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पञ्चशिखवाक्य (paJcazikhavAkya)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Pañcaśikha-vākya(ṃ)] (“the discourse of Pañcaśikha”). § 668b (Mokshadh.): Bhīshma said: The Mithilā king Janaka was always engaged in reflecting upon the courses of conduct that might lead to the attainment of Bráhman. One hundred preceptors always used to live in his palace. Given to the study of the Vedas, he was not very well satisfied with the speculations of his instructors on the character of the soul and their doctrines of extinction upon the dissolution of the body or of rebirth after death. Once the great ascetic Pañcaśikha Kāpileya came to Mithilā, having roamed over the earth. He seemed to have assumed the form of that great Ṛ. [and]
Prajāpati, whom the Sāṅkhyas call Kapila
they say he was the first disciple of Āsuri [and]
long-living. He was performing a mental sacrifice for 1, 000 years (cf. Pañcasrotas). He was fully conversant with the Pañcarātra (i.e. “the sacrifice that leads to the state of Vishṇu”, Nīl.) and the five sheaths that cover the soul, etc. He had approached one day a large concourse [of Ṛ.]
following the Sāṅkhya doctrine (Kāpilaṃ), and instructed them about the Unmanifest
Āsuri had inquired of his preceptor (? so Nīl. and PCR.) and understood the distinction between the body and the soul, and had acquired celestial vision. For that assembly of Ṛ., Āsuri made his exposition of Bráhman. Pañcaśikha became a disciple of Āsuri
he lived on human milk
he was accepted as a son by the brāhmaṇī Kapilā, the wife of Āsuri, and used to suck her breasts. This was said to me by the holy one [i.e. Mārkaṇḍeya or Sanatkumāra, Nīl.]. Janaka, abandoning his 100 preceptors, began to follow Kāpileya (i.e. Pañcaśikha) upon the religion of emancipation which is explained in Sāṅkhya treatises. “Some say that, when ignorance is destroyed by knowledge, the destruction of existence itself follows [this opinion also is erroneous].” The king became filled with wonder (XII, 218). Continuation of the discourse between Pañcaśikha and the king on the topic of existence and non-existence after death. The Mithilā king (Maithilena), beholding his city burning in a conflagration, himself proclaimed (gītaṃ), “in this conflagration nothing of mine is burning.” The king gave up his sorrows, etc. He who reads this discourse attains to emancipation (XII, 219).