देहनाम्नि वने शून्ये बहुगर्त्तसमाकुले । तनूरुहासंख्यतरौ विश्वासं कोऽधिगच्छति ॥ १० ॥
dēhanāmni vanē śūnyē bahugarttasamākulē | tanūruhāsaṁkhyatarau viśvāsaṁ kō’dhigacchati || 10 ||
Translation
In the empty forest called the body, full of many pits, its trees the countless hairs, who can feel at ease?
Word by word
- dēha
- the body
- nāmni
- called
- vanē
- in the forest
- śūnyē
- empty
- bahu
- many
- gartta
- of pits
- samākulē
- full
- tanūruha
- the hairs
- asaṁkhya
- countless
- tarau
- its trees
- viśvāsaṁ
- at ease
- kō
- (kaḥ) who
- adhigacchati
- can feel
Meaning
Now the body is a forest. It is "empty" (śūnya), lonely, without real company; it is full of pits, the openings of the senses; its trees are the countless hairs. Who could live in such a forest without fear? The commentary: who would come to trust that it is fit to dwell in, without anxiety, for long? The reader may feel how the body, which seems the most familiar place, is in truth a wilderness one passes through.