CHAPTER 76 — अव्यवधान-शिक्षकः | The Facilitating Coach

पात्रस्य अतिपूरणं प्रस्रुति-कारणम्; कदा विरमेद् इति ज्ञानं प्रज्ञा। अति-तीक्ष्णीकरणं असिं क्षपयति; मध्यमता संरक्षति॥१॥

pātrasya atipūraṇaṃ prasruti-kāraṇam; kadā virameḍ iti jñānaṃ prajñā। ati-tīkṣṇīkaraṇaṃ asiṃ kṣapayati; madhyamatā saṃrakṣati॥1॥

Overfilling a cup causes spillage; knowing when to stop is wisdom. Excessive sharpening wears the blade; moderation preserves.

निधि-संग्रहणं हानिम् आह्वयति; सरलता हृदयं रक्षति॥२॥

nidhi-saṅgrahaṇaṃ hānim āhvayati; saralatā hṛdayaṃ rakṣati॥2॥

Amassing treasures invite loss; simplicity safeguards the heart.

अन्येषाम् अनुमोदने अति-संलग्नता बन्दिनं करोति। तव कार्यं कुरु, ततो ऽपसर्प — एष महामार्गः॥३॥

anyeṣām anumodane ati-saṃlagnatā bandinaṃ karoti। tava kāryaṃ kuru, tato ‘pasarpa — eṣa mahāmārgaḥ॥3॥

Being overly concerned with others’ approval makes one a prisoner. Do your work, then step back - this is theWAY.

अन्यान् मार्गदर्शयन्, नियन्त्रणं विना कर्तुं किं शक्नोषि? मुख्य-विषयाणि सम्मुखीकुर्वन्, महामार्गेण सह संरेखितुं किं शक्नोषि?॥४॥

anyān mārgadarśayan, niyantraṇaṃ vinā kartuṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi? mukhya-viṣayāṇi sammukhīkurvan, mahāmārgeṇa saha saṃrekhituṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi?॥4॥

In guiding others, can you act without controlling? In facing vital matters, can you align with theWAY?

स्व-मनसः अपसर्तुं, ततश्च सर्व-वस्तूनि अवगन्तुं किं शक्नोषि? यदा प्रकाशो ऽन्धकारश्च आगच्छतः, संतुलने स्थातुं किं शक्नोषि?॥५॥

sva-manasaḥ apasartuṃ, tataśca sarva-vastūni avagantuṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi? yadā prakāśo ’ndhakāraśca āgacchataḥ, saṃtulane sthātuṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi?॥5॥

Can you step back from your mind and thus understand all things? When light and darkness come, can you remain in balance?

अव्यवधानेन शासितुं किं शक्नोषि? यदा स्वर्ग-द्वारम् उद्घाटते निमील्यते च, यिनं याङ्गं चोभौ क्रीडितुं किं शक्नोषि?॥६॥

avyavadhānena śāsituṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi? yadā svarga-dvāram udghāṭate nimīlyate ca, yinaṃ yāṅgaṃ cobhau krīḍituṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi?॥6॥

Can you govern by non-interference? When heaven’s gate opens and closes, can you play both yin and yang?

जनयित्वा पोषयित्वा, स्वामित्वम् अकृत्वा धारणम्, अपेक्षां विना कर्म, प्रभुत्वं विना नेतृत्वम् — एतद् रहस्य-गुणम् इति उच्यते॥७॥

janayitvā poṣayitvā, svāmitvam akṛtvā dhāraṇam, apekṣāṃ vinā karma, prabhutvaṃ vinā netṛtvam — etad rahasya-guṇam iti ucyate॥7॥

Giving birth and nourishing, Having without possessing, Acting with no expectation, Leading without domination. This is called Mystic Virtue.

भ्रान्तिभ्यः सावधानो भव। शान्त्यर्थं युद्धं करोषि॥८॥

bhrāntibhyaḥ sāvadhāno bhava। śāntyarthaṃ yuddhaṃ karoṣi॥8॥

Be wary of illusions. You wage war for peace.

प्राचीन-महामार्गीय-योद्धारः सूक्ष्माः गभीराश्च आसन्। तेषां प्रज्ञा सरला, तथापि जटिला इव दृष्टा॥९॥

prācīna-mahāmārgīya-yoddhāraḥ sūkṣmāḥ gabhīrāśca āsan। teṣāṃ prajñā saralā, tathāpi jaṭilā iva dṛṣṭā॥9॥

Ancient Wayist warriors were subtle and profound. Their wisdom was straightforward, yet appeared complex.

ते आसन् — तनु-हिमं तरन् इव सावधानाः, शत्रु-भूमौ योद्धा इव सजगाः, अतिथिः इव विनयिनः, द्रवीभवद्-हिमम् इव तरलाः, उपत्यका-समाः निराकाराः, कलुष-जलवद् मलिनाः॥१०॥

te āsan — tanu-himaṃ taran iva sāvadhānāḥ, śatru-bhūmau yoddhā iva sajagāḥ, atithiḥ iva vinayinaḥ, dravībhavad-himam iva taralāḥ, upatyakā-samāḥ nirākārāḥ, kaluṣa-jalavad malināḥ॥10॥

They were: Cautious as one crossing thin ice, Alert as a warrior in enemy territory, Courteous as a guest, Fluid as melting ice, Shapeless as a valley, Murky as turbid waters.

कर्दमस्य अवस्थानं जलस्य प्रसन्नीभावं च प्रतीक्षितुं किं शक्नोषि? यावत् सम्यक्-कर्म स्वभावेन उद्भवति तावद् अचलः स्थातुं किं शक्नोषि?॥११॥

kardamasya avasthānaṃ jalasya prasannībhāvaṃ ca pratīkṣituṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi? yāvat samyak-karma svabhāvena udbhavati tāvad acalaḥ sthātuṃ kiṃ śaknoṣi?॥11॥

Can you wait for the mud to settle and waters to clear? Can you remain unmoving until right action arises naturally?

महामार्गी अति-अवस्थानानि न अन्विष्यति। न अन्वेषन्ती, न अपेक्षन्ती, सा उपस्थिता अश्रान्ता च॥१२॥

mahāmārgī ati-avasthānāni na anviṣyati। na anveṣantī, na apekṣantī, sā upasthitā aśrāntā ca॥12॥

The Wayist does not seek extremes. Not seeking, not expecting, she is present and unwearied.

विचारेभ्यः तव मस्तिष्क-मनो रिक्तीकुरु। तव हृदयं शान्तं भवतु। सत्त्वानां क्षोभं पश्य, किन्तु तेषां प्रतिगमनम् अनुचिन्तय॥१३॥

vicārebhyaḥ tava mastiṣka-mano riktīkuru। tava hṛdayaṃ śāntaṃ bhavatu। sattvānāṃ kṣobhaṃ paśya, kintu teṣāṃ pratigamanam anucintaya॥13॥

Empty your brain-mind of thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.

ब्रह्माण्डे प्रत्येक-सत्त्वं तत्त्वं प्रति आगच्छति॥१४॥

brahmāṇḍe pratyeka-sattvaṃ tattvaṃ prati āgacchati॥14॥

Each being in the universe returns to Source.

यदि त्वं तत्त्वं न प्रत्यभिजानासि, मोहे शोके च स्खलसि। यदा त्वं प्रत्यभिजानासि कुतः आगच्छसि कुत्र च गच्छसि, तदा स्वभावतः सहिष्णुर् भवसि — अनासक्तः, प्रहसन्, मातामही इव दयालुः, राजा इव सम्मान्यः॥१५॥

yadi tvaṃ tattvaṃ na pratyabhijānāsi, mohe śoke ca skhalasi। yadā tvaṃ pratyabhijānāsi kutaḥ āgacchasi kutra ca gacchasi, tadā svabhāvataḥ sahiṣṇur bhavasi — anāsaktaḥ, prahasan, mātāmahī iva dayāluḥ, rājā iva sammānyaḥ॥15॥

If you don’t realize the Source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow. When you realize where you come from and where you go, you naturally become tolerant, Disinterested, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a king.

महामार्गे निमग्नः, यद् किमपि जीवनम् आनयति तत् सम्यक् व्यवहर्तुं शक्नोषि। यदा च मृत्युर् आगच्छति, सिद्धो ऽसि॥१६॥

mahāmārge nimagnaḥ, yad kimapi jīvanam ānayati tat samyak vyavahartuṃ śaknoṣi। yadā ca mṛtyur āgacchati, siddho ‘si॥16॥

Immersed in theWAY, you can deal with whatever life brings. And when death comes, you are ready.

महामार्गी सन्, आत्म-प्राप्तिं लभते, महामार्गेण सह संयुक्तः, जीव-रूपान्तरणस्य अनन्तरम् अमृतो ऽविनाशी च भवति॥१७॥

mahāmārgī san, ātma-prāptiṃ labhate, mahāmārgeṇa saha saṃyuktaḥ, jīva-rūpāntaraṇasya anantaram amṛto ‘vināśī ca bhavati॥17॥

Being a Wayist, one can attain the spirit, merging with theWAY, becoming immortal and imperishable after the transfiguration of the soul.

तम् उपगच्छ — आदिर् नास्ति; तम् अनुसर — अन्तो नास्ति। तं ज्ञातुं न शक्नोषि, किन्तु तस्मिन् भवितुं शक्नोषि। प्राचीन-कालात् महामार्गं गृहीत्वा, वर्तमानस्य समस्याः उन्मूल्यन्ते। आत्मनः प्राचीन-मूलं जीवन-प्रयोजनं च जानन् — एष प्रज्ञायाः सारः॥१८॥

tam upagaccha — ādir nāsti; tam anusara — anto nāsti। taṃ jñātuṃ na śaknoṣi, kintu tasmin bhavituṃ śaknoṣi। prācīna-kālāt mahāmārgaṃ gṛhītvā, vartamānasya samasyāḥ unmūlyante। ātmanaḥ prācīna-mūlaṃ jīvana-prayojanaṃ ca jānan — eṣa prajñāyāḥ sāraḥ॥18॥

Approach it and there is no beginning; follow it and there is no end. You cannot know it, but you can be in it. Taking hold of theWAY from ever past, uproots the problems of the present. Knowing the ancient origins of self and the purpose of life is the essence of wisdom.

व्याकरण टिप्पणियां | Grammatical Notes

The Daodejing Lineage:

This chapter is the corpus’s most direct conversation with the Dao De Jing, paraphrasing or echoing passages from Daodejing 9 (the overfull cup, the over-sharpened blade), 10 (the rhetorical questions of verses 4-6), 15 (the ancient warriors of verses 9-11), 16 (the return-to-root of verse 14), 51 (the Mystic Virtue of verse 7), and 14 (the ineffability of verse 18). The Sanskrit honours this lineage by preserving the aphoristic rhythm, the rhetorical-question pattern, and the line-break poetic structure where the English does. Where Wayism and Daoism converge (non-interference, moderation, non-attachment), the Sanskrit renders directly; where Wayism is more specific than Daoism (the tattva of verse 14, the jīva-rūpāntaraṇa of verse 17), the Sanskrit carries the Wayist particularity.

Core Coaching Terminology:

The Mystic Virtue Litany (Verse 7):

The Ancient Warriors (Verse 10):

The Wayist Source (Verse 14):

The Grandmother and the King (Verse 15):

Merging Without Absorption (Verse 17):

The Ineffability Verse (Verse 18):

The Sanskrit of Chapter 76 carries the corpus’s most direct Daodejing engagement while keeping the Wayist particulars precise where they need to be. Avyavadhāna (non-interference) is offered as the Wayist application of wu wei. Rahasya-guṇa (Mystic Virtue) translates xuán dé without flattening it. The four warriors-similes preserve the cultivated incompleteness the Daodejing prizes. And at the two points where Wayist theology cannot drift into either Daoist absorption-into-Dao or Vedantic merger-with-Brahman — the tattva return of verse 14 and the saṃyukta (joined-with) attainment of verse 17 — the Sanskrit lexical choices hold the Wayist line: returning to Source, not dissolving into it; joining theWAY, not becoming identical to it. The facilitating coach who emerges from the chapter is the one who has learned to teach the way theWAY itself teaches — by drawing forth rather than imposing, by waiting until kardama (mud) settles before acting, by jñāta-jaḷam (knowing-as-being) rather than jñāta-vastu (known-as-object).

Colophon: This translation represents the collaborative restoration work of the Wayist collective Salvar Dàosenglu, based on the ancient mahāmārga teaching tradition, rendered into contemporary English and restored to classical Sanskrit for posterity.

← CHAPTER 75 — शक्ति-संरचनाः | Energy Structures 📚 MahaMarga Primary Teaching CHAPTER 77 — नदी-उपमा | Simile of the River →