अपि मेरुसमं प्राज्ञमपि शूरमपि स्थिरम् । तृणीकरोति तृष्णैका निमेषेण नरोत्तमम् ॥ ५० ॥
api mērusamaṁ prājñamapi śūramapi sthiram | tṛṇīkarōti tṛṣṇaikā nimēṣēṇa narōttamam || 50 ||
Translation
A man equal to Meru, wise, brave and steady, the best of men: craving alone makes him as a straw in the twinkling of an eye.
Word by word
- api
- even
- mēru
- to Meru
- samaṁ
- equal
- prājñam
- wise
- śūram
- brave
- sthiram
- steady
- tṛṇīkarōti
- makes as a straw
- tṛṣṇā
- craving
- ēkā
- alone
- nimēṣēṇa
- in the twinkling of an eye
- nara
- of men
- uttamam
- the best
Meaning
Meru is the world-mountain, the image of unshakable greatness. A person may be like Meru, wise, brave and firm, the commentary adds, steady in the vow of owning nothing; and in a single blink, craving alone can make him tṛṇa, a blade of grass, blown anywhere. The play is on tṛṣṇā and tṛṇa, craving and grass. No virtue protects against it: it is "craving alone" (tṛṣṇaikā) that does this. The reader who trusts their own steadiness is warned.