नित्यमेव मुने शून्यं कदाशावागुरावृतम् । न मनो निर्वृतिं याति मृगो यूथादिव च्युतः ॥ ४ ॥
nityamēva munē śūnyaṁ kadāśāvāgurāvṛtam | na manō nirvṛtiṁ yāti mṛgō yūthādiva cyutaḥ || 4 ||
Translation
Always empty, O sage, caught in the net of bad hopes, the mind finds no peace, like a deer strayed from its herd.
Word by word
- nityam
- always
- ēva
- indeed
- munē
- O sage
- śūnyaṁ
- empty
- kad
- bad
- āśā
- of hopes
- vāgurā
- in the net
- āvṛtam
- caught
- na
- no
- manō
- (manaḥ) the mind
- nirvṛtiṁ
- peace
- yāti
- finds
- mṛgō
- (mṛgaḥ) a deer
- yūthād
- (yūthāt) from its herd
- iva
- like
- cyutaḥ
- strayed
Meaning
A deer that has lost its herd and is caught in a hunter's net knows no rest. The mind is "empty" (śūnya): the commentary, false and void on every side; and it is wound round with kadāśā, bad hopes, hopes of the wrong kind, for what cannot satisfy. Hope is usually praised. The verse distinguishes: a hope fixed on what passes is a net, and the mind caught in it has strayed from its herd, from its own nature, which is peace. The reader may ask which of their hopes are nets.