Critical Edition
युधिष्ठिर उवाच धर्माधर्मविमुक्तं यद्विमुक्तं सर्वसंश्रयात् जन्ममृत्युविमुक्तं च विमुक्तं पुण्यपापयोः
AI Translation: Yudhisthira said: That which is free from Dharma and Adharma, free from all dependence, Free from birth and death, free from merit and demerit,
यच्छिवं नित्यमभयं नित्यं चाक्षरमव्ययम् शुचि नित्यमनायासं तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति
AI Translation: That which is auspicious, always free from fear, always imperishable, imperishable, Pure, always effortless, you should speak about it.
भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्येऽहमितिहासं पुरातनम् याज्ञवल्क्यस्य संवादं जनकस्य च भारत
AI Translation: Bhishma said: Here I shall relate to you an ancient legend, The conversation between Yajnavalkya and Janaka, O descendant of the Bharata lineage.
याज्ञवल्क्यमृषिश्रेष्ठं दैवरातिर्महायशाः पप्रच्छ जनको राजा प्रश्नं प्रश्नविदां वरः
AI Translation: The greatly renowned Daivaraṭi asked the best of sages, Yājñavalkya, King Janaka, the best of those who know questions, asked a question.
कतीन्द्रियाणि विप्रर्षे कति प्रकृतयः स्मृताः किमव्यक्तं परं ब्रह्म तस्माच्च परतस्तु किम्
AI Translation: How many senses are there, O sage of the seers, how many are the principles remembered? What is the unmanifest, the supreme Brahman? And what is beyond that?
प्रभवं चाप्ययं चैव कालसंख्यां तथैव च वक्तुमर्हसि विप्रेन्द्र त्वदनुग्रहकाङ्क्षिणः
AI Translation: O lord of Brahmanas, please tell us the origin, the present, the enumeration of time, for we desire your grace.
अज्ञानात्परिपृच्छामि त्वं हि ज्ञानमयो निधिः तदहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि सर्वमेतदसंशयम्
AI Translation: Out of ignorance, I ask you, for you are a treasure of knowledge. I wish to hear all this without doubt.
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच श्रूयतामवनीपाल यदेतदनुपृच्छसि योगानां परमं ज्ञानं सांख्यानां च विशेषतः
AI Translation: Yājñavalkya said: Listen, O king, to what you are asking about. The supreme knowledge of yoga and especially of Sāṃkhya.
न तवाविदितं किंचिन्मां तु जिज्ञासते भवान् पृष्टेन चापि वक्तव्यमेष धर्मः सनातनः
AI Translation: There is nothing unknown to you. But you are desirous of knowing me. And when asked, I must tell you this eternal truth.
अष्टौ प्रकृतयः प्रोक्ता विकाराश्चापि षोडश अथ सप्त तु व्यक्तानि प्राहुरध्यात्मचिन्तकाः
AI Translation: The eight Prakrtis (primordial principles) and the sixteen Vikaras (modifications) have been declared. Now the seven Vyaktani (manifestations) are said by those who contemplate
अव्यक्तं च महांश्चैव तथाहंकार एव च पृथिवी वायुराकाशमापो ज्योतिश्च पञ्चमम्
AI Translation: The unmanifest, the great, and the ego, Earth, wind, space, water, and light as the fifth,
एताः प्रकृतयस्त्वष्टौ विकारानपि मे शृणु श्रोत्रं त्वक्चैव चक्षुश्च जिह्वा घ्राणं च पञ्चमम्
AI Translation: Now listen to the modifications of these eight principles. The five sense organs: the ear, skin, eye, tongue, and nose.
शब्दस्पर्शौ च रूपं च रसो गन्धस्तथैव च वाक्च हस्तौ च पादौ च पायुर्मेढ्रं तथैव च
AI Translation: Sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, Speech, hands, feet, anus, and penis,
एते विशेषा राजेन्द्र महाभूतेषु पञ्चसु बुद्धीन्द्रियाण्यथैतानि सविशेषाणि मैथिल
AI Translation: These are the differences, O lord of kings, in the five great elements. These are the sense organs, O Maithila, with their differences.
मनः षोडशकं प्राहुरध्यात्मगतिचिन्तकाः त्वं चैवान्ये च विद्वांसस्तत्त्वबुद्धिविशारदाः
AI Translation: The thinkers of the path of the soul have declared the mind to be sixteenfold, and you and other wise men, skilled in the knowledge of truth,
अव्यक्ताच्च महानात्मा समुत्पद्यति पार्थिव प्रथमं सर्गमित्येतदाहुः प्राधानिकं बुधाः
AI Translation: From the unmanifest is born the great soul, O king. The wise call this the primary creation.
महतश्चाप्यहंकार उत्पद्यति नराधिप द्वितीयं सर्गमित्याहुरेतद्बुद्ध्यात्मकं स्मृतम्
AI Translation: From the great one, O Lord of men, the ego arises. This is said to be the second creation, known as the intellect.
अहंकाराच्च संभूतं मनो भूतगुणात्मकम् तृतीयः सर्ग इत्येष आहंकारिक उच्यते
AI Translation: From the ego-sense, the mind, consisting of the qualities of the elements, has come into being. This is called the third creation, which is said to be of the ego-sense
मनसस्तु समुद्भूता महाभूता नराधिप चतुर्थं सर्गमित्येतन्मानसं परिचक्षते
AI Translation: The great elements are born from the mind, O Lord of men. This fourth creation is called mental.
Supplementary Passages:
12.298.19 For 19ab, K7 D4.5.7.9 subst.: *764 समुद्भूतानि मनसो महाभूतानि पार्थिव
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धस्तथैव च पञ्चमं सर्गमित्याहुर्भौतिकं भूतचिन्तकाः
AI Translation: Sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, these are said to be the fifth creation by those who contemplate the elements.
श्रोत्रं त्वक्चैव चक्षुश्च जिह्वा घ्राणं च पञ्चमम् सर्गं तु षष्ठमित्याहुर्बहुचिन्तात्मकं स्मृतम्
AI Translation: The ear, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose as the fifth, They say the sixth creation is the mind, known as the abode of many thoughts.
अधः श्रोत्रेन्द्रियग्राम उत्पद्यति नराधिप सप्तमं सर्गमित्याहुरेतदैन्द्रियकं स्मृतम्
AI Translation: The group of sense organs of hearing arises below, O Lord of men. This is said to be the seventh creation, known as the one with sense organs.
ऊर्ध्वस्रोतस्तथा तिर्यगुत्पद्यति नराधिप अष्टमं सर्गमित्याहुरेतदार्जवकं बुधाः
AI Translation: The upward-flowing, the sideways-flowing, and the downward-flowing, O Lord of men, are born. The wise call this the eighth creation, the straight one.
तिर्यक्स्रोतस्त्वधःस्रोत उत्पद्यति नराधिप नवमं सर्गमित्याहुरेतदार्जवकं बुधाः
AI Translation: O Lord of men, it is born from the downward-flowing stream. The wise call this the ninth creation, the straight one.
एतानि नव सर्गाणि तत्त्वानि च नराधिप चतुर्विंशतिरुक्तानि यथाश्रुति निदर्शनात्
AI Translation: These nine creations and the principles, O Lord of men, are described as twenty-four, as seen in the scriptures.
अत ऊर्ध्वं महाराज गुणस्यैतस्य तत्त्वतः महात्मभिरनुप्रोक्तां कालसंख्यां निबोध मे
AI Translation: Now, great king, listen to me as I explain the true nature of this virtue, as it has been described by the great ones, in terms of the measure of time.