निरस्तास्थो निराशोऽसौ निरीहोऽसौ निरास्पदः । न मूढो न च मुक्तोऽसौ तेन तप्यामहे भृशम् ॥ ४५ ॥
nirastāsthō nirāśō’sau nirīhō’sau nirāspadaḥ | na mūḍhō na ca muktō’sau tēna tapyāmahē bhṛśam || 45 ||
Translation
"Without reliance, without hope, without desire, without a place to stand: he is neither deluded nor free, and that is why we suffer so.
Word by word
- nirasta
- without
- āsthō
- (āsthaḥ) reliance
- nirāśō
- (nirāśaḥ) without hope
- asau
- he
- nirīhō
- (nirīhaḥ) without desire
- nirāspadaḥ
- without a place to stand
- na
- not
- mūḍhō
- (mūḍhaḥ) deluded
- ca
- and
- muktō
- (muktaḥ) free
- tēna
- that is why
- tapyāmahē
- we suffer
- bhṛśam
- so
Meaning
This is the crux of the sarga. Rāma has let go of the world but has not yet found what lies beyond it. He is between the two, neither bound nor liberated, and that in-between state is what the teaching of Vasiṣṭha will resolve.