शौनक उवाच
अहो बत महत् कष्टं विपरीतम् इदं जगत् ॥
येनापत्रपते साधुर् असाधुस् तेन तुष्यति ॥
शिश्नोदरकृते ऽप्राज्ञः करोति विघसं बहु ॥
मोहरागसमाक्रान्त इन्द्रियार्थवशानुगः ॥
ह्रियते बुध्यमानो ऽपि नरो हारिभिर् इन्द्रियैः ॥
विमूढसंज्ञो दुष्टाश्वैर् उद्भ्रान्तैर् इव सारथिः ॥
षडिन्द्रियाणि विषयं समागच्छन्ति वै यदा ॥
तदा प्रादुर्भवत्य् एषां पूर्वसंकल्पजं मनः ॥
मनो यस्येन्द्रियग्रामविषयं प्रति चोदितम् ॥
तस्यौत्सुक्यं संभवति प्रवृत्तिश् चोपजायते ॥
ततः संकल्पवीर्येण कामेन विषयेषुभिः ॥
विद्धः पतति लोभाग्नौ ज्योतिर् लोभात् पतंगवत् ॥
ततो विहारैर् आहारैर् मोहितश् च विशां पते ॥
महामोहमुखे मग्नो नात्मानम् अवबुध्यते ॥
एवं पतति संसारे तासु तास्व् इह योनिषु ॥
अविद्याकर्मतृष्णाभिर् भ्राम्यमाणो ऽथ चक्रवत् ॥
ब्रह्मादिषु तृणान्तेषु हूतेषु परिवर्तते ॥
जले भुवि तथाकाशे जायमानः पुनः पुनः ॥
अबुधानां गतिस् त्व् एषा बुधानाम् अपि मे शृणु ॥
ये धर्मे श्रेयसि रता विमोक्षरतयो जनाः ॥
यद् इदं वेदवचनं कुरु कर्म त्यजेति च ॥
तस्माद् धर्मान् इमान् सर्वान् नाभिमानात् समाचरेत् ॥
इज्याध्ययनदानानि तपः सत्यं क्षमा दमः ॥
अलोभ इति मार्गो ऽयं धर्मस्याष्टविधः स्मृतः ॥
तत्र पूर्वश् चतुर्वर्गः पितृयानपथे स्थितः ॥
कर्तव्यम् इति यत् कार्यं नाभिमानात् समाचरेत् ॥
उत्तरो देवयानस् तु सद्भिर् आचरितः सदा ॥
अष्टाङ्गेनैव मार्गेण विशुद्धात्मा समाचरेत् ॥
सम्यक् संकल्पसंबन्धात् सम्यक् चेन्द्रियनिग्रहात् ॥
सम्यग् व्रतविशेषाच् च सम्यक् च गुरुसेवनात् ॥
सम्यग् आहारयोगाच् च सम्यक् चाध्ययनागमात् ॥
सम्यक् कर्मोपसंन्यासात् सम्यक् चित्तनिरोधनात् ॥
एवं कर्माणि कुर्वन्ति संसारविजिगीषवः ॥
रागद्वेषविनिर्मुक्ता ऐश्वर्यं देवता गताः ॥
रुद्राः साध्यास् तथादित्या वसवो ऽथाश्विनाव् अपि ॥
योगैश्वर्येण संयुक्ता धारयन्ति प्रजा इमाः ॥
तथा त्वम् अपि कौन्तेय शमम् आस्थाय पुष्कलम् ॥
तपसा सिद्धिम् अन्विच्छ योगसिद्धिं च भारत ॥
पितृमातृमयी सिद्धिः प्राप्ता कर्ममयी च ते ॥
तपसा सिद्धिम् अन्विच्छ द्विजानां भरणाय वै ॥
सिद्धा हि यद् यद् इच्छन्ति कुर्वते तद् अनुग्रहात् ॥
तस्मात् तपः समास्थाय कुरुष्वात्ममनोरथम् ॥
śaunaka uvāca
aho bata mahat kaṣṭaṃ viparītam idaṃ jagat ||
yenāpatrapate sādhur asādhus tena tuṣyati ||
śiśnodarakṛte 'prājñaḥ karoti vighasaṃ bahu ||
moharāgasamākrānta indriyārthavaśānugaḥ ||
hriyate budhyamāno 'pi naro hāribhir indriyaiḥ ||
vimūḍhasaṃjño duṣṭāśvair udbhrāntair iva sārathiḥ ||
ṣaḍindriyāṇi viṣayaṃ samāgacchanti vai yadā ||
tadā prādurbhavaty eṣāṃ pūrvasaṃkalpajaṃ manaḥ ||
mano yasyendriyagrāmaviṣayaṃ prati coditam ||
tasyautsukyaṃ saṃbhavati pravṛttiś copajāyate ||
tataḥ saṃkalpavīryeṇa kāmena viṣayeṣubhiḥ ||
viddhaḥ patati lobhāgnau jyotir lobhāt pataṃgavat ||
tato vihārair āhārair mohitaś ca viśāṃ pate ||
mahāmohamukhe magno nātmānam avabudhyate ||
evaṃ patati saṃsāre tāsu tāsv iha yoniṣu ||
avidyākarmatṛṣṇābhir bhrāmyamāṇo 'tha cakravat ||
brahmādiṣu tṛṇānteṣu hūteṣu parivartate ||
jale bhuvi tathākāśe jāyamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||
abudhānāṃ gatis tv eṣā budhānām api me śṛṇu ||
ye dharme śreyasi ratā vimokṣaratayo janāḥ ||
yad idaṃ vedavacanaṃ kuru karma tyajeti ca ||
tasmād dharmān imān sarvān nābhimānāt samācaret ||
ijyādhyayanadānāni tapaḥ satyaṃ kṣamā damaḥ ||
alobha iti mārgo 'yaṃ dharmasyāṣṭavidhaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
tatra pūrvaś caturvargaḥ pitṛyānapathe sthitaḥ ||
kartavyam iti yat kāryaṃ nābhimānāt samācaret ||
uttaro devayānas tu sadbhir ācaritaḥ sadā ||
aṣṭāṅgenaiva mārgeṇa viśuddhātmā samācaret ||
samyak saṃkalpasaṃbandhāt samyak cendriyanigrahāt ||
samyag vrataviśeṣāc ca samyak ca gurusevanāt ||
samyag āhārayogāc ca samyak cādhyayanāgamāt ||
samyak karmopasaṃnyāsāt samyak cittanirodhanāt ||
evaṃ karmāṇi kurvanti saṃsāravijigīṣavaḥ ||
rāgadveṣavinirmuktā aiśvaryaṃ devatā gatāḥ ||
rudrāḥ sādhyās tathādityā vasavo 'thāśvināv api ||
yogaiśvaryeṇa saṃyuktā dhārayanti prajā imāḥ ||
tathā tvam api kaunteya śamam āsthāya puṣkalam ||
tapasā siddhim anviccha yogasiddhiṃ ca bhārata ||
pitṛmātṛmayī siddhiḥ prāptā karmamayī ca te ||
tapasā siddhim anviccha dvijānāṃ bharaṇāya vai ||
siddhā hi yad yad icchanti kurvate tad anugrahāt ||
tasmāt tapaḥ samāsthāya kuruṣvātmamanoratham ||
Shaunaka said: "Alas, how hard and how inverted this world is: what shames the good man delights the wicked one. The unwise man, for the sake of the belly and sexual pleasure, produces much refuse, overcome by delusion and passion, subject to the objects of the senses. Even a man of understanding is carried off by the thieving senses, like a charioteer who has lost his wits because of wicked, bolting horses. When the six senses meet their objects, the mind born of a former intention arises in them. If the mind is impelled toward the objects of the senses, restless craving and action arise. Then, by the force of intention and the arrows of desire, the man pierced by sense-objects falls into the fire of greed, as a moth falls into a flame. Deluded by amusements and food, he drowns in the jaws of great delusion and does not know himself. Thus he revolves in samsara, through various wombs, driven by ignorance, action, and craving, like a wheel. From Brahma down to a blade of grass, beings revolve, being born again and again in water, on earth, and in the sky. Such is the path of the unwise. Now hear of the wise, who delight in dharma, the highest good, and liberation. The word of the Veda says, 'perform action' and 'abandon action'; therefore none of these dharmas should be carried out from self-satisfaction. Sacrifice, study, giving, austerity, truth, forbearance, self-control, and freedom from greed -- such is the eightfold path of dharma. The first four stand on the path of the ancestors and are performed as duty, not out of pride. The last, the path of the gods, is always practiced by the good: with right intention, right restraint of the senses, right observance of vows, right service to the guru, right measure in food, right study, right renunciation of action, and right restraint of the mind. Thus act those who wish to conquer samsara. Freed from passion and hatred, the deities attain divine majesty and sustain the worlds by the power of yoga. So you too, O Kaunteya, take up deep tranquility; through austerity seek perfection and yogic power, that you may sustain the brahmins. The perfections of father, mother, and your own deeds have already been given to you; now, for the maintenance of the twice-born, seek perfection through austerity. The perfected ones, by their grace, do as they wish; therefore, having established yourself in austerity, fulfill the desire of your heart."
4727a4eec66d · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:33:27 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second chapter moves from grief to practice. Shaunaka does not leave Yudhishthira in philosophical reflection alone: he points to austerity, service to the guru, measure in food, restraint of the senses, and action free of pride. Here is the path of a king who still wishes to serve but can no longer lean on a royal treasury.