स्तोकेनाऽऽनन्दमायाति स्तोकेनाऽऽयाति खेदिताम् । नाऽस्ति देहसमः शोच्यो नीचो गुणबहिष्कृतः ॥ ४ ॥
stōkēnā’’nandamāyāti stōkēnā’’yāti khēditām | nā’sti dēhasamaḥ śōcyō nīcō guṇabahiṣkṛtaḥ || 4 ||
Translation
A little makes it glad, a little makes it weary: there is nothing so pitiable as the body, so low, so cast out from all virtue.
Word by word
- stōkēna
- a little
- ānandam
- glad
- āyāti
- makes it (twice)
- khēditām
- weary
- na
- nothing
- asti
- there is
- dēha
- as the body
- samaḥ
- so
- śōcyō
- (śocyaḥ) pitiable
- nīcō
- (nīcaḥ) low
- guṇa
- from all virtue
- bahiṣkṛtaḥ
- cast out
Meaning
A little food and drink, and the body is content; a little cold or heat, and it suffers. The commentary takes it so. Its joys and pains turn on trifles. Rāma calls it śocya, pitiable, nīca, low, and guṇa-bahiṣkṛta, outside every virtue: in itself it has no wisdom, no kindness, no courage; those belong to what dwells in it. The verse humbles the reader's pride in the body, and also their distress over it. Something so easily pleased and so easily hurt cannot be what one truly is.