तृणपाषाणकाष्ठादिसर्वमामिषशङ्कया । आददाना स्फुरत्यन्ते तृष्णामत्स्यी ह्रदे यथा ॥ ४४ ॥
tṛṇapāṣāṇakāṣṭhādisarvamāmiṣaśaṅkayā | ādadānā sphuratyantē tṛṣṇāmatsyī hradē yathā || 44 ||
Translation
Taking up grass, stone, wood and everything else in the hope that it is food, craving at last writhes, like a fish in a pool.
Word by word
- tṛṇa
- grass
- pāṣāṇa
- stone
- kāṣṭha
- wood
- ādi
- and the rest
- sarvam
- everything
- āmiṣa
- food
- śaṅkayā
- in the hope that it is
- ādadānā
- taking up
- sphurati
- writhes
- antē
- at last
- tṛṣṇā
- craving
- matsyī
- a fish
- hradē
- in a pool
- yathā
- like
Meaning
A fish in a pond snaps at grass, pebbles, twigs, everything, taking it for food; at last it takes the bait on the hook and thrashes as it is drawn out. The commentary draws the end of the image clearly: it writhes as it dies. Craving snaps at everything in the hope (śaṅkā) of nourishment, and at last swallows the hook. The verse is a warning about indiscriminate wanting: one who takes everything for food will one day take the bait.