महापीठादौ स्पर्शदोषाद्यभावःNo fault of touch at the great seats
Verse 108
कर्मणोऽपि शुभाद्देवि फलेष्वासक्तचेतसः । प्रयान्त्यायान्त्यमुत्रेह कर्मशृङ्खलयन्त्रिताः ॥ १०८ ॥
karmaṇō’pi śubhāddēvi phalēṣvāsaktacētasaḥ | prayāntyāyāntyamutrēha karmaśṛṅkhalayantritāḥ || 108 ||
Translation
and from good action too, O Devī, those whose hearts cling to the fruits go and return, between that world and this, held in the fetter of action.
Word by word
- karmaṇō
- (karmaṇaḥ) from action
- api
- too
- śubhād
- (śubhāt) good
- dēvi
- O Devī
- phalēṣu
- in the fruits
- āsakta
- (āsakta) clinging
- cētasaḥ
- whose hearts
- prayānti
- go
- āyānti
- (āyānti) return
- amutra
- (amutra) there
- iha
- (iha) here
- karma
- of action
- śṛṅkhala
- by the fetter
- yantritāḥ
- held
Meaning
With this verse the commentary says Śiva starts to declare that people reach liberation by the knowledge of Brahman alone, and not by acts. Good action brings its reward, but the reward runs out, and so one comes back: the chain has not been broken, and the commentary concludes that such people have no share in liberation.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Having thus described the many kinds of act that bring happiness and are joined to abundant means, he now begins, "karmaṇo'pi śubhāt" and the rest, in order to declare that people reach liberation by the knowledge of Brahman alone and not by acts. O Devī, because of even a good act, people whose minds cling to its fruits, bound by the fetter that is act, go from this world to the other world (amutra) and from that world come back here. The sense is that they do not come to share in liberation (verses 108 to 110).