Chapter 1 · Prathamo’dhyāyaḥ (First Chapter)
Verse 53
लोभात्प्रत्युपकाराय नन्वेतान् किं न पश्यसि। तथापि ममतावर्त्ते मोहगर्ते निपातिताः ॥ ५३ ॥
lōbhātpratyupakārāya nanvētān kiṁ na paśyasi | tathāpi mamatāvarttē mōhagartē nipātitāḥ || 53 ||
Translation
'Do you not see that, out of greed for some return of favor, they (sons) indeed...? Still, (people) have fallen into the whirlpool of possessiveness and the pit of delusion.'
Word by word
- lobhāt
- out of greed
- pratyupakārāya
- for a return of favor
- nanu
- indeed, pray
- itān
- these
- kiṁ
- why
- na
- not
- paśyasi
- you see
- tathāpi
- still
- mamatāvarte
- in the whirlpool of possessiveness
- mohagarte
- in the pit of delusion
- nipātitāḥ
- have fallen
Meaning
The sage points out the irrationality of it all. People cling to the hope that their sons will care for them in return (pratyupakārāya), a hope often proven false by experience. Yet, despite this knowledge, they are helplessly sucked into the whirlpool of 'mine-ness' (mamatāvarte) and the deep pit of delusion (mohagarte).