Anugita (English translation)
1882 | 64,929 words
Volume 8, The Sacred Books of the East. This part Contains the english translation of the Anugita (a portion of the Ashvamedhika Parva from the Mahabharata)....
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Chapter XXIV
Brahman said:
The qualities cannot be explained altogether distinctly (from one another). Passion, goodness, and darkness likewise are seen mixed up (with one another). They are attached to one another, they feed on one another. They all depend on one another, and likewise follow one another[1]. There is no doubt of this, that as long[2] as there is goodness so long darkness exists. And as long as goodness and darkness, so long is passion said (to exist) here. They perform their journey together, in union, and moving about collectively. For they act with cause or without cause[3], moving in a body. Of all these acting with one another, but differing in development, the increase and diminution will now be stated. Where darkness is increased, abiding,[4] in the lower entities, there passion should be understood to be little, and goodness likewise to be less. Where passion is developed, abiding in those of the middle current[5], there darkness should be understood to be little, and goodness likewise to be less. And where goodness is developed, abiding in those of the upward current[6], there darkness should be understood to be little, and passion likewise to be less[7]. Goodness is the cause of the modifications in the senses, and the enlightener[8]. For there is no other higher duty laid down than goodness. Those who adhere to (the ways of) goodness go up; the passionate remain in the middle; the men of the quality of darkness, being connected with the lowest quality, go down[9]. The three qualities abide in the three castes thus: darkness in the 艢奴诲谤补, passion in the 碍峁迟谤颈测补, and the highest, goodness, in the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺[10]. Even from afar[11], darkness, goodness, and passion also, are seen to have been together and moving about collectively. We have never heard of them (as existing) separately. Seeing the sun rising, evildoers are alarmed, and travellers, suffering trouble from the heat, feel the warmth. The sun is goodness developed, evil-doers likewise are darkness, and the heat to the travellers is said to be a property of passion[12]. The light in the sun is goodness; the heat is the quality of passion; and its eclipse on the Parvan[13] days must be understood to be of the quality of darkness. So in all shining bodies, there: exist three qualities. And they act by turns in the several places in several ways. Among immovable entities, darkness is in the form of their belonging to the lower species; the qualities of passion are variable; and the oleaginous property is of the quality of goodness[14]. The day should be understood to be threefold, the night is stated to be threefold, and likewise months, half-months, years, seasons, and the conjunctions[15]. Threefold are the gifts given[16], threefold the sacrifices performed, threefold are the worlds, threefold the gods, threefold the (departments of) knowledge, and threefold the path[17]. The past, the present, and the future; piety, wealth, and lust; the 笔谤腻峁嘺, the 础辫腻苍补, and the 鲍诲腻苍补; these are the three qualities. And whatever there is in this world, all that is (made of) these three qualities[18]. The three qualities--goodness, passion, and darkness also--are always acting unperceived. The creation of the qualities is eternal. Darkness, unperceived, holy[19], constant, unborn, womb, eternal, nature, change[20], destruction, 笔谤补诲丑腻苍补, production and absorption, not developed, not small, unshaking, immovable, immutable, existent and also non-existent[21]--all these, the unperceived, (consisting) of the three qualities, is said to be. These names should be learnt by men who ponder on matters relating to the self. He who understands correctly all the names of the unperceived, and the qualities, and its pure operations, he, freed from the body, understanding the truth about (all) distinctions, and being free from all misery, is released from all qualities.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Cf. p. 318 supra.
[2]:
So Arjuna Mi艣ra. N墨laka峁囜弓ha says on this, 'However much goodness may be increased, it is still held in cheek by darkness, and thus there is the continual relation of that which checks and that which is checked between the three qualities; hence they are alike. So also passion being increased, holds goodness and darkness in cheek. The sense seems to be that the qualities dominate all in this world and exist together though varying in strength' (G墨t膩, p. 73).
[3]:
I. e. spontaneously, Arjuna Mi艣ra. Cf. 艢膩nti Parvan (Mok峁), chap. 194, st. 35.
[4]:
It is in the lower species that darkness is predominant.
[5]:
I. e. the human species, Arjuna Mi艣ra. Cf. G墨t膩, p. 109.
[6]:
See G墨t膩, p. 109, also p. 327 supra. In his S膩峁卥hyatattvakaumud墨, V膩caspati Mi艣ra applies the epithet to Yogins (see p. 13 of T膩r膩n膩th's edition, and the editor's note there)
[7]:
Cf. G墨t膩, p. 108.
[8]:
Cf. G墨t膩, p. 109. The modifications of the senses constituting perception by them is an operation of the quality of goodness. This seems to be the meaning of the text; as to this, cf. Tattvakaumudi, p. 14 (T膩r膩n膩th's edition).
[9]:
See G墨t膩, p. 109; the words are nearly identical.
[10]:
Cf. S膩nti Parvan (Mok峁), chap. 188, st. 15. The Vai艣ya is omitted here.
[11]:
I. e. Arjuna Mi艣ra says, even after much observation.
[12]:
This illustrates the existence of the qualities as one body. Even the enlightening sun, which embodies the quality of goodness, produces effects which belong to the other qualities. The fear and sorrow which evil-doers, that is thieves, feel, is an effect of the rising of the sun, which appertains to the quality of darkness, and the heat as being the cause of vexation and consequent delusion to travellers, appertains to the quality of passion.
[13]:
I. e. the days of the moon's conjunction or opposition.
[14]:
I understand this to mean that in the 'immovable entities' the three qualities co-exist; the birth in the lower species is an effect of darkness; the variable qualities, viz. the heat, &c., as Arjuna Mi艣ra says, are the properties of passion; and the oleaginous properties among them appertain to goodness, as, says Arjuna Mi艣ra, they are sources of pleasure (cf. G墨t膩, p. 118). N墨laka峁囜弓ha says, 'Immovable entities being very unintelligent, darkness is very much developed among them,' but this last, as an interpretation of tiryagbh膩vagata, appears to me to be alike unwarranted and inappropriate here.
[15]:
Does this mean the period about the close of one and beginning of another yuga or age? That is the only sense ejusdem generis with the words preceding it that I can think of;--yet the jump from years to yuga-sandhis is a long one.
[16]:
Cf. G墨t膩, p. 120. With reference to some, at least, of the things enumerated here, the division would be rather fanciful.
[17]:
see these three mentioned at Ch膩ndogya, pp. 340-359. As to departments of knowledge, cf. G墨t膩, p. 84; Arjuna Mi艣ra reads, 'threefold the Vedas.'
[18]:
The universe is all developed from the Prakriti, which is merely the three 'qualities in equilibrium.' Cf. S膩峁卥hya-s奴tra I, 61.
[19]:
Because it gives final emancipation to one who discriminates it from Puru峁, Arjuna Mi艣ra. Cf. S膩峁卥hya-s奴tra II, 1 seq., and S膩峁卥hya-k膩rik膩, p. 56 seq., and commentary. For another list of names of Prak峁泃i, see 艢vet膩艣vatara (comm.), p. 283.
[20]:
Nature is not a development from anything, and hence is called avik峁泃i in S膩峁卥hya-k膩rik膩 3; but 'change' here probably means the whole aggregate of Vik峁泃is, 'changes' or developments, which make up Prak峁泃i; or by a different derivation it may, perhaps, also mean that from which all development or change takes place.
[21]:
See S膩峁卥hya-s奴tra V, 52-56; and also I, 26, and commentary here. The Ved膩ntins speak of M膩y膩--which answers to what the p. 332 S膩峁卥hyas call Prak峁泃i (see 艢vet膩艣vatara, p. 340, and S膩峁卥hya-s奴tra I, 69, and commentary there)--as 'sattv膩sattv膩bhy膩manirv膩cya.'