भारोऽविवेकिनः शास्त्रं भारो ज्ञानं च रागिणः । अशान्तस्य मनो भारो भारोऽनात्मविदो वपुः ॥ १३ ॥
bhārō’vivēkinaḥ śāstraṁ bhārō jñānaṁ ca rāgiṇaḥ | aśāntasya manō bhārō bhārō’nātmavidō vapuḥ || 13 ||
Translation
Scripture is a burden to one without discrimination, knowledge a burden to one full of passion; the mind is a burden to one who is not at peace, and the body a burden to one who does not know the Self.
Word by word
- bhārō
- (bhāraḥ) a burden
- avivēkinaḥ
- to one without discrimination
- śāstraṁ
- scripture
- jñānaṁ
- knowledge
- ca
- and
- rāgiṇaḥ
- to one full of passion
- aśāntasya
- to one who is not at peace
- manō
- (manaḥ) the mind
- anātma
- (an-ātma) not the Self
- vidō
- (vidaḥ) to one who knows
- vapuḥ
- the body
Meaning
After the donkey, the burden. Four things that are meant to help become loads. Scripture (śāstra) read without viveka is only weight, effort without fruit, as the commentary says. Knowledge held by one full of rāga, attachment, is carried and never used. The mind, which could be an instrument, is a load to one who has no peace. And the body itself is a burden to one who does not know the Self, because they must carry it as if it were all they are. The verse is a mirror, especially for a reader of texts like this one: learning without discrimination adds weight; it does not free.