Parva 3 Chapter 108: saṁnyāsadharmanindā - abuse of saṁnyāsadharma

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya! haṁsa and ḍimbhaka said to sage durvāsa:) O twice born! What are you trying to achieve? Your soul (mind) is devoid of even a little knowledge! O brahmin! What is this stage of life that you have taken up? gṛhamedhaṁ parityajya kiṁ tvayā sādhitaṁ padam | dambha eva bhavānvyaktaṁ śaṅke nāstyatra kāraṇam ||3-108-2 Abandoning the stage of householder, what position have you achieved? We doubt that you are clearly the personified form of pride. Apart from this, there is no other reason (for abandoning the stage of householder). lokāṁścemānsadā mūḍha nāśayiṣyasi nirvṛtaḥ | etānsarvānvinetāsi narake pātayiṣyasi ||3-108-3 O stupid! You will always destroy all these people and derive happiness from this. You, being the leader of all these people, will make them fall into hell. svayaṁ naṣṭaḥ parānmūrkha nāśayiṣyasi yatnataḥ | aho śāstā kathaṁ nāsti tava mandamaterdvija ||3-108-4 O silly! You destroy yourself and also try to destroy others. Alas! O twice born with slow (inferior) intelligence! Why there is no one here to govern you? sarvathā tvadvinetā ca pāpo nāstyatra saṁśayaḥ | tyaktvemamāśramaṁ vipra gṛhī bhava yatātmavān ||3-108-5 By all means, there is no sin in punishing you. There is no doubt in this. O brahmin! Abandon this stage of life and become a householder with controlled soul. paṣcha yajṣānsadā vipra kuru yatnaparo bhava | tataḥ svargaṁ paraṁ gatvā svarge hi sumahatsukham ||3-108-6 O twice born! Always perform the five sacrifices with attention. Then you can reach the highest heaven. There is great happiness in heaven. (See Translator's Note) eṣa śreyaḥ patho vipra jīvite chetspṛhā tava | O brahmin! This is the auspicious path of progress if you have a desire in living. ityuktavantau dharmātmā śrutvā vipro janārdanaḥ ||3-108-7 uvāca ca yatiṁ dṛṣṭvā praṇamyāsau sunītavat | The brahmin janārdana heard these words spoken by haṁsa and ḍimbhaka. Seeing the sage durvāsa and bowing to him with humility, he spoke (to his friends). : mā brūtamīdṛśaṁ vākyaṁ rājānau mandatejasau ||3-108-8 aśrāvyamīdṛśaṁ ghoraṁ lokayorubhayorapi | (janārdana said) O kings! Both of you have weak splendor and intellect. Do not speak words like these. Even in both the worlds (this and the other), terrible words like these should not be heard. ko vaktumīśo mandātmā yadi jīvetsabāndhavaḥ ||3-108-9 Who is that weak soul, who wants to live with his kin and speak like this? sarvathā kāla evāyaṁ yuvayormandachetasoḥ | samāpta āyuśaḥ śeṣo brahmadaṇḍahatau yuvām ||3-108-10 By all means, the Time has come (in the form of this great soul) for both you who are with slow (inferior) intellect. Your balance life span has come to an end. Both of you are struck by the staff of brahma. ete hi yatayaḥ śuddhā jṣānadīpitachetasaḥ | jṣānāgnidagdhakarmāṇaḥ prāṇānprāṇeṣu juhvati ||3-108-11 All these are sages with pure and controlled minds, whose intellect is lighted by knowledge. With the fire of knowledge, they have burned all their past deeds. They burn their souls in the fire of life forces. ṛte vāmīdṛśaṁ vākyaṁ kaḥ samartho hyanubruvan | sarvathā jṣātamasmābhiḥ samāptamiha jīvitam ||3-108-12 Except both of you, who else is capable of speaking such (unsuitable) words (about these sages)? By all means I have understood that both of your lives have ended here. catvāra āśramāḥ pūrvamṛṣibhirvihitā nṛpau | brahmacharī gṛhasthaścha vānaprasthaścha bhikṣukaḥ ||3-108-13 O kings! Long ago, the sages have established four stages of life - the stages of student, householder, anchorite and abandoner of all worldly concerns. teṣāmagraścaturtho'yamāśrame bhikṣukaḥ smṛtaḥ | Aste tasminmahābuddhiḥ sa hi puṇyataraḥ smṛtaḥ ||3-108-14 Among these stages, the fourth stage, known as the stage of abandoner of all worldly concerns, is the best. The one having great intellect established in the fourth stage, is said to be the most meritorious. nopāsitā bhavadbhyāṁ ca vṛddhaḥ samyagvinītavat | jṣānaṁ nāptaṁ tapasvibhyastathā caivaṁ vadeta kaḥ ||3-108-15 You have not served the old with humility. You have not obtained knowledge or penance. If you have, you will not speak like this. aśrāvyamīdṛśaṁ ghoraṁ mayā prāṇabhṛtā nṛpa | kiṁ kariṣyāmi mandātmanmitratvādbhavato nṛpa ||3-108-16 O king! Today I, being alive, have heard terrible words like these which should not be heard, because of my friendship with you having inferior intellect. What can I do? jṣānaṁ yadāptaṁ bhavatā gurubhya- stadatra duḥkhāya hi kevalaṁ nṛpa | jṣānaṁ hi dharmaprabhavaṁ yatheṣṭaṁ balādvipāpasya vidhātṛrūpam ||3-108-17 O king! The knowledge that you learned from your preceptors has merely generated sorrow here. The knowledge generated by observing dharma only will give the desired fruits. The knowledge obtained by force will only create sin in its original form. yuvāṁ vihāya yāsye vā pateyaṁ vā śilātalam | pibeyaṁ vā viṣaṁ ghoraṁ pateyaṁ vā mahormiṣu ||3-108-18 Shall I go leaving both of you? Shall I fall on a rock? Shall I drink terrible poison? Shall I jump into sea full of great waves? ātmānaṁ vātra saṁtyakṣye paśyatāṁ śṛṇvatāṁ punaḥ | ityuktvā vilalāpaivaṁ ma brūtamiti tau vadan ||3-108-19 Shall I abandon my soul as those who heard (our conservation) watch? (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Saying this, the brahmin janārdana cried and told them not to speak like this. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi kailāsayātrāyāṁ haṁsaḍimbhakopākhyāne aṣṭādhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ This is the one hundred and eighth chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābhārata, in kailāsayātra, in the episode of haṁsa and ḍimbhaka, abuse of saṁnyāsadharma Translator's Note: One who is in the stage of householder in his life (gṛhasthāśrami) is supposed to conduct five essential sacrifices (paṣchamahāyajṣa): devayajṣa, brahmayajṣa, pitṛyajṣa, manuṣyayajṣa and bhūtayajṣa. See for example, bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad, adhyāya 1, brāhmaṇa 4, mantra 16. nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-108-1 jṣānaleśāditi || · 3-108-2 dambhaḥ dambhamūrtiḥ || · 3-108-5 tvadvinetā tava śikṣakaḥ || · 3-108-14 agraḥ agryaḥ || · 3-108-17 anyasya jṣānaṁ dharmaprabhāvaṁ dharmasya phalam | yuvayorjṣānaṁ tu pāpasya vidhātṛrūpaṁ pāpotpattihetu || iti śrīmahābharate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi kailāsayātrāyāṁ haṁsaḍimbhakopākhyāne ṭīkāyāmaṣṭādhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ