja-vadhūnāṁ kṛṣṇaikatāna-mānasatvena sva-pati-niṣṭhatvābhāvāt teṣāṁ ca māyā-kalita-tac-chāyānuśīlanena tad-aṅga-saṅgamāt, pratyuta kevalānurāga-mātropādhitayā ceto-rañjakatāyāḥ śuddhatvam eva |
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 5.13)

“In the case of the supramundane [i.e., supramundane rasa], however, love (rati) for a woman married to another is heard to be greater [than love for a wife] on account of [its] being the most excellent of all [types of love]. It’s not being prompted by impropriety is (1) because of the principle that its accomplishment on the basis of otherworldliness is verily an ornament and not rather a fault, (2) because of [its] being beyond the scope of argument (tarka), and (3) because [it is said in Mahābhārata], ‘Do not assess otherworldly states of being [e.g., such otherworldly love] with argumentation;’ on the contrary the veritable purity of that delighter of the heart [i.e., of that supramundane love (rait) which Kṛṣṇa has for a woman married to another] on account of [its] having an adjunct only of pure loving desire (anurāga) is (1) because of the ladies of Vraja’s absence of having attachment to their own husbands by virtue of [their] being of one-pointed mind upon Kṛṣṇa and (2) because of their [i.e., the gopīs’] contact with their [i.e., those husbands’] bodies [having occurred only] by means of lying with a shadow form of themselves fabricated by māyā.”

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naiṣa jñānavatā śakyas tapasā naiva cejyayā

naiṣa jñānavatā śakyas tapasā naiva cejyayā |
saṁprāptum indriyāṇāṁ tu saṁyamenaiva śakyate ||
bāhye cābhyantare caiva karmaṇi manasi sthitaḥ |
nirmalī-kurute buddhyā so’mutrānantyam aśnute ||
yathā hiraṇyakartā vai rūpyam agnau viśodhayet |
bahuśo’tiprayatnena mahatātma-kṛtena ha ||
tadvaj jāti-śatair jīvaḥ śudhyate’nena karmaṇā |
yatnena mahatā caivāpy eka-jātau viśudhyate ||
līlayālpaṁ yathā gātrāt pramṛjyād ātmano rajaḥ |
bahu-yatnena mahatā doṣa-nirharanaṁ tathā ||
(Mahābhārata: Śānti-parva, 280.9–14)

“He [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] is attainable neither by possessing knowledge (jñāna), nor by austerity (tapas), nor by sacrifice. He is able to be attained in full, rather, only by control of the senses. Remaining steadfast in the mind in the midst of external and internal acts [i.e., perseveringly engaging in external acts that are means of purifying the mind, such as sacrifices and austerities, and internal acts that are means of purifying the mind, such as non-attachment and meditation], one purifies [the mind] by means of the intellect (buddhi) and in the hereafter tastes the Infinite [i.e., attains mokṣa and experiences Śrī Bhagavān]. As a goldsmith should highly purify wrought gold with persevering effort performed repeatedly indeed by he himself, so a jīva is purified by these acts over the course of hundreds of births, and someone may indeed be highly purified in one birth as a result of great effort. As one should sportively wipe a small amount of dust away from the body [before it creates a difficult to remove stain], so the complete removal of faults [from the mind] should be accomplished with great persevering effort [lest those faults become even more deeply ingrained in the psyche].”

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na hṛṣyaty ātma-sammāne nāvamānena tapyate

na hṛṣyaty ātma-sammāne nāvamānena tapyate |
gāṅgo hrada ivākṣobhyo yaḥ sa paṇḍita ucyate ||
(Mahābhārata: Udyoga-parva, Vidura-nīti, 27)

“One who does not delight in praise of oneself, is not troubled by dishonor, and is imperturbable like a lagoon on the Gaṅgā is said to be a wise person (paṇḍita).”

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duḥkham evāsti na sukhaṁ tasmāt tad upalabhyate

duḥkham evāsti na sukhaṁ tasmāt tad upalabhyate |
tṛṣṇārti-prabhavaṁ duḥkhaṁ duḥkhārti-prabhavaṁ sukham ||
sukhasyānantaraṁ duḥkhaṁ duḥkhasyānantaraṁ sukham |
na nityaṁ labhate duḥkhaṁ na nityaṁ labhate sukham ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.26.22–23)

“Suffering alone exists, not happiness. Thus, that [i.e., suffering] is experienced. Suffering is that the cause of which is the distress of desire, and happiness is that the cause of which is the distress of suffering. After happiness there is suffering, and after suffering there is happiness. Suffering is never permanently attained, and happiness is never permanently attained.”

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na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ |
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṁ yo’nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.47; Manu-smṛti: 2.154)

“[The youthful Sārasvata Muni says to an assembly of elder ṛṣis who had requested him to teach them the Vedas after they had neglected to study them for many years during a prolonged famine and thus forgotten how to recite the Vedas in full and proper completion:] Neither by years, nor by grey hairs, nor by wealth, nor by relations have ṛṣis performed dharma. One who is devoted to learning [i.e., one who is well-versed in the śāstra so as to be able to read, repeat, and teach it to others] is the great one amongst us [i.e., a ṛṣi’s performance of dharma is constituted principally of learning, understanding, and teaching the śāstra].”

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