जातास्त एव जगति जन्तवः साधुजीविताः । ये पुनर्नेह जायन्ते शेषा जरठगर्दभाः ॥ १२ ॥
jātāsta ēva jagati jantavaḥ sādhujīvitāḥ | yē punarnēha jāyantē śēṣā jaraṭhagardabhāḥ || 12 ||
Translation
Only those creatures are truly born into the world and have lived well who are not born here again; the rest are old donkeys.
Word by word
- jātās
- (jātāḥ) truly born
- ta
- (te) those
- ēva
- only
- jagati
- into the world
- jantavaḥ
- creatures
- sādhu
- well
- jīvitāḥ
- have lived
- yē
- who
- punar
- (punaḥ) again
- na
- not
- iha
- here
- jāyantē
- are born
- śēṣā
- (śeṣāḥ) the rest
- jaraṭha
- old
- gardabhāḥ
- donkeys
Meaning
Birth is judged by its end. Only that birth is worth the name which ends birth: those who are "not born here again" have done with life what it is for. The rest, the commentary says, live long like donkeys, and their life is as little to be praised. The donkey is the stock image of the beast of burden that works all its life and gets nothing for itself, and the next verse takes up the image of the burden. The phrase is harsh, and meant to be. It is said not to despise others but to wake the reader, who may be carrying loads all their life for nothing.