ब्राह्मण उवाच शुभानामशुभानां च नेह नाशोऽस्ति कर्मणाम्। प्राप्य प्राप्यानुपच्यन्ते क्षेत्रं क्षेत्र तथा तथा॥
The Brahmana said The acts, good and bad, that the Individual Soul, docs are not subject 10 destruction. Upon attainment of body after body, those deeds yield fruits corresponding with then.
यथा प्रसूयमानस्तु फली दद्यात् फलं बहु। तथा स्याद् विपुलं पुण्यं शुद्धेन मनसा कृतम्॥
As a fruit bearing tree, when the scason for production comes, yields a large quantity of fruit, merit, achieved with a pure heart, likewise yields a large measure of happiness.
पापं चापि तथैव स्यात् पापेन मनसा कृतम्। पुरोधाय मनो हीदं कर्मण्यात्मा प्रवर्तते॥
Similarly, sin, committed with a sinful heart, produces a large quantity of misery. The Individual Soul, placing the mind a head, performs action.
यथा कर्मसमाविष्टः काममन्युसमावृतः। नरो गर्भ प्रविशति तच्चापि शृणु चोत्तरम्॥
Hear then how the Individual Soul, cquipped with all his deeds and overwhelmed with lust and anger, enters the womb.
शुक्रं शोणितसंसृष्टं स्त्रिया गर्भाशयं गतम्। क्षेत्रं कर्मजमाप्नोति शुभं वा यदि वाशुभम्॥
The vital seed, mixed with blood, enters the womb of females and becomes the held (of the Individual Soul), good or bad, born of (his) deeds.
सौम्यादव्यक्तभावाच्च न च क्वचन सज्जति। सम्प्राप्य ब्राह्मणः कामं तस्मात् तद्ब्रह्म शाश्वतम्॥६
On account of his subtlety and the condition of being unmanifest, the Individual Soul does not become attached to anything even after coming by a body. Therefore, he is called Eternal Brahma.
तद् बीजं सर्वभूतानां तेन जीवन्ति जन्तवः। स जीवः सर्वगात्राणि गर्भस्याविश्य भागशः॥ दधाति चेतसा सद्यः प्राणस्थानेष्ववस्थितः। तत: स्पन्दयतेऽङ्गानि स गर्भश्चेतनान्वितः॥
That (viz., Jiva or Brahma) is the seed of all crcatures. It is on account of Him that living creatures live. That the Individual Soul, cntering all the limbs of the foetus part by part, accepting the attribute of mind, and living within all the regions that belong to vital air, supports (life). On account of this, the foetus, becoming possessed of mind, begins to move its limbs.
यथा लोहस्य नि:स्यन्दो निषिक्तो बिम्बविग्रहम्। उपैति तद् विजानीहि गर्भे जीवप्रवेशनम्॥
As liquefied iron, poured (into a mould), takes the form of the mould, so is the entrance of the Individual Soul into the foetus.
लोहपिण्डं यथा वह्निः प्रविश्य ह्यतितापयेत्। तथा त्वमपि जानीहि गर्भे जीवापपादनम्॥
As fire, entering a mass of iron, heats it greatly, so is the manifestation of the Individual Soul in the foetus.
यथा च दीपः शरणे दीप्यमानः प्रकाशते। एवमेव शरीराणि प्रकाशयति चेतना॥
As a lamp, burning in a room, discovers (all things within it), so does the mind discover the different limbs of the body.
यद् यच्च कुरुते कर्म वा यदि वाशुभम्। पूर्वदेहकृतं सर्वमवश्यमुपभुज्यते॥
Whatever deeds, good or bad, the Individual Soul does in a former body, have certainly to be enjoyed or endured by him.
पुनश्चान्यत् प्रचीयते। यावत् तन्मोक्षयागस्थं धर्मं नैवावबुध्यते॥
By such enjoyment and endurance former deeds are exhausted, and other deeds, again, accumulate, till the Individual Soul succeed in acquiring a knowledge of the duties included in that contemplation which leads to Liberation.
तत्र कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि सुखी भवति येन वै। आवर्तमानो जातीषु यथान्योन्यास सत्तम॥
Regarding this, I shall tell you those deeds by which the individual Soul, O best of men, while passing through a repeated round of rebirths, becomes happy.
दानं व्रतं ब्रह्मचर्यं यथोक्तं ब्रह्मधारणम्। दमः प्रशान्तता चैव भूतानां चानुकम्पनम्॥ संयमाश्चानृशंस्यं च परस्वादानवर्जनम्। व्यलोकानामकरणं भूतानां मनसा भुवि॥ ततस्तु क्षीयते चैव मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषा देवतातिथिपूजनम्। गुरुपूजा घृणा शौचं नित्यमिन्द्रियसंयमः॥ प्रवर्तनं शुभानां च तत् सतां वृत्तमुच्यते। ततो धर्मः प्रभवति यः प्रजाः पाति शाश्वतीः॥
Gifts, observances of austerity, celibacy, bearing Brahma according to the ordinances laid down, self-control, tranquility, mercy for all creatures, restraint of passions, abstention from cruelty as also from appropriating others properties, refraining from doing even mentally all deeds that are false and injurious to living creatures on the Earth, respectfully serving mother and father, honouring the celestials and guests, adoration of preceptors, pity, purity, constant control of all organs, and causing of all good deeds are said to form the conduct of the good. From observance of such conduct, originates virtue which protects all creatures eternally.
एवं सत्सु सदा पश्येत् तत्राप्येषा ध्रुवा स्थितिः। आचारो धर्ममाचष्टे यस्मिशान्ता व्यवस्थिताः॥
Such conduct one would always see among good persons. Indeed, such conduct lives there for good. That course of practices which persons of tranquil souls follow, indicates Virtue.
तेषु तत् कर्म निक्षिप्तं यः स धर्मः सनातनः। यस्तं समभिपद्येत न स दुर्गतिमाप्नुयात्॥
Among them is thrown that course of practices which forms eternal Virtue. He who would follow virtue would never have to come by a miserable end.
अतो नियम्यते लोकः प्रच्यवन् धर्मवर्त्मसु। यश्च योगी च मुक्तश्च स एतेभ्यो विशिष्यते॥
It is by the conduct of the good that the world is restrained in the paths of Virtue when it falls away, He who is a Yogin is Liberated, and is, therefore, distinguished above these (viz., the good).
वर्तमानस्य धर्मेण शुभं यत्र यथा तथा। संसारतारणं ह्यस्य कालेन महता भवेत्॥
Deliverance from the world occurs, after a long time, of one who acts righteously and well on every occasion as he should.
एवं पूर्वकृतं कर्म नित्यं जन्तु: प्रपद्यते। सर्वं तत्कारणं येन विकृतोऽयमिहागतः॥
A living creature thus always meets with his pristine deeds. All these deeds form the cause in consequence of which he comes into this world in a state different from his true form.
शरीरग्रहणं चास्य केन पूर्वं प्रकल्पितम्। इत्येवं संशयो लोके तच्च वक्ष्याम्यत: परम्॥
There is a doubt in the world about this question. By what was the acceptance (by the individual Soul) of a body first determined.
शरीरमात्मनः कृत्वा सर्वलोकपितामहः। त्रेलोक्यमसृजद् ब्रह्मा कृत्स्नं स्थावरजङ्गमम्॥
Having first formed a body of his own, the Grandfather of all the worlds viz., Brahman, then created the three worlds, of mobile and immobile creatures.
ततः प्रधानमसृजत् प्रकृति स शरीरिणाम्। यया सर्वमिदं व्याप्तं यां लोके परमां विदुः॥
Having first himself taken a body, he then created Pradhana. That Pradhana is the material cause of all embodied creatures, by whom is all this covered, and whom all came to know as the greatest.
इदं तत्क्षरमित्युक्तं परं त्वमृतमक्षरम्। त्रयाणां मिथुनं सर्वमेकैकस्य पृथक् पृथक्॥
This which is seen is said to be destructible; while the other is immortal and indestructible. This which (is seen) is said to be Kshara (the destructible); that, however, which is the other is the Iminortal (as also) Akshara (the Indestructible). Of each Purusha taken separately, the whole is duality among these three.
असृजत् सर्वभूतानि पूर्वदृष्टः प्रजापतिः। स्थावराणि च भूतानि इत्येषा पौर्विकी श्रुतिः॥
Seen first (to appear in an embodied form). Prajapati (then) created all the primal elements and all immobile creatures. This is the ancient Shruti.
तस्य कालपरीमाणमकरोत् स पितामहः। भूतेषु परिवृत्तिं च पुनरावृत्तिमेव च॥
Of that (acceptance of body), thc Grandfather put down a limit about time, and migrations among various creatures and return or re-birth.
यथात्र कश्चिन्मेधावी दृष्टात्मा पूर्वजन्मनि। यत् प्रवक्ष्यामि तत् सर्वं यथावदुपपद्यते॥
All that I say is proper and correct, as a person who has intelligence and who has seen his Soul, would say on this subject of previous births.
सुख दुःखे यथा सम्यगनित्ये यः प्रपश्यति। कायं चामेध्यसंघातं विनाशं कर्मसंहितम्॥ यच्च किंचित्सुखं तच्च दुःखं सर्वमिति स्मरन्। संसारसागरं घोरं तरिष्यति सुदुस्तरम्॥
That person who considers pleasure and pain as inconstant, which, indced, is the correct view, who regards the body as an unholy collection, and destruction as ordained in action, and who remembers that what little of pleasure there is, is really all pain, will succeed in crossing this terrible ocean of worldly migration which is so difficult to cross.
जातीमरणरौगैश्च समाविष्टः प्रधानवित्। चेतनावत्सु चैतन्यं समं भूतेषु पश्यति॥
Though attacked by decrepitude and death and disease, he who understand Pradhana sees with an equal eye that Consciousness which lives in all beings gifted with Consciousness.
निर्विद्यते ततः कृत्स्नं मार्गमाणः परं पदम्। तस्योपदेशं वक्ष्यामि याथातथ्येन सत्तम॥
Seeking the supreme seat, he then becomes utterly indifferent to all (other) things. O best of men, I shall now deliver instruction to you, according to truth, concerning this.
शाश्वतस्याव्ययस्याथ यदस्य ज्ञानमुत्तमम्। प्राच्यमानं मया विप्र निबोधेदमशेषतः॥
Do you, O learned Brahmana, understand in full what form the excellent knowledge, as I declare it, of that indestructible seat.