स्थावराः कृमयश्चाजाः पक्षिणः पशवो नगः । धार्मिकास्त्रिदशास्तद्वन्मोक्षिणश्च यथाक्रमम् ॥ २,४९.
Immobile beings, insects, goats, birds, animals, mountains, the righteous, the gods, those liberated—such is the order.
चतुर्विधशरीराणि धृत्वा मुक्त्वा सहस्रशः । सुकृतान्मा नवो भूत्वा ज्ञानी चेन्मोक्षमाप्नुयात् ॥ २,४९.
Having assumed and abandoned thousands of fourfold bodies, if one becomes virtuous and wise, one may attain liberation.
चतुरशीतिलक्षेषु शरीरेषु शरीरिणाम् । न मानुषं विनान्यत्र तत्त्वज्ञानन्तु लभ्यते ॥ २,४९.
Among the eighty-four lakh bodies of embodied beings, except in the human form, nowhere else is knowledge of reality attained.
अत्र जन्मसहस्राणां सहस्रैरपि कोटिभिः । कदाचिल्लभते जन्तुर्मानुष्यं पुण्यसञ्चयात् ॥ २,४९.
Even after thousands upon thousands of births, sometimes a creature attains humanity, due to the accumulation of merit.
सोपानभूतं मोक्षस्य मानुष्यं प्राप्य दुर्लभम् । यस्तार यति नात्मानं तस्मात्पापतरोऽत्र कः ॥ २,४९.
Having attained the rare human birth, which is the stepping stone to liberation, who is more sinful than one who does not rescue himself?
नरः प्राप्येतरज्जन्म लब्ध्वा चेन्द्रियसौष्ठवम् । न वेत्त्यात्महितं यस्तु स भवेद्ब्रह्मघातकः ॥ २,४९.
A man who, having gained another birth and the excellence of the senses, does not know what benefits himself, is a slayer of Brahman.
विना देहेन कस्यापि पुरुषार्थो न विद्यते । तस्माद्देहं धनं रक्षेत्पुण्यकर्माणि साधयेत् ॥ २,४९.
Without a body, no one can pursue any purpose; therefore, one should protect the body as wealth and perform virtuous deeds.
रक्षेच्चसर्वदात्मानमात्मा सर्ब्वस्य भाजनम् । रक्षणे यत्नमातिष्ठेज्जीवन् भद्राणि पश्यति ॥ २,४९.
One should always protect oneself, for the self is the vessel of everything; by striving for protection, one lives and sees auspicious things.
पुनर्ग्रामः पुनः क्षेत्र पुनर्वित्तं पुनर्गृहम् । पुनः शुभाशुभं कर्म न शरीरं पुनः पुनः ॥ २,४९.
Village, field, wealth, house, good and bad deeds may be regained again and again, but not the body.
शरीररक्षणोपायाः क्रि यन्ते सर्वदा बुधैः । नेच्छन्ति च पुनस्त्यागमपि कुष्ठादिरोगिणः ॥ २,४९.
Wise people always employ means to protect the body, and even those afflicted with diseases like leprosy do not wish to abandon it.
तद्गोपितं स्याद्धर्मार्थं धर्मो ज्ञानार्थमेव च । ज्ञानं तु ध्यानयोगार्थमचिरात्प्रविमुच्यते ॥ २,४९.
It should be preserved for the sake of dharma and wealth; dharma is for knowledge, and knowledge is for meditation and yoga, by which one is quickly liberated.
आत्मैव यदि नात्मानमहीतेभ्यो निवारयेत् । कोऽन्यो हितकरस्तस्मादात्मानं सुखयिष्यति ॥ २,४९.
If the self does not protect itself from harm, who else will bring happiness to oneself?
इहैव नरकव्याधेश्चिकित्सां न करोति यः । गत्वा निरौषधं देशं व्याधिम्थः किं करिष्यति ॥ २,४९.
He who does not seek treatment for the disease of hell here, what will he do when he reaches a place without medicine, afflicted by disease?
व्याघ्रीवास्ते जरा चायुर्याति भिन्नघटाम्बुवत् । निघ्नन्ति रिपुवद्रोगास्तस्माच्छ्रेयः समभ्यसेत ॥ २,४९.
Old age comes like a tiger, life departs like water from a broken pot, diseases destroy like enemies; therefore, one should practice what is good.
यावन्नाश्रयते दुः खं यावन्नायान्ति चापदः । यावन्नेन्द्रियवैकल्यं तावच्छ्रेयः समभ्यसेत् ॥ २,४९.
As long as suffering has not arisen, as long as misfortune has not come, as long as the senses have not become impaired, one should strive for what is truly beneficial.
यावत्तिष्ठति देहोऽयं तावत्तत्त्वं समभ्यसेत् । सन्दीप्तकोशभवने कूपं खनति दुर्मतिः ॥ २,४९.
As long as this body endures, one should pursue the truth; the fool digs a well in his house only when the storehouse is already ablaze.
कालो न ज्ञायते नानाकार्यैः संसारसम्भवैः । सुखं दुःखं जनो हन्त न वेत्ति हितमात्मनः ॥ २,४९.
Time cannot be known, filled as it is with countless worldly affairs; people, alas, do not discern what is truly good for themselves, whether in happiness or in sorrow.
जातानार्तान्मृतानापद्भष्टान्दृष्ट्वा च दुः खितान् । लोको मोहसुरां पीत्वा न बिभेति कदाचन ॥ २,४९.
Even seeing those born into suffering, those dead, those fallen into calamity, and those afflicted with pain, people, intoxicated by the wine of delusion, never feel fear.
सम्पदः स्वप्नसंकाशा यौवनं कुसुमोपमम् । तडिच्चपलमायुष्यं कस्य स्याज्जानतो धृतिः ॥ २,४९.
Wealth is like a dream, youth is as fleeting as a flower, and life is as unstable as a flash of lightning—who, knowing this, could remain steadfast?
शतं जीवितमत्यल्पं निद्रालस्यैस्तदर्धकम् । बाल्यरोगजरादुः खैरल्पं तदपि निष्फलम् ॥ २,४९.
A hundred years of life is very little; for the lazy and those given to sleep, it is half that; and what remains is consumed by childhood, disease, and old age, so that even that small portion is fruitless.
प्रारब्धव्ये निरुद्योगी जागर्तव्ये प्रसुप्तकः । विश्वस्तश्च भयस्थाने हा नरः को न हन्यते ॥ २,४९.
He is inactive when work is to be begun, he sleeps when he should be awake, and he is trusting in the midst of danger—alas, what man would not be destroyed?
तोयफेनसमे देहे जीवेनाक्रम्य संस्थिते । अनित्याप्रयसवासे कथ तिष्ठति निर्भयः ॥ २,४९.
When life abides in a body as insubstantial as a bubble of water, and in a dwelling so impermanent, how can anyone remain without fear?
अहिते हितसंज्ञः स्यादध्रुवे ध्रुवसंज्ञकः । अनर्थे चार्थविज्ञानः स्वमर्थं यो न वेत्ति सः ॥ २,४९.
He who regards what is harmful as beneficial, what is unstable as stable, and sees value in what is worthless, does not understand his own true good.
पश्यन्नपि प्रस्खलति शृण्वन्नपि न बुध्यति । पठन्नपि न जानाति देवमायाविमोहितः ॥ २,४९.
Though seeing, he stumbles; though hearing, he does not understand; though reading, he does not know—deluded by the divine illusion.
तन्निमज्जज्जगदिदं गम्भीरे कालसागरे । मृत्युरोगजराग्राहैर्न कश्चिदपि बुध्यते ॥ २,४९.
Thus this whole world sinks into the deep ocean of time; seized by the crocodiles of death, disease, and old age, no one becomes aware.
प्रतिक्षणभयं कालः क्षीयमाणो न लक्ष्यते । आमकुंभ इवांभः स्थो विशीर्णो न विभाव्यते ॥ २,४९.
Time, ever diminishing, brings fear at every moment, yet it is not perceived—just as water in a leaking jar is not noticed as it disappears.
युज्यते वेष्टनं वायोराकाशस्य च खण्डनम् । ग्रथनञ्च तरङ्गाणामास्था नायुषि युज्यते ॥ २,४९.
One might bind the wind or shatter space, or string together the waves, but to place trust in the duration of life is not fitting.
पृथिवी दह्यते येन मेरुश्चापि विशीर्यते । शुष्यते सागरजलं शरीरस्य च का कथा ॥ २,४९.
That which burns the earth, shatters even Mount Meru, dries up the waters of the ocean—what need is there to speak of the body?
अपत्यं मे कलत्रं मे धनं मे बान्धवाश्च मे । जल्पन्तमिति मर्त्याजं हन्ति कालवृको बलात् ॥ २,४९.
"My child, my wife, my wealth, my relatives"—while a mortal utters such words, the wolf of time seizes him by force.
इदं कृतमिदं कार्यमिदमन्यत्कृताकृतम् । एवमीहासमायुक्तं कृतान्तः कुरुते वशम् ॥ २,४९.
"This is done, this is to be done, this is another thing, done or not done"—while one is thus engaged in such pursuits, death brings him under its control.