अनुगीता पर्व — अहिंसा; आत्मा और प्रकृति का संयोग तथा वियोग

Well then I shall describe to you what you ask. Learn what was told by a preceptor to a disciple who came to him.

Hearing it all, do you settle properly (what it should be). Abstention from injuring any creature is considered as the foremost of all duties.

That is the highest seat, shorn of anxiety and forming a mark of holiness. The ancients who had seen the certain truth, have said that knowledge is the highest happiness.

Hence, one becomes freed of all sins by pure knowledge. they who are engaged in destruction and harm, they who are infidels in conduct, have to go to Hell on account of their being gifted with cupidity and delusion. Those who, without idleness, perform acts moved thereto by expectation, become repeatedly born in this world and sport in happiness. Those men who, gifted with learning and wisdom, perforın acts with faith, free from expectations, and possessed of concentration of mind, are said to perceive clearly.

I shall, after this. describe how the association and the disassociation takes place of Soul and Nature. You best of men, listen. The relation here is said to be that betwcen the object and the subject.

Purusha is always the subject; and Nature the object. It has been explained, by what has been said in a previous part of the discourse where it has been pointed out, that they exist after the manner of the gnat and the Udumbara,

An object of enjoyment as it is, Nature is unintelligent and knows nothing. He, however, who enjoys it, is said to know it, Soul being enjoyer, Nature is enjoyed.

The wise have said that Nature is always made up of pairs of opposites. Soul is, on the other hand, destitute of pairs of opposites, devoid of parts, eternal, and free, about its essence, from qualities.

He lives in everything alike, and walks with knowledge. He always enjoys Nature as a lotus leaf (enjoys) water.

Endued with knowledge, he is never tainted even if brought into contact with all the qualities.

Forsooth, Purusha is unattached like the unsteady drop of water on the lotus leaf. This is the certain conclusion that Nature is the property of Purusha.

The relation between these two (viz., Purusha and Nature) is like that existing between matter and its maker. As one goes into a dark place carrying a light with him, so those who wish for the Supreme proceed with the light of Nature. As long as matter and quality exist, so long the light shines.

The flame, however, becomes put out when matter and quality (or oil and wick) are exhausted. Thus Nature is manifest; while Purusha is said to be unmanifest.

Understand this, you learned Brahmanas! Well, I shall now tell you something more. With even a thousand (explanations), one who has a bad understanding succeeds not in acquiring knowledge.

One, however, who is gifted with intelligence succeeds in acquiring happiness, through only a fourth share (c: explanations). Thus should the accomplishment of duty be understood as dependent on means. For the intelligent man, having knowledge of means, succeeds in acquiring supreme happiness.

As some man travelling along a road without provisions of his journey, proceeds with great uneasiness and may even meet with destruction before he reaches the end of his journey, so should it be known that in deeds there may or may not be fruits.

The examination of what is agreeable and what disagrceable is one's own self, yields benefit. The progress in life of a man who is devoid of the perception of truth is like that of a man who rashly journey on a long road unseen before. The progress, however, of those who are gifted with intelligence, is like that of men who journey along the same road, riding on a car to which are yoked (fleet) horses and which moves with swiftness. Having ascended to the top of a mountain, one should not cast his eyes on the surface of the earth.

Sceing a man, even though travelling on a car, afflicted and rendered insensible by pain, the inielligent man journeys on a car as long as there is a car-path.

The learned man, when he sees the car-path end, abandons his car for going on. Thus does the intelligent man who knows the ordinances about truth and Yoga, proceed. Knowing the qualities, such man, proceeds, comprehending what is next and next.

As one who plunges, without a boat, into the terrible ocean, with only ones two arms, through delusion, undoubtedly wishes for a range. After destruction; while the wise man conversant with distinctions, goes into the water, with a boat having oars, and soon crosses the lake without fatigue, and having crossed it gets to the other shore and leaves off the boat, freed from the thought of mineness.

This has been already explained by the illustration of the car and the pedestrian. One who has been overwhelmed by delusion on account of attachment, sticks to it like a fisherman to his boat.

Overcome by the idea of mineness, one wanders within its narrow embarking on a boat it is not possible in moving about on land.

Likewise, it is not possible in moving abut on water after one has got on a car. There are thus various actions about various objects.

And as action is performed in this world, so does it result to those who perform them. That which is void of smell. void of taste, and void of touch and sound, that which is meditated upon by the sages with the help of their understanding is said to be Pradhana. Now, Pradhana is unmanifest. A development of the uninanife-t is Mahat.

A development of Pradhana when it has become Mahat is Egoism. From egoism emanates the great elements.

And from the great elements respectively, the objects of sense proceed. The unmanifest is of the nature of seed. It produced its essence.

We have heard that the great soul has the virtues of a seed, and that is a product. Egoism is of the nature of seed and is a product again and again.

And the five great elements are of the nature of seed and products. The objects of the five great elements are gifted with the nature of seed, and yield products. These have intelligence for their property. Among them, space has one equality; wind is said to have two.

Light, it is said, is gifted with three qualities; and water as possessed of four qualities. Earth, consisting of mobile and immobile, should be known as possessed of five qualities.

She is a goddess who is the source of all entities and abounds with examples of the agreeable and the disagreeable.' Sound, likewise touch, colour, taste, and smell for the fifth, these are the five qualities of earth, O foremost of twice-born ones. Smell always belongs to carth, and smell is said to be of various kinds.

I shall describe at length the numerous qualities of smell. Smell is agreeable or disagreeable, sweet, sour, pungent, diffusive and compact, oily and dry, and clear. Thus smell, which belongs to the earth, should be known as of ten sorts.

Sound, touch, colour, and taste have been said to be the qualities of water. I shall now speak or the qualities of Taste. Taste has been said to be of various kinds.

Sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, astringent, and saline likewise. Taste, which has been said to Belong to water, is thus of six varieties.

Sound, touch, and colour, these are the three qualities of light. Colour is the quality of light, and colour is said to be of various sorts.

White, dark, red, blue, yellow, and grey also, and short long, minute, gross, square and circular, of these twelve varieties is colour which appertains to light. These should be understood by Brahmanas venerable for years, knowing duties, and truthful in speech.

Sound and touch should be known as the two qualities of wind. Touch has been said to be of various sorts.

Rough, cold and hot, tender and clear, hard, oily, smooth, slippery, painful and soft, of twelve kinds is touch, which is the quality of wind, as said by Brahmanas crowned with success, knowing duties, and possessed of a sight of truth.

Now, space has only one quality, and that is said to be sound. I shall speak at length of the numerous qualities of sound.

Shadaja, Rishabha, together with Gandhara, Madhyama, and likewise Panchama; after this should be known Nishada, and then Daivata, besides these, there are agreeable sounds and disagreeable sounds compact, and of many ingredients.

Sound which is born of space should thus be known to be of ten sorts. Space is the highest of the (five) elements. Egoism is above it.

Above egoism is understanding. Above understanding is the soul. Above the soul is the Unmanifest. Above the Unmanifest is Purusha.

One who knows which is superior and inferior among existent creatures, who is conversant with the ordinances about all deeds. and who forms himself the soul of all creatures, attains to the Unfading Soul.