पयसीव जरत्पर्णं वायाव् इव जरत्तृणम् । नभसीव शरन्मेघश् चिन्ताचक्रे भ्रमाम्य् अहम्
Like an old leaf in water, or dry grass in the wind, or an autumn cloud in the sky, I am tossed about in the cycle of anxious thoughts.
गन्तुम् आस्पदम् आत्मीयम् असमर्थधियो वयम् । चिन्ताजाले विमुह्यामो जाले शकुनयो यथा
Unable to reach our own true ground, we are bewildered in the net of thoughts, just as birds are ensnared in a net.
तृष्णाभिधानया तात दग्धो ऽस्मि ज्वालया तथा । यथा दाहोपशमनम् आशङ्के नामृतैर् अपि
Father, I am burned by the fire called craving, so much so that I do not expect relief even from nectar.
दूरं दूरम् इतो गत्वा समेत्य च पुनः पुनः । भ्रमत्य् आशु दिगन्तेषु तृष्णोन्मत्ततुरङ्गमी
Going far, far from here, and returning again and again, the horse of my mind, mad with craving, swiftly wanders to the ends of the directions.
जडसंसङ्गिनी तृष्णा कृतोर्ध्वाधोगमागमा । क्षुब्धा ग्रन्थिमती नित्यम् अरघट्टोग्ररज्जुवत्
Craving, bound to dullness, moves ceaselessly up and down; ever agitated, knotted, like a fierce rope on a wheel without a hub.
अन्तर् ग्रथितया देहे सम्भ्रमोच्छिद्यमानया । रज्ज्वेवाशु बलीवर्दस् तृष्णया वाह्यते जनः
Within the body, a person is drawn along by craving, which is tightly bound and constantly disturbed, just as a bull is swiftly led by a rope.
पुत्रदारकलत्रादितृष्णया नित्यकृष्णया । खगेष्व् इव किरात्येह जालं लोकेषु रच्यते
Here, in this world, an ever-pulling craving for sons, wives, and family weaves a net among people, just as a fowler casts snares for birds.
भाययत्य् अपि धीरेहम् अन्धयत्य् अपि सेक्षणम् । खेदयत्य् अपि सानन्दं तृष्णा कृष्णेव शर्वरी
Craving, like a dark night, deludes even the wise, blinds even the seeing, and wearies even the joyful.
कुटिला कोमलस्पर्शा विषवैषम्यशंसिनी । दहत्य् अपि मनाक् स्पृष्टा तृष्णा कृष्णेव भोगिनी
Crooked, soft to the touch, yet hinting at the poison’s imbalance, craving, like a black serpent, burns even when barely touched.
भिनत्ति हृदयं पुंसां मायामयविधायिनी । दौर्भाग्यदायिनी दीना तृष्णा कृष्णेव राक्षसी
Craving, like a black demoness, tears the hearts of men, weaves illusions, brings misfortune, and is ever wretched.
तन्द्रातन्त्रीगणं कोशे दधाना परिवेष्टितम् । नानन्दे राजते ब्रह्मंस् तृष्णाजर्जरवल्लकी
Craving, like a worn-out lute, encloses the treasury of the mind with a web of sloth and dullness, and never shines in happiness, O Brahman.
नित्यम् एवातिमलिना कटुकोन्मादशालिनी । दीर्घा तन्वी घनस्नेहा तृष्णागह्वरवल्लरी
Ever exceedingly impure, filled with the madness of bitterness, long, slender, and dense with attachment, craving is a creeper in a dark ravine.
अनानन्दकरी शून्या निष्फलात्यर्थम् उन्नता । अमङ्गलकरी क्रूरा तृष्णा क्षीणेव मञ्जरी
Desire is empty, brings no joy, utterly fruitless though it rises high; it is inauspicious, cruel, and withered like a faded blossom.
अनावर्जितचित्तापि सर्वम् एवानुधावति । न चाप्नोति फलं किञ्चित् तृष्णा जीर्णेव कामिनी
Even when the mind is not drawn to it, desire pursues everything; yet it attains no result, like an aged courtesan.
संसारनृत्ते महति नानारससमाकुले । भुवनाभोगरङ्गेषु तृष्णा जरढनर्तकी
In the grand dance of worldly existence, filled with various flavors, among the stages of worldly enjoyment, desire is like an old dancer.
जराकुसुमितारूढा पातोत्पातफलावलिः । संसारजङ्गले दीर्घे तृष्णाविषलता तता
Having climbed the tree of old age, bearing a chain of fruits of downfall and calamity, in the long jungle of worldly life, desire spreads like a poisonous creeper.
यन् न शक्नोति तत्रापि धत्ते ताण्डवितां गतिम् । नृत्यत्य् आनन्दरहितं तृष्णा जीर्णेव नर्तकी
Where it cannot succeed, even there it takes up a frantic pace; desire dances without joy, like an aged dancer.
भृशं स्फुरति नीहारे शाम्यत्य् आलोक आगते । दुःखौघेषु पदं धत्ते तृष्णाचपलबर्हिणी
It flutters intensely in the mist, but subsides when light arrives; in floods of sorrow, desire settles like a restless peahen.
जडकल्लोलबहला चिरं शून्यतरान्तरा । क्षणम् उल्लासम् आयाति तृष्णाप्रावृट्तरङ्गिणी
Dull, turbulent, and heavy, for long it remains empty within; for a moment it finds delight, like a wave in the rainy season of desire.
नष्टम् उत्सृज्य तिष्ठन्तं वृक्षाद् वृक्षम् इवापरम् । पुरुषात् पुरुषं याति तृष्णा लोलेव पक्षिणी
Leaving behind what is lost and staying, it moves from one tree to another; from one person to another, desire goes like a bird in flight.
पदं करोत्य् अलङ्घ्ये ऽपि तृप्तापि फलम् ईहते । चिरं तिष्ठति नैकत्र तृष्णाचपलमर्कटी
Even when satisfied, it steps forward where passage is impossible; it still desires fruit. For a long time, it does not remain in one place—the restless monkey of craving.
इदं कृत्वेदम् आयाति सर्वम् एवासमञ्जसम् । अनारतं च यतते तृष्णा चेष्टेव दैविकी
Having done this, it moves on to that; everything is disorderly. Craving strives ceaselessly, as if driven by some divine force.
क्षणम् आयाति पातालं क्षणं याति नभस्तलम् । क्षणं भ्रमति दिक्कुञ्जे तृष्णाहृत्पद्मषट्पदी
In a moment, it descends to the depths; in a moment, it rises to the sky; in a moment, it wanders through the thickets of directions—the bee of craving drawn to the lotus of the heart.
सर्वसंसारदोषाणां तृष्णैका दीर्घदुःखदा । अन्तःपुरस्थम् अपि या योजयत्य् अतिसङ्कटे
Of all the faults in worldly existence, craving alone brings prolonged suffering; even those dwelling within the palace are bound by it in the tightest confinement.
प्रयच्छति परं जाड्यं परमालोकरोधिनी । मोहनीहारगहना तृष्णाजलदमालिका
It bestows utter dullness, the supreme obstruction to true vision; craving is a garland of clouds, dense with the haze of delusion.
सर्वेषां जन्तुजालानां संसारव्यवहारिणाम् । परिप्रोतमनोमालास् तृष्णा बन्धनरज्जवः
For all creatures engaged in worldly affairs, craving is the thread woven through the stains of the mind—the rope of bondage.
विचित्रवर्णा विगुणा दीर्घा मलिनसंस्थितिः । शून्या शून्यास्पदा तृष्णा शक्रकार्मुकधर्मिणी
Craving is of many colors, lacking virtue, long, and settled in impurity; empty, rooted in emptiness, it is like Indra’s bow in its nature.
अशनिर् गुणसस्यानां फलिता शरद् आपदे । हिमं सम्पत्सरोजिन्यास् तमसां दीर्घयामिनी
It is the thunderbolt for the harvest of virtues, ripened in autumn’s calamity; the frost for the lotus of prosperity, the long night for the darknesses.
संसारनाटकनटी कायालयविहङ्गमी । मानसारण्यहरिणी स्मरसङ्गीतवल्लकी
She is the actress in the drama of worldly existence, the bird in the cage of the body, the deer in the forest of the mind, and the lute of love's music.
व्यवहाराब्धिलहरी मोहमातङ्गशृङ्खला । मार्गन्यग्रोधसुभगा दुःखकैरवचन्द्रिका
She is the wave on the ocean of activity, the chain of delusion's elephant, the delightful banyan tree along the path, and the moonlight for the water-lily of sorrow.