संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
अष्टकः उवाच तात मर्त्यः किं स्वित् कृत्वा तपसा विद्यया वा श्रेष्ठान् लोकान् लभते तत् मे पृष्टः यथावत् शंस येन क्रमेण शुभान् लोकान् गच्छेत्aṣṭakaḥ uvāca tāta martyaḥ kiṃ svit kṛtvā tapasā vidyayā vā śreṣṭhān lokān labhate tat me pṛṣṭaḥ yathāvat śaṃsa yena krameṇa śubhān lokān gacchetAshtaka said: O dear one, what must a mortal do to attain the best worlds, by austerity or by knowledge? being asked, tell me this properly — by what course would he reach the auspicious worlds?
ययातिः उवाच सन्तः सदा वदन्ति तपः दानं शमः दमः ह्रीः आर्जवं सर्वभूतानुकम्पा [इति गुणाः] मानेन तमः अभिभूताः पुंसः नश्यन्तिyayātiḥ uvāca santaḥ sadā vadanti tapaḥ dānaṃ śamaḥ damaḥ hrīḥ ārjavaṃ sarvabhūtānukampā [iti guṇāḥ] mānena tamaḥ abhibhūtāḥ puṃsaḥ naśyantiYayati said: the good always say: austerity, giving, calm [of mind], control [of the senses], shame [before sin], uprightness, compassion for all beings [— these are the virtues]; [but] in a man overcome by darkness they perish through pride.
यः अधीयानः पण्डितं मन्यमानः विद्यया परेषां यशः हन्ति तस्य लोकाः अन्तवन्तः भवन्ति तत् ब्रह्म अस्य फलं न ददातिyaḥ adhīyānaḥ paṇḍitaṃ manyamānaḥ vidyayā pareṣāṃ yaśaḥ hanti tasya lokāḥ antavantaḥ bhavanti tat brahma asya phalaṃ na dadātihe who, having studied, thinking himself learned, destroys the fame of others by his knowledge — for him the worlds turn out to be finite, and that sacred knowledge (brahma) yields him no fruit.
चत्वारि कर्माणि अभयंकराणि अयथाकृतानि भयं प्रयच्छन्ति मानाग्निहोत्रं उत मानमौनं मानेन अधीतं उत मानयज्ञःcatvāri karmāṇi abhayaṃkarāṇi ayathākṛtāni bhayaṃ prayacchanti mānāgnihotraṃ uta mānamaunaṃ mānena adhītaṃ uta mānayajñaḥfour deeds that ordinarily bestow fearlessness, if performed wrongly, themselves bring fear: the fire-sacrifice done out of pride, the vow of silence out of pride, study [of the Veda] out of pride, and sacrifice out of pride.
मान्यमानः मुदं न आददीत अवमानात् संतापं न प्राप्नुयात् इह लोके सन्तः सतः पूजयन्ति असाधवः साधुबुद्धिं न लभन्तेmānyamānaḥ mudaṃ na ādadīta avamānāt saṃtāpaṃ na prāpnuyāt iha loke santaḥ sataḥ pūjayanti asādhavaḥ sādhubuddhiṃ na labhantebeing honored, let him not take delight [in pride]; from dishonor let him not fall into grief; in this world the good honor the good, [and] the wicked do not gain the understanding of the good.
इति दद्यात् इति यजेत् इति अधीयीत मे व्रतं इति अस्मिन् [अहंकारे] अभयानि [कर्माणि] आहुः तानि नित्यशः वर्ज्यानिiti dadyāt iti yajet iti adhīyīta me vrataṃ iti asmin [ahaṃkāre] abhayāni [karmāṇi] āhuḥ tāni nityaśaḥ varjyāni"thus I give, thus I sacrifice, thus I study — such is my vow [and none is my equal]" — [when deeds] are performed in this [conceit], they, though called bestowers of fearlessness, must always be avoided [in such a spirit].
मनीषिणः येन पुराणं मानसमानभक्तं आश्रयं वेदयन्ते तैजसं निःश्रेयसं रूपम् एत्य प्रेत्य इह च परां शान्तिं प्राप्नुयुःmanīṣiṇaḥ yena purāṇaṃ mānasamānabhaktaṃ āśrayaṃ vedayante taijasaṃ niḥśreyasaṃ rūpam etya pretya iha ca parāṃ śāntiṃ prāpnuyuḥby the path through which the wise perceive the ancient Refuge, [attainable only] by a mind unclouded by pride — having attained that radiant form bestowing the highest good, they obtain, both after death and here, the supreme peace.
अष्टकaṣṭakaoriginal form "aṣṭaka", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रेष्ठांस्śreṣṭhāṃsoriginal form "śreṣṭhāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तन्tanoriginal form "tan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वंsarvaṃoriginal form "sarvaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यथावच्yathāvacoriginal form "yathāvac", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छुभांल्chubhāṃloriginal form "chubhāṃl", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ययातिर्yayātiroriginal form "yayātir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तपश्tapaśoriginal form "tapaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शमोśamooriginal form "śamo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दमश्damaśoriginal form "damaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ह्रीर्hrīroriginal form "hrīr", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तमोtamooriginal form "tamo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽभिभूताः'bhibhūtāḥoriginal form "'bhibhūtāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सदैवेतिsadaivetioriginal form "sadaiveti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मन्यमानोmanyamānooriginal form "manyamāno", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
योyooriginal form "yo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
परेषाम्pareṣāmoriginal form "pareṣām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तस्यान्तवन्तश्tasyāntavantaśoriginal form "tasyāntavantaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लोकाlokāoriginal form "lokā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चास्यcāsyaoriginal form "cāsya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कर्माण्य्karmāṇyoriginal form "karmāṇy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रयच्छन्त्य्prayacchantyoriginal form "prayacchanty", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मानाग्निहोत्रम्mānāgnihotramoriginal form "mānāgnihotram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मानेनाधीतम्mānenādhītamoriginal form "mānenādhītam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मान्यमानोmānyamānooriginal form "mānyamāno", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुदम्mudamoriginal form "mudam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्राप्नुयाच्prāpnuyācoriginal form "prāpnuyāc", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चावमानात्cāvamānātoriginal form "cāvamānāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पूजयन्तीहpūjayantīhaoriginal form "pūjayantīha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नासाधवःnāsādhavaḥoriginal form "nāsādhavaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दद्याद्dadyādoriginal form "dadyād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यजेद्yajedoriginal form "yajed", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इत्य्ityoriginal form "ity", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
व्रतम्vratamoriginal form "vratam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इत्य्ityoriginal form "ity", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अस्मिन्न्asminnoriginal form "asminn", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अभयान्य्abhayānyoriginal form "abhayāny", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आहुस्āhusoriginal form "āhus", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
येनाश्रयंyenāśrayaṃoriginal form "yenāśrayaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मनीषिणोmanīṣiṇooriginal form "manīṣiṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मानसमानभक्तम्mānasamānabhaktamoriginal form "mānasamānabhaktam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तन्tanoriginal form "tan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निःश्रेयस्niḥśreyasoriginal form "niḥśreyas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चेहcehaoriginal form "ceha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Yayati proclaims the summit of his teaching, teaching out of the bitter wisdom of one who fell the ruin that pride brings even to good deeds. The list of virtues is striking: austerity, giving, calm, self-control, shame, uprightness, compassion for all beings — yet 'they perish through pride.' Here is a truth hard-won by Yayati himself, who fell on account of pride in his own merit: a good deed done with pride (ahamkara) bears no fruit; more than that — 'the fire-sacrifice, silence, study, and sacrifice done out of pride bring fear instead of fearlessness.' That is, it is not the deed itself but the spirit behind it that decides: done for self-glorification ('see how I sacrifice!'), it turns to evil. Here is the essential point: an act must be performed selflessly and humbly, for God's sake and not for the sake of the 'I'; otherwise it feeds the ego and casts one down. And the passage is crowned by a pointer to the supreme Refuge (the ancient, radiant, highest-good form), 'attainable only by a mind unclouded by pride': that is, only the humble, whose heart is cleansed of pride, attains the highest good, the supreme peace. Here is a pointer to the Lord Himself as the supreme Refuge and supreme peace — compare the close of the Gita. Thus, through fall and insight, the proud Yayati became a teacher of humility; and his bitter experience is a lesson for us: not deeds in themselves, but humility and selflessness raise one to God.