गुणागुणविचारेण विनैव किल पार्श्वगम् । राजप्रकृतिवन्मूढा दुरारूढाऽवलम्बते ॥ ६ ॥
guṇāguṇavicārēṇa vinaiva kila pārśvagam | rājaprakṛtivanmūḍhā durārūḍhā’valambatē || 6 ||
Translation
Like the nature of kings, she clings, foolish, to whoever is beside her, without weighing merit or fault; and she is hard to win.
Word by word
- guṇa
- merit
- aguṇa
- or fault
- vicārēṇa
- weighing
- vinā
- without
- ēva
- at all
- kila
- indeed
- pārśva
- beside her
- gam
- whoever is
- rāja
- of kings
- prakṛtivan
- (prakṛtivat) like the nature
- mūḍhā
- foolish
- durārūḍhā
- hard to win
- avalambatē
- she clings to
Meaning
A foolish king favours not the worthy but whoever happens to stand near the throne. Fortune does the same: she does not choose the virtuous, but attaches herself to whoever is close at hand. The commentary adds that though she is won only with great labour (durārūḍhā, "hard to mount"), she does not then stay with the good. Here is a quiet correction of a belief most people hold without saying it: that wealth is a sign of merit. The verse says it is not. Fortune comes by nearness and chance, not by worth, and to measure oneself or others by it is to measure by a blind thing.