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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.12

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 12

देवीस्तुतिःHymn to the Goddess

Verse 12

सत्यमुक्तं त्वया देवि मनुजानां विचेष्टितम् । जानन्तोऽपि हितं मत्ताः पापैराशु सुखप्रदैः ॥ १२ ॥

satyamuktaṁ tvayā dēvi manujānāṁ vicēṣṭitam | jānantō’pi hitaṁ mattāḥ pāpairāśu sukhapradaiḥ || 12 ||

Translation

You have spoken truly, O Goddess, of the ways of men: though they know their good, they are maddened by sins that quickly bring pleasure,

Word by word

satyam
(satyam) truly
uktaṁ
spoken
tvayā
by you
dēvi
O Goddess
manujānāṁ
of men
vicēṣṭitam
(viceṣṭitam) the ways
jānantaḥ
(jānantaḥ) knowing
api
though
hitaṁ
their good
mattāḥ
(mattāḥ) maddened
pāpaiḥ
(pāpaiḥ) by sins
āśu
quickly
sukha
pleasure
pradaiḥ
(pradaiḥ) that bring

Meaning

The ṭīkā names such sins: going to a woman one may not, drinking wine against the rule.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

Now, beginning to give the answer, repeating what was said before, he says "satyam uktam" and the rest. O Devī, you have spoken truly of the doings (viceṣṭita), the contrary conduct, of men. He tells their conduct with "jānantaḥ" and the rest. Though men know their own good, they will not walk the good path, will not follow it. Giving the reason for not walking the good path, he describes the men: what are they like? "Āśu sukhapradaiḥ": by sins that quickly give pleasure, such as going with a woman not permitted and drinking wine, by such acts they are maddened (matta); for that very reason they are cut off from (bahiṣkṛta) what is good and what is bad for them; so they will not practise it: that is the sense. For those men, for their highest good (niḥśreyasa), for liberation, what is to be done is now told.