Mahabharata · Chapter 12.285
dhanyādhanyā iti janāḥ sarve'smānpravadantyuta /
na duḥkhitataraḥ kaścitpumānasmābhirasti ha //
lokasambhāvitairduḥkhaṃ yatprāptaṃ kurusattama /
prāpya jātiṃ manuṣyeṣu devairapi pitāmaha //
kadā vayaṃ kariṣyāmaḥ sannyāsaṃ duḥkhabheṣajam /
duḥkhametaccharīrāṇāṃ dhāraṇaṃ kurusattama //
vimuktāḥ saptadaśabhirhetubhūtaiśca pañcabhiḥ /
indriyārthairguṇaiścaiva aṣṭābhiśca pitāmaha //
na gacchanti punarbhāvaṃ munayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ /
kadā vayaṃ gamiṣyāmo rājyaṃ hitvā parantapa //
bhīṣma uvāca /
nāstyanantaṃ mahārāja sarvaṃ saṅkhyānagocaram /
punarbhāvopi saṃkhyāto nāsti kiñcidihācalam //
na cāpi gamyate rājannaiṣa doṣaḥ prasaṅgataḥ /
udyogādeva dharmajñāḥ kālenaiva gamiṣyatha //
neśe'yaṃ satataṃ dehī nṛpate puṇyapāpayoḥ /
tata eva samutthena tamasā rudhyate'pi ca //
yathāñjanamayo vāyuḥ punarmānaḥśilaṃ rajaḥ /
anupraviśya tadvarṇo dṛśyate rañjayandiśaḥ //
tathā karmaphalairdehī rañjitastamasā vṛtaḥ /
vivarṇo varṇamāśritya deheṣu parivartate //
jñānena hi yadā janturajñānaprabhavaṃ tamaḥ /
vyapohati tadā brahma prakāśeta sanātanam //
ayatnasādhyaṃ munayo vadanti ce cāpi muktāstadupāsitavyāḥ /
tvayā ca lokena ca sāmareṇa tasmānna śāmyanti maharṣisaṅghāḥ //
asminnarthe purā gītaṃ śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa /
yathā daityena vṛtreṇa bhraṣṭaiśvaryeṇa ceṣṭitam //
nirjitenāsahāyena hṛtarājyena bhārata /
aśocatā śatrumadhye buddhimāsthāya kevalām //
bhraṣṭaiśvaryaṃ purā vṛtramuśanā vākyamabravīt /
kaccitparājitasyādya na vyathā te'sti dānava //
vṛtra uvāca /
satyena tapasā caiva viditvā sankṣayaṃ hyaham /
na śocāmi na hṛṣyāmi bhūtānāmāgatiṃ gatim //
kālasañcoditā jīvā majjanti narake'vaśāḥ /
parihṛṣṭāni sarvāṇi divyānyāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ //
kṣapayitvā tu taṃ kālaṃ gaṇitaṃ kālacoditāḥ /
sāvaśeṣeṇa kālena sandhāvanti punaḥpunaḥ //
tiryagyonisahasrāṇi gatvā narakameva ca /
nirgacchantyavaśā jīvāḥ kālabandhanabandhanāḥ //
evaṃ saṃsaramāṇāni hyahaṃ bhūtāni dṛṣṭavān /
yathā karma tathā lābha iti śāstranidarśanam //
tiryaggacchanti narakaṃ mānuṣyaṃ daivameva ca /
sukhaduḥkhe priye dveṣye caritvā pūrvameva ca //
kṛtāntavidhisaṃyuktaḥ sarvo lokaḥ prapadyate /
gataṃ gacchanti cādhvānaṃ sarvabhūtāni sarvadā //
kālasaṅkhyānasaṅkhyeyaṃ sṛṣṭisthitiparāyaṇam / taṃ bhāṣamāṇaṃ bhagavānuśanā pratyabhāṣata /
imānduṣṭapralāpāṃstvaṃ tāta kasmātprabhāṣate //
vṛtra uvāca /
pratyakṣametadbhavatastathā'nyeṣāṃ manīṣiṇām /
mayā yajjayalubdhena purā taptaṃ mahattapaḥ //
gandhānādāya bhūtānāṃ rasāṃśca vividhānapi /
avardhaṃ trīnsamākramya lokānvai svena tejasā //
jvālāmālāparikṣipto vaihāyasagatistathā /
ajeyaḥ sarvabhūtānāmāsaṃ nityamapetabhīḥ //
aiśvaryaṃ tapasā prāptaṃ bhraṣṭaṃ tacca svakarmabhiḥ /
dhṛtimāsthāya bhagavanna śocāmi tatastvaham //
yuyutsatā mahendreṇa purā sārdhaṃ mahātmanā /
tato me bhagavāndṛṣṭo harirnārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ //
vaikuṇṭhaḥ puruṣo'nantaḥ śuklo viṣṇuḥ sanātanaḥ /
muñjakeśo hariśmaśruḥ sarvabhūtapitāmahaḥ //
nūnaṃ tu tasya tapasaḥ sāvaśeṣaṃ mamāsti vai /
yadahaṃ praṣṭumicchāmi bhavantaṃ karmaṇaḥ phalam //
aiśvaryaṃ vai mahadbrahmanvarṇe kasminpratiṣṭhitam /
nivartate cāpi punaḥ kathamaiśvaryamuttamam //
bhavanti kasmādbhūtāni pravartante yathā punaḥ /
kiṃ vā phalaṃ paraṃ prāpya jīvastiṣṭhati śāśvataḥ //
kena vā karmaṇā śakyamatha jñānena kena vā /
brahmarṣe tatphalaṃ prāptuṃ tanme vyākhyātumarhasi //
itīdamuktaḥ sa munistadānīṃ pratyāha yattacchṛṇu rājasiṃha /
mayocyamānaṃ puruṣarṣabha tva mananyacittaḥ saha sodarīyaiḥ //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0