यत्नेन याति युवता दूरे सज्जनसङ्गतिः । गतिर् न विद्यते काचित् क्वचिन् नोदेति सत्यता
In youth, even with effort, the company of the virtuous is far away; there is no clear path anywhere, and truth does not arise.
मनो विमुह्यतीवान्तर् मुदिता दूरतो गता । नोज्ज्वला करुणोदेति दूराद् आयाति नीचता
The mind seems bewildered within, happiness has gone far away; compassion does not shine forth, but baseness draws near from afar.
धीरताधीरताम् एति पातोत्पातपरो जनः । सुलभो दुर्जनाश्लेषो दुर्लभस् साधुसङ्गमः
Courage turns into cowardice, people are intent on downfall and disaster; the embrace of the wicked is easy, but the company of the good is hard to find.
आगमापायिनो भावा भावना भवबन्धनी । नीयते केवलं क्वापि नित्यं भूतपरम्परा
States of being come and go, imagination binds one to existence; the endless succession of beings is carried on somewhere, always.
दिशो ऽपि हि न दृश्यन्ते देशो ऽप्य् अव्यपदेशभाक् । शैला अपि हि शीर्यन्ते कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even the directions are no longer seen, and the land has lost all distinction; even mountains crumble away—what hope is there for someone like me?
द्रवन्त्य् अपि समुद्राश् च शीर्यन्ते तारका अपि । सिद्धा अपि न सिध्यन्ति कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even the oceans are drying up, and the stars are fading away; even the perfected beings do not remain perfected—what hope is there for someone like me?
अद्यते ऽसत्तयापि द्यौर् भुवनं चापि भज्यते । धरापि याति वैधुर्यं कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even the sky is consumed by non-being, and the world itself is breaking apart; even the earth becomes unstable—what hope is there for someone like me?
दानवा अपि दीर्यन्ते ध्रुवो ऽप्य् अध्रुवजीवितः । अमरा अपि मार्यन्ते कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even the demons are destroyed, and even the constant one has an impermanent life; even the immortals die—what hope is there for someone like me?
शक्रो ऽप्य् आक्रम्यते शक्रैर् यमो ऽपि हि नियम्यते । वायोर् अप्य् अस्त्य् अवायुत्वं कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even Indra is overpowered by other Indras, and even Yama is restrained; even the wind can lose its motion—what hope is there for someone like me?
सोमो ऽपि व्योमताम् एति मार्ताण्डो ऽप्य् एति खण्डनाम् । रुग्णताम् अग्निर् अप्य् एति कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even the moon becomes like the sky, and the sun is shattered; even fire becomes weak—what hope is there for someone like me?
परमेष्ठ्य् अप्य् अनिष्ठावान् हरते हरिम् अप्य् अजः । भवो ऽप्य् अभवतां याति कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even Brahma is subject to misfortune, and the unborn one takes away even Vishnu; even Shiva becomes non-being—what hope is there for someone like me?
कालश् शकलताम् एति नियतिश् चापि नीयते । खम् अप्य् आलीयते ऽनन्ते कैवास्था मादृशे जने
Even Time is broken into pieces, and Destiny is led away; even space dissolves into the infinite—what hope is there for someone like me?
अश्रव्यावाच्यदुर्दर्शतन्त्रेणाज्ञातमूर्तिना । भुवनानि विडम्ब्यन्ते केनचिद् भ्रमदायिना
All the worlds are mocked by some unknown force, whose nature is unheard, unspeakable, and invisible, and which causes delusion.
अहङ्कारकलाम् एत्य सर्वत्रान्तरवासिना । न सो ऽस्ति त्रिषु लोकेषु यस् तेनेह न बाध्यते
Having assumed the subtle form of ego, it dwells within all, and there is no one in the three worlds who is not troubled by it here.
शिलाशैलकटप्रेषु साश्वसूतो दिवाकरः । वनपाषाणवन् नित्यम् अवशः परिदोल्यते
Just as the sun’s charioteer is helplessly shaken among rocks, mountains, and forest cliffs, so too is one tossed about endlessly.
धरागोलकम् अन्तस्स्थसुरासुरगणास्पदम् । वेष्ट्यते धिष्ण्यचक्रेण पक्वाक्षोटम् इव त्वचा
The earth-globe, which holds hosts of gods and demons within, is encircled by the wheel of the heavens, like a ripe wood-apple by its rind.
दिवि देवा भुवि नराः पाताले ऽसुरभोगिनः । कल्पिताः कल्पमात्रेण नीयन्ते जर्जरां दशाम्
Gods in heaven, humans on earth, and demons and serpents in the underworld—all are imagined by mere imagination, and are led to a state of decay.
कामश् च जगतीशानरणलब्धपराक्रमः । अक्रमेणैव विक्रान्तो लोकम् आक्रम्य वल्गति
Desire, having gained strength from the fire of the world’s rulers, forcefully spreads without order and leaps about, seizing the world.
वसन्तो मत्तमातङ्गो मदैः कुसुमवर्षणैः । आमोदितककुप्चक्रश् चेतो नयति वक्रताम्
Spring, like a drunken elephant, with showers of flowers and fragrant breezes, bends the mind from its straight path.
अनुरक्ताङ्गनालोकलोचनालोकिताकृति । स्पष्टीकर्तुं मनश् शक्तो न विवेको महान् अपि
Even great discernment is unable to clarify the mind, when it is captivated by the gaze of a loving woman’s eyes.
परोपकारकारिण्या परार्त्या परितप्तया । बुद्ध एव सुखी मन्ये स्वार्थशीतलया धिया
Only the wise, whose minds are cooled by selflessness, who act for the good of others and are moved by the suffering of others, are truly happy, I think.
उत्पन्नध्वंसिनः कालवडवानलपातिनः । सङ्ख्यातुं केन शक्यन्ते कल्लोला जीविताम्बुधेः
Who can count the waves in the ocean of life, which arise and vanish, struck down by the fire of time?
सर्व एव नरा मोहाद् दुराशापाशपातिनः । दोषगुल्मकसारङ्गा निगीर्णा जन्मजङ्गले
All people, out of delusion, are bound by the cords of vain hopes, swallowed up in the jungle of birth, as deer by the thicket of faults.
सङ्क्षीयते जगति जन्मपरम्परासु लोकस्य तैर् इह कुकर्मभिर् आयुर् एतत् । आकाशपादपलताकृतपाशकल्पं येषां फलं न हि विचारविदो ऽपि विद्मः
In this world, the lifespan of people is diminished by these evil deeds accumulated through successive births; and even those skilled in discernment do not know what fruit will come, as it is like a snare made from the branches of the sky.
अद्योत्सवो ऽयम् ऋतुर् एष तथेह यात्रा ते बन्धवस् सुखम् इदं स विशेषभोगः । इत्थं मुधैव कलयन् स्वविकल्पजालम् आलोलपेलवमतिर् गलतीह लोकः
Today is a festival, this is the season, here is the journey, these are your relatives, this is happiness, this is special enjoyment—thus, people, weaving their own web of fancies in vain, their minds fickle and unsteady, pass away from this world.
अन्यच् च तातातितराम् अरम्ये मनोरमे वेह जगत्स्वरूपे । न किञ्चिद् अप्य् एति तद् अर्थजातं येनातिविश्रान्तिम् उपैति चेतः
Moreover, O father, in this world, even in the most delightful and charming forms, nothing at all brings about that state by which the mind attains perfect rest.
बाल्ये गते कल्पितकेलिलोले वयोमृगे दारदरीषु कीर्णे । शरीरके जर्जरतां प्रयाते विदूयते केवलम् एव लोकः
When childhood has passed, with its imagined playfulness, and youth, the deer of age, is scattered among the caves of women, and the body has become worn out, then people are only tormented.
जरातुषाराभिहतां शरीरसरोजिनीं दूरतरे विहाय । क्षणाद् गते जीवितचञ्चरीके जनस्य संसारसरो विशुष्कम्
When the lotus of the body is struck by the frost of old age and abandoned far away, and the dragonfly of life departs in an instant, the lake of worldly existence for people dries up.
यदा यदा पाकम् उपैति नूनं तदा तदेयं नतिम् आतनोति । जराभरानल्पनवप्रसूनविजर्जरा कायलता नराणाम्
Whenever ripening surely arrives, then this body-vine of men, weakened by old age, burden, and the offspring of little strength, bows down.
तृष्णानदी सारतरप्रवाहग्रस्ताखिलानन्तपदार्थजाता । तटस्थसन्तोषसुवृक्षमूलनिकाषदक्षा वहतीह लोके
The river of craving, with its swift current, sweeps away all countless objects; in this world, it flows skillfully, eroding the roots of the tree of contentment standing on its bank.