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Internet Indian History Sourcebook
King Bhartrihari:
One Law There Is, c. 100 CE
[Tappan Introduction]
BHARTRIHARI was a ruler who lived at some time early in the
Christian era. He abandoned the luxuries of his throne and made his home in the forest,
where he could meditate at his will and be free from the honors and temptations of life in
a palace.
ONE law there is: no deed perform
To others that to thee were harm;
And this is all, all laws beside
With circumstances alter or abide.
Like as our outworn garments we discard,
And other new ones don;
So doth the Soul these bodies doff when marred
And others new put on.
Fire doth not kindle It, nor sword divides,
Nor winds nor waters harm;
Eternal and unchanged the One abides,
And smiles at all alarm.
Like as a goldsmith beateth out his gold
To other fashions fairer than the old,
So may the Spirit, learning ever more,
In ever nobler forms his life infold.
Source:
From: Eva March Tappan, ed., The World's Story: A History of the World in Story,
Song and Art, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1914), Vol. II: India, Persia,
Mesopotamia, and Palestine, p. 98.
Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton.
This text is part of the Internet
Indian History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and
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© Paul Halsall November1998
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© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 12 April 2024 [CV]
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