सुचिरं प्रभुतां कृत्वा संसेव्य विभवश्रियम् । नोच्छ्रायमेति न स्थैर्यं कायः किमिति पाल्यते ॥ ४४ ॥
suciraṁ prabhutāṁ kṛtvā saṁsēvya vibhavaśriyam | nōcchrāyamēti na sthairyaṁ kāyaḥ kimiti pālyatē || 44 ||
Translation
After long exercising lordship and enjoying the splendour of wealth, the body gains neither height nor steadiness. Why then is it cherished?
Word by word
- suciraṁ
- after long
- prabhutāṁ
- lordship
- kṛtvā
- exercising
- saṁsēvya
- enjoying
- vibhava
- of wealth
- śriyam
- the splendour
- na
- neither
- ucchrāyam
- height
- ēti
- gains
- sthairyaṁ
- steadiness
- kāyaḥ
- the body
- kim
- why
- iti
- then
- pālyatē
- is it cherished
Meaning
Power and wealth, enjoyed for a long time, do not make the body taller or more lasting. The commentary: it neither grows nor stays in the state it is in; why then should it be tended? The question is pointed at a prince: all the privileges of rank do nothing for the body's fate. The reader with any comfort at all may ask the same of it.