Adyaya I, Valli II - The pursuit of Knowledge and Yoga

Text: अन्यच्छ्रेयोऽन्यदुतैव प्रेयस्ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषँ सिनीतः । तयोः श्रेय आददानस्य साधुर्भवति हीयतेऽर्थाद्य उ प्रेयो वृणीते ॥ १ ॥ anyacchreyo’nyadutaiva preyaste ubhe nānārthe puruṣam̐ sinītaḥ | tayoḥ śreya ādadānasya sādhurbhavati hīyate’rthādya u preyo vṛṇīte || 1 || 1. (Death said) One is good while another is pleasant. These two, serving different ends, bind men; happiness comes to him, who, of these, chooses the good; whoso chooses the pleasant forfeits the true end....

Text: श्रेयश्च प्रेयश्च मनुष्यमेतस्तौ संपरीत्य विविनक्ति धीरः । श्रेयो हि धीरोऽभिप्रेयसो वृणीते प्रेयो मन्दो योगक्शेमाद्वृणीते ॥ २ ॥ śreyaśca preyaśca manuṣyametastau saṃparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ | śreyo hi dhīro’bhipreyaso vṛṇīte preyo mando yogakśemādvṛṇīte || 2 || 2. Both the good and the pleasant approach the mortal; the intelligent man examines and distinguishes them; for, the intelligent man prefers the good to the pleasant; the ignorant man chooses the pleasant for the sake of his body....

Text: स त्वं प्रियान्प्रियरूपाँश्च कामानभिध्यायन्नचिकेतोऽत्यस्राक्शीः । नैताँ सृङ्कां वित्तमयीमवाप्तो यस्यां मज्जन्ति बहवो मनुष्याः ॥ ३ ॥ sa tvaṃ priyānpriyarūpām̐śca kāmānabhidhyāyannaciketo’tyasrākśīḥ । naitām̐ sṛṅkāṃ vittamayīmavāpto yasyāṃ majjanti bahavo manuṣyāḥ ॥ 3 ॥ 3. Oh Nachiketas, thou hast renounced desires and desirable objects of sweet shape, judging them by their real value; thou hast not accepted this garland of such wealth, in which many mortals sink. Shankara’s Commentary: You, though repeatedly tempted by me, have renounced objects of desires, such as sons, etc....

Text: दूरमेते विपरीते विषूची अविद्या या च विद्येति ज्ञाता । विद्याभीप्सिनं नचिकेतसं मन्ये न त्वा कामा बहवोऽलोलुपन्त ॥ ४ ॥ dūramete viparīte viṣūcī avidyā yā ca vidyeti jñātā | vidyābhīpsinaṃ naciketasaṃ manye na tvā kāmā bahavo’lolupanta || 4 || 4. These two are wide apart, mutually exclusive, leading to different ways, known as ignorance and knowledge. I regard Nachiketas as wishing for knowledge; desires, though numerous, have not shaken thee....

Text: अविद्यायामन्तरे वर्तमानाः स्वयं धीराः पण्डितं मन्यमानाः । दन्द्रम्यमाणाः परियन्ति मूढा अन्धेनैव नीयमाना यथान्धाः ॥ ५ ॥ avidyāyāmantare vartamānāḥ svayaṃ dhīrāḥ paṇḍitaṃ manyamānāḥ | dandramyamāṇāḥ pariyanti mūḍhā andhenaiva nīyamānā yathāndhāḥ || 5 || 5. Living in the middle of ignorance and regarding themselves as intelligent and learned, the ignorant go round and round, in many crooked ways, like the blind led by the blind. Shankara’s Commentary: But those men living in Samsara in the midst of ignorance as in thick darkness, entangled in a hundred meshes formed by attachment for sons, cattle and the rest, regarding themselves as intelligent and well-versed in the Sastras, go round and round, get into many crooked ways afflicted with miseries such as old age, death, disease, etc....

Text: न सांपरायः प्रतिभाति बालम् प्रमाद्यन्तं वित्तमोहेन मूढम् । अयं लोको नास्ति पर इति मानी पुनः पुनर्वशमापद्यते मे ॥ ६ ॥ na sāṃparāyaḥ pratibhāti bālam pramādyantaṃ vittamohena mūḍham | ayaṃ loko nāsti para iti mānī punaḥ punarvaśamāpadyate me || 6 || 6. The way to the future does not shine for the ignorant man who blunders, rendered, blind by folly caused by wealth; thinking thus ‘this world is and none other,’ be gets into my power again and again....

Text: श्रवणायापि बहुभिर्यो न लभ्यः शृण्वन्तोऽपि बहवो यं न विद्युः । आश्चर्यो वक्ता कुशलोऽस्य लब्धाश्चर्यो ज्ञाता कुशलानुशिष्टः ॥ ७ ॥ śravaṇāyāpi bahubhiryo na labhyaḥ śṛṇvanto’pi bahavo yaṃ na vidyuḥ | āścaryo vaktā kuśalo’sya labdhāścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ || 7 || 7. Who cannot be attained even for hearing by many; whom, many though hearing, do not know; the expounder of him is a wonder; and able, the attainer of him; a wonder, the knower of him instructed by the able....

Text: न नरेणावरेण प्रोक्त एष सुविज्ञेयो बहुधा चिन्त्यमानः । अनन्यप्रोक्ते गतिरत्र नास्त्यणीयान् ह्यतर्क्यमणुप्रमाणात् ॥ ८ ॥ na nareṇāvareṇa prokta eṣa suvijñeyo bahudhā cintyamānaḥ | ananyaprokte gatiratra nāstyaṇīyān hyatarkyamaṇupramāṇāt || 8 || 8. This atman now explained cannot easily be known, of taught by a person of inferior intellect being variously regarded. When it is taught by a preceptor, one with the Brahman, there is no further travel, his being subtler than the subtle and not arguable....

Text: नैषा तर्केण मतिरापनेया प्रोक्तान्येनैव सुज्ञानाय प्रेष्ठ । यान्त्वमापः सत्यधृतिर्बतासि त्वादृङ्नो भूयान्नचिकेतः प्रष्टा ॥ ९ ॥ naiṣā tarkeṇa matirāpaneyā proktānyenaiva sujñānāya preṣṭha | yāntvamāpaḥ satyadhṛtirbatāsi tvādṛṅno bhūyānnaciketaḥ praṣṭā || 9 || 9. This idea cannot be reached by mere reasoning. This idea, Oh dearest, leads to sound knowledge, only if taught by another; thou hast reached it; Oh, thou art fixed in truth. May we find, Oh Nachiketas, a questioner like thee!...

Text: जानाम्यहँ शेवधिरित्यनित्यं न ह्यध्रुवैः प्राप्यते हि ध्रुवं तत् । ततो मया नाचिकेतश्चितो’ग्निरनित्यैर्द्रव्यैः प्राप्तवानस्मि नित्यम् ॥ १० ॥ jānāmyaham̐ śevadhirityanityaṃ na hyadhruvaiḥ prāpyate hi dhruvaṃ tat । tato mayā nāciketaścito’gniranityairdravyaiḥ prāptavānasmi nityam ॥ 10 ॥ 10. I know that the treasure is uncertain; for, that which is constant is never reached by things which change. Therefore, has Nachiketa fire been propitiated by me with the perishable things, and I have attained the eternal....

Text: कामस्याप्तिं जगतः प्रतिष्ठां क्रतोरानन्त्यमभयस्य पारं । स्तोममहदुरुगायं प्रतिष्ठां दृष्ट्वा धृत्या धीरो नचिकेतोऽत्यस्राक्शीः ॥ ११ ॥ kāmasyāptiṃ jagataḥ pratiṣṭhāṃ kratorānantyamabhayasya pāraṃ । stomamahadurugāyaṃ pratiṣṭhāṃ dṛṣṭvā dhṛtyā dhīro naciketo’tyasrākśīḥ ॥ 11 ॥ 11. The end of all desires, the stay of all the universe, the endless fruit of worship, the other shore of fearlessness, the praiseworthy, the great and boundless goal, all these hast thou beheld, and being intelligent, Oh Nachiketas, hast boldly rejected all....

Text: तं दुर्दर्शं गूढमनुप्रविष्टं गुहाहितं गह्वरेष्ठं पुराणम् । अध्यात्मयोगाधिगमेन देवं मत्वा धीरो हर्षशोकौ जहाति ॥ १२ ॥ taṃ durdarśaṃ gūḍhamanupraviṣṭaṃ guhāhitaṃ gahvareṣṭhaṃ purāṇam | adhyātmayogādhigamena devaṃ matvā dhīro harṣaśokau jahāti || 12 || 12. Contemplating with a concentrated mind, weaned from all external objects on the atman, ancient, hard to see, lodged in the inmost recess, located in intelligence, and seated amidst miserable surroundings, the intelligent man renounces joy and grief....

Text: एतच्छ्रुत्वा संपरिगृह्य मर्त्यः प्रवृह्य धर्म्यमणुमेतमाप्य । स मोदते मोदनीयँ हि लब्ध्वा विवृतँ सद्म नचिकेतसं मन्ये ॥ १३ ॥ etacchrutvā saṃparigṛhya martyaḥ pravṛhya dharmyamaṇumetamāpya । sa modate modanīyam̐ hi labdhvā vivṛtam̐ sadma naciketasaṃ manye ॥ 13 ॥ 13. Having heard and well-grasped this, the mortal abstracting the virtuous atman, attaining this subtle atman, rejoices having obtained what causes joy. I think that the mansion is wide open for Nachiketas. Shankara’s Commentary: Again having heard this, the true atman which I shall explain to you—from the presence of the preceptor and well-grasped it as his own Self, having abstracted the virtuous atman from the body, etc....

Text: अन्यत्र धर्मादन्यत्राधर्मादन्यत्रास्मात्कृताकृतात् । अन्यत्र भूताच्च भव्याच्च यत्तत्पश्यसि तद्वद ॥ १४ ॥ anyatra dharmādanyatrādharmādanyatrāsmātkṛtākṛtāt | anyatra bhūtācca bhavyācca yattatpaśyasi tadvada || 14 || 14. What thou seest other than virtue and vice, other than what is made and what is not, other than the past and the future, tell me that. Shankara’s Commentary: If I am worthy, and you are, Oh Baghavan, pleased with me: other than virture, i.e., different from the performance of acts enjoined by the Sastras, their fruits and their requisites and similarly from vice; other than what is made, i....

Text: सर्वे वेदा यत्पदमामनन्ति तपाँ सि सर्वाणि च यद्वदन्ति । यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पद्ँ संग्रहेण ब्रवीम्योमित्येतत् ॥ १५ ॥ sarve vedā yatpadamāmananti tapām̐si sarvāṇi ca yadvadanti | yadicchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti tatte padm̐ saṃgraheṇa bravīmyomityetat || 15 || 15. The goal which all the Vedas uniformly extol, which all acts of tapas speak of, and wishing for which men lead the life of a Brahmacharin, that goal I tell you briefly—It is this—Om....