The World of Valmiki-27

The World of Valmiki-27

Jabali preaches Lokayata philosophy to Rama:

कः कस्य पुरुषो बन्धुः किमाप्यं कस्य केनचित् ।

यदेको जायते जन्तुरेक एव विनश्यति ॥

तस्मान्माता पिता चेति राम सज्जेत यो नरः ।

उन्मत्त इव स ज्ञेयो नास्ति कश्चिद्धि कस्यचित् ॥

यथा ग्रामान्तरं गच्छन् नरः कश्चिद्क्वचिद्वसेत् ।

उत्सृज्य च तमावासं प्रतिष्ठेतापरेऽहनि ॥

एवमेव मनुष्याणां पिता माता गृहं वसु ।

आवासमात्रं काकुत्स्थ सज्जन्ते नात्र सज्जनाः ॥

पित्र्यं राज्यं परित्यज्य स नार्हसि नरोत्तम ।

आस्थातुं कापथं दुःखं विषमं बहुकण्टकम् ॥

समृद्धायामयोध्यायामात्मानमभिषेचय ।

एकवेणीधरा हि त्वां नगरी संप्रतीक्षते ॥

Who is related to whom? Who has to get what from whom? A being is born alone and dies alone.

Therefore any one who gets attached to father and mother is to be treated as mad. No one is related to anyone. Just as a person after going to another village stays somewhere and the next day he leaves that place of residence  in the same manner a person leaves behind his father, mother, residence and wealth. This is just a place of residence. Wise persons do not feel attached. Leaving behind your paternal kingdom you should not traverse this bad uneven troublesome and thorny path. Anoint yourself at Ayodhya which awaits you mournfully with her hair untied.

राजभोगाननुभवन् महार्हान् पार्थिवात्मज ।

विहर त्वमयोध्यायां यथा शक्रस्त्रिविष्टपे ॥

न ते कश्चिद्दशरथस्त्वं च तस्य न कश्चन ।

अन्यो राजा त्वमन्यः स तस्मात्कुरु यदुच्यते ॥

बीजमात्रं पिता जन्तोः शुक्लं रुधिरमेव च ।

संयुक्तं ऋतुमन्मात्रा पुरुषस्येह जन्म तत् ॥

गतः स नृपतिस्तत्र गन्तव्यं यत्र तेन वै ।

प्रवृत्तिरेषा मर्त्यानां त्वं तु मिथ्या विहन्यसे ॥

O prince, roam around Ayodhya enjoying the royal pleasures worthy of the great. Dasaratha is nobody to you and you are nobody to him. He is one person and you are another person. Therefore act as you are being told. Father is just the seed to a being. A person’s birth is because of the union of father's semen with fertile mother's egg. The king has gone to his destination. This is the natural course of human beings and you are falsely getting hurt.

अर्थधर्मपरा ये ये तांस्तान शोचामि नेतरान् ।

ते हि दुःखमिह प्राप्य विनाशं प्रेत्य भेजिरे ॥

अष्टका पितृदैवत्यमित्ययं प्रसृतो जनः ।

अन्नस्योपद्रवं पश्य मृतो हि किमशिष्यति ॥

यदि भुक्तमिहान्येन देहमन्यस्य गच्छति ।

दद्यात् प्रवसतः श्राद्धं न तत् पथ्यशनं भवेत् ॥

दानसंवहनना ह्येते ग्रन्थाः मेधाविभिः कृताः ।

यजस्व देहि दीक्षस्व तपस्तप्यस्व सन्त्यज ॥

स नास्ति परमित्येव कुरु बुद्धिं महामते ।

प्रत्यक्षं यत्तदातिष्ठ परोक्षं पृष्ठतः कुरु ॥

स ताम् बुद्धिं पुरस्कृत्य सर्वलोकनिदर्शिनीम् ।

राज्यं त्वं प्रतिगृह्णीष्व भरतेन प्रसादितः ॥२/१०८/३-१८॥

I am sorry for those who are busy collecting wealth and dharma. They undergo much suffering during their lives and die. People are led to believe that performing Ashtaka and other Sraddhas make the departed contented. See the waste of food; will a dead person eat anything? If food eaten here by one were to go to another person (in the other world), we could as well do Sraddha to a person going away to another place. That food would be available for him during the journey. The learned have created books which preach us to perform sacrifices, to donate and to observe penances. All those are meant only to extract donations. There is nothing like after-life. Believe in what you see and do not bother about what you do not see. Following this course of logic which provides guidance to the whole world, accept the kingdom after being appeased by Bharata. 

 Rama's reply to Jabali:

यद्वृत्ताः सन्ति राजानः तद्वृत्ताः सन्ति हि प्रजाः ।

सत्यमेवानृशंसञ्च राजवृत्तं सनातनम् ।

तस्मात् सत्यात्मकं राज्यं सत्ये लोकः प्रतिष्ठितः ॥

ऋषयश्चैव देवाश्च सत्यमेव हि मेनिरे ।

सत्यवादी हि लोकेऽस्मिन् परं गच्छति चाक्षयम् ॥

उद्विजन्ते यथा सर्पान्नरादमृतवादिनः ।

धर्मः सत्यं परो लोके मूलं स्वर्गस्यचोच्यते ॥

सत्यमेवेश्वरो लोके सत्यं पद्मा श्रिता सदा ।

सत्यमूलानि सर्वाणि सत्यान्नास्ति परं पदम् ॥

दत्तमिष्टं हुतं चैव तप्तानि च तपांसि च ।

वेदाः सत्यप्रतिष्ठानास्तस्मात् सत्यपरो भवेत् ॥

People of a country adopt the conduct followed by their kings. Truthfulness devoid of violence is the age-old laid down conduct for the kings. The soul of kingdom is truthfulness and the world is founded on truthfulness. Gods and sages considered Truth as the ultimate. A truthful person attains ultimate permanence in this world. People keep away from an untruthful person out of fear like from a snake. In this world truthfulness is the ultimate dharma and it is considered the root of heaven. Truthfulness is God and Goddess of wealth resides in truthfulness. Everything is rooted in truthfulness and there is nothing higher than truthfulness. Charity, sacrifices, oblations and penances undertaken and the Vedas have their foundation as truth and therefore one should be truthful.

एकः पालयते लोकमेकः पालयते कुलम् ।

मज्ज्त्येको हि नरय एकः स्वर्गे महीयते ॥

सोऽहं पितुर्नियोगं तु किमर्थं नानुपालये ।

सत्यप्रतिश्रवः सत्यं सत्येन समयीकृतः ॥

नैव लोभान्नमोहाद्वा नह्यज्ञानात्तमोऽन्वितः ।

सेतुं सत्यस्य भेत्स्यामि गुरोः सत्यप्रतिश्रवः ॥

असत्यसन्धस्य सतश्चलस्यास्थिरचेतसः ।

नैव देवा न पितरः प्रतीच्छन्तीति नः श्रुतम् ॥

प्रत्यगात्ममिमं धर्मं सत्यं पश्याम्यहं स्वयम् ।

भारः सत्पुरुषाचीर्णस्तदर्थमभिमन्यते ॥

(According to ones past deeds) one may protect the world, one may protect ones family, one may sink to hell and one may ascend to heaven. Why will I having made a vow not follow father's orders? I having sworn to truth will not, due to avarice, infatuation or ignorance destroy the bridge of truth of my father. We have heard that neither Gods nor forefathers will receive (anything) from a person who is untruthful, wavering and unsteady. I myself perceive my self as of the dharma of truth. That is why people respect the weight of matted hair found among the good natured.  

क्षात्रं धर्ममहं त्यक्ष्ये ह्यधर्मं धर्मसंहितम् ।

क्षुद्रैर्नृशंसैर्लुब्धैश्च सेवितं पापकर्मभिः ॥

कायेन कुरुते पापं मनसा संप्रधार्य च ।

अनृतं जिह्वया चाह त्रिविधं कर्म पातकम् ॥

भूमिः कीर्तिर्यशो लक्ष्मीः पुरुषं प्रार्थयन्ति हि ।

स्वर्गस्थं चानुपश्यन्ति सत्यमेव भजेत तत् ॥२/१०९/९-२२॥

I reject the dharma of kshatriya which is adharma and has only a meagre amount of dharma and which is practiced by the lowly, the unkind and the avaricious bent on doing sinful deeds. Man commits three types of sin, by thinking of a sinful deed, by expressing it through speech and actually committing the sinful act. Land, fame and wealth seek a truthful person and therefore one should follow truth.

यथा हि चोरः स तथा हि बुद्ध-

स्तथागतं नास्तिकमत्र विद्धि ।

तस्माद्धि यः शङ्क्यतमः प्रजानां

न नास्तिकेनाभिमुखो बुधः स्यात् ॥२/१०९/३४ ॥

One should consider a Buddhist and a thief alike. Treat a Buddhist as an atheist. Therefore a wise person should not face an atheist who has to be doubted about his adherence to Vedic dharma.

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