________________
256
ANUGÍTA.
Chapter V. On this ', too, O chief of the descendants of Bharata! they relate this ancient story, (in the form of) a dialogue, which occurred, O son of Pritha ! between a husband and wife. A Brâhmana's wife, seeing the Brahmana her husband, who had gone through all knowledge and experience ?, seated in seclusion, spoke to him (thus): "What world, indeed, shall I go to, depending on you as (my) husband, you who live renouncing (all) action, and who are harsh and undiscerning. We have heard that wives attain to the worlds acquired by (their) husbands. . What goal, verily, shall I reach, having got you for my husband ?' Thus addressed, that man of a tranquil self, spoke to her with a slight smile: 'O beautiful one! O sinless one! I am not offended at these words of yours. Whatever action there is, that can be caught (by the touch) •, or seen, or heard, that only do the men of action engage in as action. Those who are devoid of knowledge only lodges delusion in themselves by means of action. And freedom from action is not to be attained in this world even for an
commentary which I have used, says that the Anugîtå ends here. But, as we have shown, there is a verse coming further on, which Sankarâkârya cites as from the Anugilâ. In the printed copies of the Mahâbhârala the next chapter is called the Brahmanagita.
'l.e. the questions at p. 252, Nilakantha; more probably, perhaps, the doctrine' mentioned at p. 354 is what is alluded to. • Cf. Gità, p. 57 and note.
Nilakantha says this means 'ignorant that the wife has no other support.' Arguna Misra interprets kinasa lo mean 'indigent' instead of harsh.'
• So Arguna Misra. Nilakantha's reading and his interpretation of the passage are different.
• I follow Arguna Misra; the original literally means 'restrain.'
Digitized by Google
