THE GARUDA PURANA 60 страница

9. Those who have slighted their mothers, preceptors or priests can stay there permanently.

10. So also those who forsake their chaste, virtuous and noble wives without any fault.

11. Those who deceive their credulous masters, friends and sages, women, children, cripples and others get submerged in the putrid slough and groan there painfully. 1

12. One who attacks a hungry brahmin or reproaches him is eaten up by worms so long as this world lasts.

13-15. One who promises a brahmin to give him a sum but does not give, one who defiles a sacrifice, one who rapes a noble woman, one who slanders others, one who interrupts religious discourses, one who is guilty of perjury, one who is a wine-addict or one who invites brahmins but refuses to feed them — these stay there permanently.

16-18. One who acts as an incendiary, one who poisons others, one who seizes what is given, one who destroys fields and breaks bunds, one who defiles other men’s wives or being a brahmin sells wine or marries a slave girl, one who harasses cattle oppressed by thirst, one who outrages the modesty of a virgin, one who terrorises persons worthy of receiving gifts, a sudra drinking the milk of a brown cow, a brahmin eating' meat — these stay there permanently.

19-20. A miser, an atheist, a worthless wretch, a person extremely furious and irritated, a person who considers his own words authoritative, a person who contradicts what others say, haughty egotist, a swaggerer, an ungrateful, treacherous fellow — all these persons stay at Vaitarani for an indefinite period.

1. Contrast with note 1, p. 931, where priesthood and idol-worship are held in derison.

21. O son of Kasyapa, if one is fortunate to cross it, it is due to these reasons which are favourable. To these you will listen now.

22-23. In the equinoxes, in the holy Vyatipata, at theend of a day, during eclipses, during the transit of the sun to a different zodiacal sign, on the new moon day and other auspicious occasions if a thing is gifted to a brahmin it is laudable. Whenever gifts are made with faith the riches become everlasting.

24. Bodies are perishable, riches are transitory, death is ever present. Hence, virtue should be accumulated.

25-29. The gift of Vaitarani cow should be made as. follows.

The colour of the cow should be either black or tawny.

Its horns should be covered in gold, its hoofs in silver. A copper vessel should be given representing the milking vessel. Two black clothes should adorn the cow. Seven kinds of grains should be kept in vessels for gift. A golden idol of Yama should be made with a copper rod in hand. A canoe should be made with sugar cane. The cow should be brought over that raft.

It should be meditated as born out of the sun. An umbrella, a pair of sandals, a ring and a pair of clothes should be gifted to a brahmin. Holding the kusa grass and water in the hand the person should recite the following mantra:

30-32. “I have heard that there is a river Vaitarani at Yama’s abode. I wish to cross it. Hence, I give you this symbolic

Vaitarani cow. O brahmin, in the formofVisnu, thou sanctifiest the cow, thou art a god on earth. This Vaitarani cow is given to thee along with daksina. May cows stand in front of me. May cows stand at my back. May cows abide in my heart. I stay in the midst of cows. ”

33. The person circumambulates the idol of Yama and the VqitaranI cow and gives it to the brahmin.

34-35. The brahmin stands in front while the householder holds the tail of the cow saying: “O cow, you wait for me at the terrific threshold of Yama for lifting me up.

Obeisance to VaitaranI, Obeisance”. Thereafter, he follows the brahmin with the articles of gift to his house.

36. O son of Vinata, by making gifts, the river becomes easy to cross and the gift-maker obtains all that he wishes to possess.

37. As a result of his noble actions one obtains pleasure here and hereafter. Its efficacy is increased a thousandfold if a healthy man makes this gift. If a sick man makes the gift its efficacy is only a hundredfold.

38. If a thing is gifted on behalf of the dead by his son or descendent, the gift is indirect and its efficacy is rendered normal. Hence, gifts should be made by one’s own self. After death who will care to gift for him?

39-40. The life of a person devoid of gifts and virtue is pitiable. Then why not achieve a permanent fruit with the help of perishable body? Vital airs are only guests and they go away for certain sooner or later.

41. O lord of birds, thus I have told you all about the delusion of living beings. The rites of obsequies are performed, for the redemption of the dead. If men understand this auspicious advice it bestows benefit on them.

42-43. O brahmins, this is what the omnipotent Visnu has ordained Garuda was delighted on hearing the details of the dead. He asked the lord again about various rites and holy centres after meditating on the lord who is the cause of all causes.

44. O sages, these details on the origin of creatures which I have mentioned to you are conducive to salvation, as also the rites of obsequies. I shall now mention the great panacea, for the removal of ills and sufferings of this mortal world.

45. Profit is theirs, success is theirs whose heart is set on Visnu whose body has the hue of a blue lotus. How can there be a failure in store for those persons?

46. Dharma wins, not adharma; truth wins not falsehood; forgiveness wins not anger; Visnu wins not demons.

47. Visnu is mother, Visnu is father, Visnu is kin. No mishap accrues to those whose heart is set on Visnu.

48. Auspicious is lord Visnu. Auspicious is the lord who has Garuda for his banner. Auspicious is the lord whose eyes resemble the blue lotus. The lord is the store-house of auspiciousness.

49. Meditation on lord Visnu, worship of the holy river Ganga and the brahmins — the three constitute the quintessence of merit in the three worlds.

50. On drinking the nectar in the form of hearing the lord’s sermon breathing the essence of all sastras, through the mouth of Suta, the sageSaunaka and others were highly satisfied.

51. They lauded Suta, well-versed in the brahmanical scriptures and were highly delighted on hearing the Puranic lore.

52. A person achieves purity externally as well as internally if he meditates on the lotus-eyed Visnu, no matter in whatever state, pure or impure he may be passing through.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT.

On Dharrna and Adharma.

Garuda said:

1. The people of all castes who live in this mortal world die at their own time and obtain different worlds according to the magnitude of their pious deeds.

2. They go on different paths ordained by God.

Through what virtue they obtain pleasure and through what merit they get famijy, strength and age? Tell me O lord.

S uta said:

3. On hearing this, the lord said to Garuda, explaining in detail how the body functions, how it is bound by actions, how this world — mobile and immobile — goes how it is created and how and by whom it is administered.

The lord said:

4-6. For those walking on the path of Yama, the four vargas — dharma, artha, kama and moksa — are secondary.

Having entered the body measuring a thumb of his own hand and being held by the noose, he weeps again and again and cries:

“I was having the body of a brahmin in the pious country of Bharata, yet due to infatuation I did not worship lord Indra or perform rites for propitiating the manes and deities. I had no relations, no sons and no progeny. Due to fondness for my body, I did not act in right direction. I got the rare brahmana-hood yet I did not study the Vedas and Puranas. The gem that I got and which I hold in my palm was lost. O my soul, now suffer for whatever I have done in my previous life.

7. The ksatriya who has drunk blood from his forehead in the battle, has as well drunk Soma in the sacrifice; dead or alive he gets release.

8. Though he may have done many impious acts and drunk many undesirable drinks, if he takes weapons and faces the enemy in the war he is released from sins immediately, 9-10. One may be a ksatriya or a vaisya or a sudra or one may belong to a low caste, if he kills in war the nobles or the cultured, children, women or old men, the poor or the ascetics or remains indifferent when these are in trouble, the deities become indifferent to him. The manes do not receive his libations of gingelly water and the fire does not receive his offering of oblation.

1 1. Due to policy or fear, if a person does not face the foe in war, O bird, know it for certain that he is sure to die one day afterwards but before that his ksatrahood goes in vain.

If he donates gold or earth to a brahmana, he is born in human form in this world in a noble and illustrious family.

12. He who dies in war is deemed to have given gifts during eclipse, to have bathed in a holy place, to have gone to Gaya and offered rice-ball to the manes.

13. A ksatriya repents that in the battlefield, at the time of his master’s murder or when the cows were seized or forcibly carried away by the foe, when women and children were killed or when his companions were in trouble he did not use his sword.

14. When a vaisya is caught in the noose, he repents that he did not cherish truth in business transactions due to greed in support of his family.

15. A sudra repents that having obtained body he neither gave reputable gifts to the brahmanas nor worshipped them nor built a tank on the earth.

16. [The Jiva that has left the body thinks thus: ]

“I abandoned my family profession. I lived in pride. I did not give up my ghost in a holy place. I did not earn virtue or worship God for release. ”

17. Such people are born as mlecchas, outcastes, etc.

Having given up their physical bodies they enter into airy bodies and become averse to religious activities.

18. Whatever religious acts they have done keeping them in view and moving in the way, hear O bird, what they speak about among themselves.

19. The three in the world are the best of all: Jambudvipa among the dvipas, the land of the bright among the countries of the world and human beings amongst all creatures on the earth.

20. There are four castes — brahmin, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. Among these the brahmin caste is the best. People can derive pleasure from religion. When they start on the High way, leaving their bodies after death, they revive their previous associations.

21. ‘I stayed as worm and insect. I was a reptile.

I was a mosquito. I was a quadruped. I was a wild boar. ’

22. Staying in the womb, he recollects everything. But coming out of the womb he forgets whatever he thought while he was in the womb.

After birth he passes through three stages: childhood, youth and old age.

23. Through infatuation the thoughts of the womb are soon forgotten but they revive when the body succumbs to death. When the body is destroyed, thoughts remain with the self. They revive when the self enters into the womb and takes up another body.

24. When that is again destroyed, thoughts remain in the self The process goes on till the eternal release is accomplished.

“In my body I cheated others, gambling, cheating and stealing. I lived by transgressing religion. ”

25. “I struggled hard for earning money. I did not enjoy riches to my satiety. I did not offer betel, corn, milk to fire, deities, guests and relatives. ”

26. “Even during the solar or lunar eclipse I did not visit holy places. My body was full of waste and urine. Now, O soul, suffer for what you did in your previous body. ”

27. “I did not see nor bowed to nor worshipped lord Visnu’s idol on the earth. I also did not devoutly praise the lord of Prabhasa. Hence, O soul, suffer for what you did in your previous body. ”

28. ‘‘Having gone to the admirable land near a holy place, I did not put money in the scholar’s hand, nor gave it to a preceptor after taking ablution in the holy water. Hence, O soul, now suffer for what you did in your previous body. ”

29. “I did not worship the mother Goddess, nor Visnu nor Sankara, nor Ganesa, nor Candi nor the sun with due rites by offering sandal paste, etc. Now, O soul, suffer for what you did in your previous body. ”

30. “I obtained the title of deity even as a man. But due to infatuation I lost that glory. I was a fool not to own my infirmities. O soul, now suffer for what you did in your previous body. ”

31. Having thought over these points, O bird, which grant virtue, wealth and fame, man obtains release perpetually.

32. Being addressed thus by the messengers of Yama the dead are struck with clubs. They cry ‘O fate, O fate’ and curse themselves that the money earned by them was not gifted to the deserving brahmins.

33. The emissaries of Yama tell again ‘you neither gifted the earth nor cow nor water nor cloth nor fruit nor betel nor ointment in your life on this earth. Then why do you lament?

34. Your father died, your grandfather died. She also died who bore you in her womb. Your relations also died.

You saw them all dead.

35. Your body has been burnt by fire. Your wealth and corn are taken over by your sons. Whatever good and virtuous actions you did those only will go along with you.

3G. None who is dead can ever come back, may he be a king, a mendicant or a brahmana. He who dies in the battlefield is also dead and he who survives is also dead.

37. Thus speak those gams along with the kinnaras and he though sad at heart hears but patiently their strange utterances. Envested with an aerial body and sitting in the aerial car due to the influence of gifts, he gives out in speech his impassioned thought.

38. “Dharma is father, compassion is mother, speech is sweet-tongued wife, bath in a holy place is equal to relatives.

39. Whatever good is done by hand the same is heaven.

A religious person is a symbol of happiness and a sinner is all misery.

40. That man on the earth deserves praise who is religious, who has conquered pride and anger, who is humble though learned, who does not trouble others in vain, who is satisfied with his wife and keeps away from unlawful sexual desire.

41. He who offers sweets, he who performs Agnihotra, has studied Vedanta, has performed religious rites fasts for a month within a year and remains chaste — these six in this world are worthy of honour.

42. A man of good conduct can also be put in this category. A VapI (an oblong reservoir of water) a well, a tank, a cistern and temple of a deity in the heart of a devotee constitute the best virtue.

43. Feeding a Vedic scholar for a year, arranging the marriage of a Brahmin’s daughter, freeing a brahmin family from debt, tilling land and digging well to meet the need of a thifcty and hungry person constitutes a virtuous act.

44. Whosoever with a pure mind hears or recites this chapter on the essence of virtue is considered to be noble and religious. He goes to the highest world after death.

CHAPTER FORTYNINE.

{Method of Final Release).

Garuda said:

1. O ocean of mercy! I have heard that this world of creatures is born out of ignorance. Now, I wish to hear the infallible method of Final Release.

2. O God, O deity of deities, O lover of refugees in this insignificant world filled with the filth of sorrows!

3. There are creatures staying in many bodies, being born and dying. There is no end to this process.

4. They are always suffering, none of them is happy.

O lord of mokfa, tell me how one is released.

T he lord said:

5. Hear, O bird, I shall tell you what you ask about.

Simply by hearing the same, you will get release from the world of mortals.

6-7. There is God, transcendental self, indivisible Siva, all-knowing, all-doing, lord of all, pure, without a second, selfluminous, without beginning, without end, unchangeable the highest of the high, attributeless and of the nature of existence, consciousness and bliss.

8. The creatures are his parts and parcels. Like sparks of fire being struck by the beginningless knowledge, they separate into different bodies, through beginninglcss actions.

9. They are controlled by virtues and vices in the form of bliss and sorrow. Their bodies have different castes, age and enjoyment born of their different actions.

1 0. Then again in every birth, O bird, they obtain subtle bodies and after attaining moksa they acquire indestructible frames.

11. The departed souls enter into insentient objects, worms, birds, animals, men, deities but after release do not enter into any object or any body at all.

12. Passing through four types of bodies in order of their karman and leaving one body after the other a thousand times, taking birth in human form and acquiring knowledge due to good acts one obtains release.

13. In the eightyfour lacs of bodies of creatures one does not acquire true knowledge anywhere unless one is born as man.

14. Here, after thousands of crores of births a creature obtains human form only sometime due to the aggregate of virtue.

15. Having obtained a rare human form he should endeavour for moksa. If he does not endeavour for it, there can be no greater sinner in the world.

16. Born in the most beautiful human form he incurs the sin of slaying a brahmin if he neglects his self.

1 7. Without human body it is not possible to obtain the supreme goal. One should be, therefore, very cautious to guard wealth in the form of his body and perform good actions.

18. One should always protect self which is the receptacle of virtue. One should always try to look after the body at any cost.

19. If alive, he may reap the result of his good actions.

He may get a village, a field, a house or a wealth. But he ma-y not get human body again.

20. A wise man finds out means to preserve his body.

Even a leper does not wish to discard it.

2 1. Body is useful for Dharma, Dharma for knowledge, knowledge for meditation and meditation for immediate release.

22. If a person cannot protect himself from evil then who else will do the same?

23. If he cannot treat the disease here itself how shall he cure himself hereafter, at a place where there is no medicine?

24. Old age is like a tigress. Age runs away like water from a leaking pot. The disease kills like an enemy. Hence, one should practice virtue alone.

25. So far as sorrow does not come, calamities do not approach, organs do not defunct, one should practice virtue.

26. So far as this body remains intact he should practice virtue. One is a perfect fool who digs a well only when the house is on fire.

27. Time fleets while man is ignorant due to the pressure of work he is engrossed. People do not realize what is harmful or what is wholesome for them. They are deaf to their own interest.

23. Even after seeing the distressed, the dead, the fallen and the aggrieved people do not ever fear having drunk the wine of infatuation.

29. Wealth is evanescent like a dream, youth is fading like a flower, age is fickle like a lightning. Knowing this who can entertain fortitude?

30. A life of hundred years is too little. Half of that goes in sleep or idleness. Whatever little is left is wasted due to childhood, disease, old age and sorrows.

31. Alas! Is not that man dead who is idle at a place of action, sleeps at a place of awakening and is confident at a place of fear.

32. When the soul comes and stays in the body like the foam of water, when the company of the beloved is but temporary, how can a person stay fearless?

33. He who does not know reality calls as useful what is useless, as permanent what is impermanent and as meaningful what is meaningless.

34. Being infatuated by divine illusion he falters even seeing, misunderstands even hearing and misses sense even reading.

35. Even when the crocodiles in the form of death, disease, old age are drowning this world in the ocean of time, he does not realize the Truth.

36. He does not observe that Time is running out at every moment, just as a pot of unbaked clay is not seen as broken inside water.

37. It may be possible to wrap the wind, rend the ether, knot the waves but it is not possible to maintain perpetuity of the age.

38. Since even this wide earth is burnt, even the lofty Meru is shattered, even the deep water of the ocean is dried, what can be said about the insignificant body?

39. I have a son, wife, wealth and relations. Thus, while the goat of man thinks, the wolf of time takes him away by force.

40. This has been done, this is to be done, this other is half done. Thus thinking one is taken by Yama.

41. One shall do to-day what is to be done tomorrow, before noon what is to be done afternoon — but whether done or not done, Death does not wait whether a person has completed the task or left it incomplete.

42. Death-fire is there. Old age has shown him the way.

Fierce diseases are his accompanying soldiers. The man attacked sees no protection.

43. Split with the needle of greed, soaked in the oil of passions, cooked in the fire of anger and envy, man is eaten up by death.

44. Death takes away even children, young people, old men and those in womb — such is this world.

45. Not to speak of wife, mother, father, son and other relatives, the soul leaves even his own body and goes to the abode of Yama.

46. This world has sorrow as the root. Whosoever possesses the same is sorrowful. Whosoever leaves it is happy.

47. So leave in a moment this world which is the source of all sorrows, abode of all calamities and shelter for all sins.

48. Man can get rid of fetters of iron a; id wood but not the fetters in the form of his son and wife.

49. So far as a being makes relations dear to heart, the cones of sorrow are being pegged in his heart.

50. Eternally this world is destroyed by the thieves in the form of organs staying in the body who feed on the objects of pleasure and take away all wealth by deception.

51. Just as the fish tempted by flesh does not see the iron-cone, so also a creature, tempted by enjoyment does not anticipate Yama’s torture.

52. The people going on the wrong path do not distinguish between good and evil. These men deserve hell, O bird, who are engaged only in filling up their bellies.

53. Sleep, fear, sex and food are equal for all creatures.

He who possesses knowledge is a man and he who is without knowledge is an animal.

54. Foolish people are troubled by natural call in the morning, by hunger and thirst at midday and by sex and sleep at night.

55. People love their bodies, wealth, wives, etc. Alas!

being infatuated by ignorance they are born and they die.

56. Therefore, one should always shun company. If it is not possible, one should associate with the great.

57. Association with the good and discrimination are two clear eyes. Whosoever lacks them is a blind man who can go astray from the right path.

58. Men are busy with their own affairs devolved on them by their ancestral profession or by their paticular stage in life. They do not know about true religion. Being deceitful they perish.

59. Why should many preachers practising vows, but with their vision blinded by ignorance laboriously move here and there.

60-61. Men engaged in ritual practices are satisfied with very little; being misguided they conduct sacrifices accompanied by mantras and oblations.

Some fools infatuated by my illusion wish for moksa by torturing their bodies by fasts, taking cores but once in a day.

62. Can the ignorant fools get release by torturing their body? Can a serpent die simply by beating the hole wherein it dwells?

63. The imposters who guise themselves with matted hair and deer-skins and pretend to be pious move about deceiving people.

64. For him who takes delight in the pleasures of the world and pretends that he knows Brahman, both Karman and Brahman are far distant.

65. Alike at home and in forest, naked and shameless, the donkeys move here and there. Do they become unattached?

66. If men achieve release by anointing mud and ash will they be released?

67. Jackal, mouse and dear live in the forest and consume grass, leaves and water. Are they also ascetics? 68. From their birth to their death, frogs and fish stay in the river such as Ganga. Do they become Yogins?

69. Doves, Silaharas and Gatakas do not drink water from the earth. Are they Vratins?

70. People are content with their routine work. But that does not help them to reach the goal. It is the knowledge of truth or reality that effects release. 1

71. O lord of birds, ignorant fools, fallen in the dark well of six darsanas and bound by the noose of attachment, fail to realize the truth in the form of para-brahman.

72. Floating on the surface of the ocean in the form of Veda-sastra and caught by the waves of six nigrahas 2 the bad logicians suffer miserably.

73. A person well versed in the Vedas, Agamas and Puranas but ignorant of Reality is not distinct from a magician whose utterances resemble the caw-caw sound of a crow.

1. The perceptible world is a creation of Maya, a project of brahman. When brahman withdraws Maya (»wj'fl=non existence or unreal creation)

into his eternal existence nothing but brahman remains. The lemoval of ignorance is, in fact, the attainment of brahman on the part of individual soul.

2. Nigraha — flaw in argument whereby a disputant is put down in argument. Six or more nigrahas are explained in different texts of Nyaya philosophy.

74. Those who are worried about the sources and objects of knowledge take recourse to Sastras which they study day and night but they are miles away from the goal of Ultimate Truth.

75. Literary compositions are decorated by the figures of speech, syntactical arrangement of words and by variety of meters. The fools who are worried cannot derive any solace from them.

76. Reality is something else and people suffer due to something else. The meaning of the scriptures is something else and people define something else.

77. A few proud people without traditional knowledge misinterpret the Vedas which they do not rightly understand.

70. They study the Vedas and discuss. But they do not realize the Ultimate Reality just as a spoon does not know the taste of food.

79. The head carries the flowers, the nose knows the scent. The people study the Vedas. But very few persons understand the same.

80. Not knowing the Reality of the self, a fool is infatuated by the sastras. When the goat stands in the shed, the shepherd seeks for it in the well in vain.

8 1. The knowledge of the sastras is not competent to destroy the infatuation accruing from worldly affairs. The wick of a lamp cannot remove darkness which light alone can do.

82. For the ignorant person the study of sastras is useless as a mirror is useless for the blind. But for the wise the same works as the means of true knowledge.

83. Sastras are the source of knowledge which one desires to attain. But that is not an easy affair. One may not achieve knowledge even in one thousand divine years.

84. Scriptures are many, age is short. Obstacles come in battalion. One should pick up truth from falsehood as a goose picks up milk from water.

85. Having studied the Vedas and realized their essence the wise man should leave all the sastras just as one desiring corn leaves the husk.

86. Just as one satiated with nectar has no use of food, no one who is in search of Reality has anything to do with the sastras.

87. One cannot obtain release by reading the Vedas or the sastras. Release comes from experience, not otherwise, O son ofVinata.

88. A particular stage ( airama ) in life is not conducive to release; nor any system of philosophy, nor any ritual nor the combined knowledge of the sastras.

89. The word of Guru alone can grant release. All knowledge is in vain. Among thousands of scriptures the word of Guru alone is vivifying.

90. The knowledge of the non-dual entity derived from the word of Guru can effect release. The practice of the ritual or the study of the crores of scriptures is quite in vain.

91. Knowledge is twofold: One arising from the study of scriptures, the other arising from discrimination. Sabdabrahma is known from the scriptures and Parabrahma is known from discrimination.

92. Some seek for the knowledge of non-dual brahman (i. e. brahman without Maya) and some for that of the Dual (brahman with Maya). But they do not realize reality devoid of dvaita and advaita.

93. Two words mine ( mama ) and not mine (na mama) signify bondage and release. By mine the person is bound and by not mine he is released.

94. That is the right action which docs not put one into bondage. That is the right knowledge which brings him release. All other action is but a labour and all other knowledge is but an artisanship.

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