Mahabharata VOL I2 - HolyBooks.com

80 MAHABHABATAattained.Crossing the river, that has the five senses for its steep banksthe mental inclinations for its mighty waters, and delusion for its lake,one should subjugate both lust and wrath. Such a man freed from allfaults, then beholds the Highest, concentrating the mind within the mindand seeing self in self. Understanding all things, he sees his self, withself, in all creatures, sometimes as one and sometimes as diverse, changingform from time to time. 1 Without doubt, he can perceive numerousbodies like a hundred lights from one light. Verily, he is Vishnu, andMitra, and Varuna, and Agni, and Prajapati. He is the Creator and theordainer : he is the Lord possessed of puissance, with faces turned in alldirections. In him, the heart of all creatures, the great soul, becomesresplendent. Him all conclaves of learned Brahmanas, deities andAsuras, and Yakshas, and Pisachas, the Pitris, and birds, and bands ofRakshasas, and bands of ghostly beings, and all the great Rishis,praise.''SECTION XLIII' 'Brahmana said, Among men, the royal Kshatriya is (enduedwith) the middle quality. Among vehicles, the elephant (is so) ; andamong denizens of the forest the lion ; among all (sacrificial) animals,the sheep ; among all those that live in holes, is the snake ; amongcattle, the bovine bull ; among females, the mule. 2 There is no doubtin this that in this world, the Nyagrodha, the Jamvu, the Pippala, theSalmali, and Sinsapa, the Meshasringa, and the Kichaka, are the foremostones among tress. 3 Himavat, Paripatra, Sahya, Vindhyai Trikutavat,Sweta, Nila, Bhasa, Koshthavat, Guruskandha, Mahendra and Malyavat,these are the foremost of mountains. Likewise the Maruts are theforemost of the Ganas. Surya is the lord of all the planets, andChandramas of all the constellations. Yama is the lord of the Pitris;Ocean is the lord of all rivers. Varuna is the king of the waters. Indrais said to be the king of the Maruts. Arka is the king of all hot bodies,and Indra of all luminous bodies. Agni is the eternal lord of the elements,and Vrihaspati of the Brahmanas. Soma is the lord of (deciduous)herbs, and Vishnu is the foremost of all that are endued with might.Tashtri is the king of Rudras, and Siva of all creatures. Sacrifice is the1 The correct reading seems to be 'atmana 1 as the last word of thefirst line, and not 'atman.' T.2 What is said here is that the quality of passion prcdo- minatesin these. T.8 Nyagrodba is the Ficus Bengalensis, Linn. Jamvu is EugeniaJambolana, Lamk. Pippala is Ficus religiosa. Linn. Salmali is BombaxMalabaricum. Sinsapa is Dalbergia Sissoo, Roxb. Meshasringa is \Asclepiageminata, Roxb. Kichaka is a variety of mountain bamboo. Here howeverit evidently implies the Nimba or Melia Azadirachta, Linn. T.