शरीरनौश् चर्मनिबद्धबन्धा भवाम्बुधाव् आलुलिता भ्रमन्ती । प्रव्रोड्यते पञ्चभिर् इन्द्रियाख्यैर् अधो वहन्ती मकरैर् अधीना
The boat of the body, bound by leather straps, tossed about in the ocean of existence, wanders, and is driven downward by the five crocodiles called senses, under their control.
तृष्णालताकाननचारिणो ऽमी शाखाशतं काममहीरुहेषु । परिभ्रमन्तः क्षपयन्ति कामम् मनोमृगा नो फलम् आप्नुवन्ति
These deer of the mind, wandering in the forest of the vine of craving, roam among the hundred branches of the trees of desire, exhaust themselves in pursuit of pleasure, yet never attain the fruit.
कृच्छ्रेषु दूरास्तविषादमोहास् स्वाम्येष्व् अनुत्सिक्तमनोऽभिरामाः । सुदुर्लभास् सम्प्रति सुन्दरीभिर् अनाहतान्तःकरणा महान्तः
In hardships, far from sorrow and delusion, delighting in mastery with minds not scattered, exceedingly rare now among beautiful women, are those great ones whose inner being is unstruck.
तरन्ति मातङ्गघटातरङ्गं रणाम्बुधिं ये मयि ते न शूराः । शूरास् त एवेह मनस्तरङ्गं ये हीन्द्रियाम्भोधिम् इमं तरन्ति
Those who cross the waves of elephant-herds and the ocean of battle are not heroes to me; only those who cross the waves of the mind and this ocean of the senses are heroes here.
अक्लिष्टपर्यन्तफलाभिरामा न दृश्यते कस्यचिद् एव काचित् । क्रिया दुराशाहतचित्तवृत्तेर् याम् एत्य विश्रान्तिम् उपैति लोकः
No action, delightful with its effortless and perfect fruit, is seen anywhere; for those whose minds are struck by vain hopes, the world attains rest only upon reaching such a state.
कीर्त्या जगद् दिक्कुहरं प्रतापैश् श्रिया गृहं सत्त्वबलेन लक्ष्मीम् । ये पूरयन्त्य् अक्षतधर्मबन्धा न ते जगत्यां सुलभा मनुष्याः
Those who fill the world with fame, the sky with glory, their homes with wealth, and Lakshmi with strength of virtue, whose bonds of righteousness are unbroken, are not easily found among men.
अप्य् अन्तरस्थं गिरिशैलभित्तेर् वज्रालयाभ्यन्तरसंस्थितं वा । सर्वं समायान्ति समिद्धवेगास् सर्वाश् श्रियस् सन्ततम् आपदश् च
Even that which is hidden within the heart of a mountain or inside a fortress of diamond, all of it is inevitably reached by the swift force of both fortune and misfortune, which come constantly.
पुत्राश् च दाराश् च धनं च बुद्ध्या प्रकल्प्यते तात रसायनं व । सर्वं तु तन् नोपकरोत्य् अथान्ते यत्रातिरम्या विषमूर्छनैव
Sons, wives, and wealth are conceived by the mind, O dear one, just like an elixir; yet none of these truly help at the end, when only the most delightful poison remains.
विषादयुक्तो विषमाम् अवस्थाम् उपागतः कायवयोऽवसाने । भावान् स्मरन् स्वान् अभिधर्मरिक्ताञ् जनो जरावान् अभिदह्यते ऽन्तः
When a person, afflicted by sorrow and having reached a poisonous state at the end of the body’s span, remembers his own experiences—empty of true value—he is inwardly consumed by the fire of old age.
कामार्थधर्माप्तिकृशान्तराभिः क्रियाभिर् आदौ दिवसानि नीत्वा । चेतश् चलद् बर्हिणपिञ्छलोलं विश्रान्तिम् आगच्छतु केन पुंसः
After spending his days at first in actions aimed at pleasure, wealth, and virtue, whose results are thin and uncertain, with a mind as restless as a peacock’s feather, by what means can a man ever find rest?
पुरोगतैर् अप्य् अनवाप्तरूपैस् तरङ्गिणीतुङ्गतरङ्गकल्पैः । क्रियाफलैर् दैववशाद् उपेतैर् विडम्ब्यते भिन्नरुचिर् हि लोकः
Even the fruits of actions, which are as varied as the waves of a surging river and are sometimes not attained though pursued, come about by fate; thus, the world, with its differing tastes, is mocked.
इमान्य् अमूनीति विभावितानि कार्याण्य् अपर्यन्तमनोरमाणि । जनस्य जायाजनरञ्जनेन जटाजरान्तं जरयन्ति चेतः
These and those deeds, thought to be endlessly delightful, wear out a person’s mind through the pleasures and pains of birth and death, until, at last, old age brings it to exhaustion.
पर्णानि शीर्णानि यथा तरूणां समेत्य जन्माशु लयं प्रयान्ति । तथैव लोकास् स्वविवेकहीनास् समेत्य गच्छन्ति कुतो ऽप्य् अहोभिः
Just as the leaves of trees, having come together, quickly fall away, so too do people lacking discernment gather and then, after a few days, depart from somewhere, to who knows where.
इतस् ततो दूरतरं विहृत्य प्रविश्य गेहं दिवसावसाने । विवेकिलोकाश्रयिसाधुकर्मरिक्ते ऽह्नि याते क उपैति निद्राम्
After wandering here and there, far and wide, and returning home at the end of the day, when the day is spent in actions devoid of the company of the wise and of good deeds, who is able to find restful sleep?
विद्राविते शत्रुजने समस्ते समागतायाम् अभितश् च लक्ष्म्याम् । सेव्यन्त एतानि सुखानि यावत् तावत् समायाति कुतो ऽपि मृत्युः
As long as all enemies have been driven away and prosperity has gathered everywhere, people enjoy these pleasures—until death arrives from somewhere.
कुतो ऽपि संवर्धिततुच्छरूपैर् भावैर् अमीभिः क्षणदृष्टनष्टैः । विलोभ्यमाना जनता जगत्यां न वेत्त्य् उपायातम् अहो न यातम्
People in the world, enticed by fleeting and trivial states of mind that arise from nowhere and vanish in an instant, do not know whether what has come is truly attained or not.
यियासुभिः कालमुखं क्रियन्ते जनैडकैस् ते हतकर्मबन्धाः । ये पीनताम् एव बलाद् उपेत्य शरीरबन्धे ननु ते भवन्ति
Those who, desiring to escape the jaws of time, perform actions with effort but are bound by unfortunate deeds—when they forcibly attain bodily strength, they remain trapped in the body.
अजस्रम् आगच्छति सत्वरेयम् अनारतं गच्छति सत्वरैव । कुतो ऽपि लोला जनता जगत्यां तरङ्गमाला क्षणभङ्गुरेव
This restless multitude in the world comes and goes ceaselessly and swiftly, like a wave-formation that is unstable and breaks in a moment.
प्राणापहारैकपरा नराणाम् मनो मनोहारितया हरन्ति । रक्तच्छदाष् षट्पदचञ्चलाक्ष्यो विषद्रुमा लोललतास् स्त्रियश् च
Those things which are solely intent on taking the life of men—such as the mind, which steals delight, women with restless eyes like bees on red petals, and the poisonous creepers of venomous trees—bring harm.
इतो ऽन्यतश् चोपगता मुधैव समानसङ्केतनिबद्धभावा । यात्रासमासङ्गसमा नराणां कलत्रमित्रव्यवहारमाया
The bonds of relationships—wife, friend, and business—are formed in vain, coming from here and there, tied by similar feelings, and are merely the illusion of social dealings among men.
प्रदीपकान्तिष्व् इव भुक्तभूरिदशास्व् अतिस्नेहनिबन्धनीषु । संसारमायासु चलाचलासु न ज्ञायते तत्त्वम् अतात्त्विकीषु
Just as the true nature of things is not known in the flickering and steady lights of lamps or in the states of food consumed with great attachment, so too, the reality is not recognized in the moving and unmoving illusions of worldly existence.
संसारसंरम्भकुचक्रिकेयम् प्रावृट्पयोबुद्बुदभङ्गुरापि । असावधानस्य जनस्य बुद्धौ चिरस्थिरप्रत्ययम् आतनोति
This tumultuous whirlpool of worldly existence, though fragile like bubbles in the rain, establishes a long-lasting conviction in the mind of the inattentive person.
शोभोज्ज्वला दैन्यवशाद् विनष्टा गुणास् स्थितास् सम्प्रति जर्जरत्वे । आश्वासना दूरतरं प्रयाता जनस्य हेमन्त इवाब्जिनीषु
Splendor and brilliance have perished due to affliction; virtues remain now in a state of decay; comfort has gone far away from people, like lotuses in winter.
पुनः पुनर् दैववशाद् उपेत्य स्वदेहभारेण कृतापकारः । विलूयते यत्र तरुः कुठारैर् आश्वासने तत्र हि कः प्रसङ्गः
Again and again, by the force of fate, harm is done to one's own body; where a tree is repeatedly struck by axes, what place is there for comfort there?
मनोरमस्याप्य् अतिदोषवृत्तेर् अन्तर् विघाताय समुत्थितस्य । विषद्रुमस्येव जनस्य सङ्गाद् आसाद्यते सम्प्रति मूर्छनैव
Even for one who is delightful, when excessive faults arise within, disturbance is produced—just as association with a poisonous tree now brings on faintness in a person.
कास् ता दृशो यासु न सन्ति दोषाः कास् ता दिशो यासु न दुःखदाहः । कास् ताः प्रजा यासु न भङ्गुरत्वं कास् ताः क्रिया यासु न नाम माया
What are those forms in which there are no faults? What are those directions where there is no burning pain? Who are those people who are not fragile? What are those actions that are not, in name, mere illusion?
कल्पाभिधानक्षणजीविनो ऽपि कल्पौघसङ्ख्याकलने विरिञ्चाः । अतः कलाशालिनि कालजाले लघुत्वदीर्घत्वधियो ऽप्य् असत्याः
Even those called 'Brahmas,' whose lives last but a moment of a kalpa, are unable to count the multitude of kalpas; therefore, in this net of time, which is full of divisions, thoughts of shortness or length are unfounded.
सर्वत्र पाषाणमया महीध्रा मृदा मही दारुभिर् एव वृक्षाः । मांसैर् जनाः पौरुषबद्धभावा नापूर्वम् अस्तीह विकारहीनम्
Everywhere, mountains are made of stone, the earth is of clay, trees are only of wood; people are formed of flesh, bound by manhood—here, nothing is new, nothing is free from change.
आलोक्यते चेतनयानुविद्धः पयोनिबद्धो ऽणुचयो नभस्स्थः । पृथग्विभागेन पदार्थलक्ष्म्या एतज् जगन् नेतरद् अस्ति किञ्चित्
What is seen, pervaded by consciousness, is an aggregate bound by water, existing in space; through distinct divisions and the fortune of objects, this is the world—there is nothing else at all.
चमत्कृतिश् चेह मनस्विलोके चेतश्चमत्कारकरी नराणाम् । स्वप्ने ऽपि साधो विषयं कदाचित् केषाञ्चिद् अप्य् एति न चित्ररूपा
Astonishment exists here in the world of the mind; it is the wonder produced in the minds of people. Even in dreams, O noble one, this marvelous form does not come to some, in regard to any object.