मार्कण्डेय उवाच एवमुक्तस्तु विप्रेण धमव्याधो युधिष्ठिर। प्रत्युवाच यथा विप्रं तच्छृणुष्व नराधिप॥
Markandeya said : O Yudhishthira, O ruler of men, hear what the virtuous fowler said to that Brahmana when he was thus asked by him.
व्याध उवाच विज्ञानार्थं मनुष्याणां मनः पूर्वं प्रवर्तते। तत् प्राप्य कामं भजते क्रोधं च द्विजसत्तम॥
The Fowler said : O foremost of Brahmanas, men's minds are first bent towards acquiring knowledge. When that is acquired, they indulge in their desires and anger.
ततस्तदर्थं यतते कर्म चारभते महत्। इष्टानां रूपगन्धानामभ्यासं च निषेवते॥
For that end, they labour and perform great works and indulge in their much desired pleasures of beauty, of flavour.
ततो रागः प्रभवति द्वेषश्च तदनन्तरम्। ततो लोभः प्रभवति मोहश्च तदनन्तरम्॥
Then follows attachment, then follows envy, then avarice and then illusion (extinction of all spiritual light).
ततो लोभाभिभूतस्य रागद्वेषहतस्य च। न धर्मे जायते बुद्धिर्व्याजाद् धर्मं करोति च॥
When men are thus influenced by avarice, envy and attachment, their understanding does not lean towards virtue; and they then practise the very mockery of virtue.
व्याजेन चरते धर्ममर्थ व्याजेन रोचते। व्याजेन सिध्यमानेषु धनेषु द्विजसत्तम॥ तत्रैव रमते बुद्धिस्तत: पापं चिकीर्षति। सुहद्भिर्वार्यमाणश्च पण्डितैश्च द्विजोत्तम॥
O foremost of Brahmanas, practising virtue with hypocracy, they remain satisfied in acquiring wealth by dishonourable means. And with the wealth thus acquired, their intelligence becomes attached to the evil ways; they were then filled with the desire to commit sins. O foremost of Brahmanas, when their friends and the learned men remonstrate.
उत्तरं श्रुतिसम्बद्धं ब्रवीत्यश्रुतियोजितम्। अधर्मस्त्रिविधस्तस्य वर्तते रागदोषजः॥
They are ready with various answers which are neither sound nor convincing. From their attachment for evil ways, they are guilty of threefold sins.
पापं चिन्तयते चैव ब्रवीति च करोति च। तस्याधर्मप्रवृत्तस्य गुणा नश्यन्ति साधवः॥
They commit sin in thought, in word and also in action. Addicted to evil ways, all their good qualities are destroyed.
एकशीलैश्च मित्रत्वं भजन्ते पापकर्मिणः। स तेन दुःखमाप्नोति परत्र च विपद्यते॥
These men of evil deeds form friendship with men of similar character and therefore as its result, they suffer misery in this world as well as in the next.
पापात्मा भवति ह्येवं धर्मलाभं तु मे तु में शृणु। यस्त्वेतान् प्रज्ञया दोषान् पूर्वमेवानुपश्यति॥ कुशलः सुखदुःखेषु साधूंश्चाप्युपसेवते। तस्य साधुसमारम्भाद् बुद्धिर्धर्मेषु राजते॥
All sinful men are of this nature. Now hear about the virtuous man. He discerns evils by means of his spiritual sight. He is able to discriminate between happiness and misery. He is full of respectful attention to men of virtue; and by practising virtues, his mind becomes inclined to virtue.
ब्राह्मण उवाच ब्रवीषि सूनृतं धर्म्य यस्य वक्ता न विद्यते। दिव्यप्रभावः सुमहानृषिरेव मतोऽसि मे॥
The Brahmana said : You have given a true exposition of virtue which none else is able to do. Your spiritual power is great and you appear to me to be a great Rishi.
व्याध उवाच ब्राह्मणा वै महाभागाः पितरोऽचभुजः सदा। तेषां सर्वात्मना कार्यं प्रियं लोके मनीषिणा॥
The Fowler said: are The greatly powerful Brahmanas worshipped with the same honours as our ancestors. They are before others always propitiated with offerings of food. Wisemen in this world do what is pleasing to them with all their heart.
यत् तेषां च प्रियं तत् ते वक्ष्यामि द्विजसत्तम। नमस्कृत्वा ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ब्राह्मी विद्यां निबोध मे॥
O foremost of Brahmanas, after having bowed down to Brahmanas as a class I shall now tell you what is pleasing to them. Learn now the Brahma Philosophy,
जगत् सर्वमजय्यं चापि सर्वशः। महाभूतात्मकं ब्रह्म नातः परतरं भवेत्॥ इदं विश्वं
This whole universe, which is unconquerable and which abounds in great elements, is Brahma (himself). There is nothing high than this.
महाभूतानि खं वायुरग्निरापस्तथा च भूः। शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धश्च तहगुणाः॥
Earth, air, water and sky are the great elements. Form, flavour, sound, touch and taste are their characteristic properties.
तेषामपि गुणाः सर्वे गुणवृत्तिः परस्परम्। पूर्वपूर्वगुणाः सर्वे क्रमशो गुणिषु त्रिषु॥
These latter also have their (own peculiar) properties correlated to each other. Of the three qualities they are characterised by each in order of priority.
षष्ठस्तु चेतना नाम मन इत्यभिधीयते। सप्तमी तु भवेद् बुद्धिरहंकारस्ततः परम्॥
The sixth property is consciousness which is called mind. The seventh is intelligence and then follows Egoism,
इन्द्रियाणि च पञ्चात्मा रजः सत्त्वं तमस्तथा। इत्येष सप्तदशको राशिरव्यक्तसंज्ञकः॥ सर्वैरिहेन्द्रियार्थैस्तु व्यक्ताव्यक्तैः सुसंवृतः। चतुर्विंशक इत्येष व्यक्ताव्यक्तमयो गुणः। एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि॥
Then are the five senses, then the soul, then the moral qualities, called, Sattva, Raja and Tama. These seventeen are said to be the unknown or incomprehensible qualities. I have told you all this, what else do you wish to know?