चित्तभृत्यकृतानन्तचेष्टावष्टब्धसंस्थिति । मिथ्यामोहमहास्थूणं नेष्टं देहगृहं मम ॥ २२ ॥
cittabhṛtyakṛtānantacēṣṭāvaṣṭabdhasaṁsthiti | mithyāmōhamahāsthūṇaṁ nēṣṭaṁ dēhagṛhaṁ mama || 22 ||
Translation
Held up in its place by the endless efforts of its servant, the mind, its great pillars false delusion: the house of the body is not wanted by me.
Word by word
- citta
- the mind
- bhṛtya
- of its servant
- kṛta
- by
- ananta
- the endless
- cēṣṭā
- efforts
- avaṣṭabdha
- held up
- saṁsthiti
- in its place
- mithyā
- false
- mōha
- delusion
- mahā
- its great
- sthūṇaṁ
- pillars
- na
- not
- iṣṭaṁ
- wanted
- dēha
- of the body
- gṛhaṁ
- the house
- mama
- by me
Meaning
The house would fall, but a servant works without end to prop it up: that servant is the mind, with its endless activities to keep the body going. And its great pillars are mithyā and moha, falsehood and delusion, as the commentary says. The image is sharp. All the labour of the mind for the body's sake holds up a house whose very pillars are unreal. The reader may count how much of their day is spent propping.