स्वचित्तबिलसंस्थेन नानासंभ्रमकारिणा । बलात्कामपिशाचेन विवशः परिभूयते ॥ ३ ॥
svacittabilasaṁsthēna nānāsaṁbhramakāriṇā | balātkāmapiśācēna vivaśaḥ paribhūyatē || 3 ||
Translation
By the demon desire, which lives in the hole of his own mind and makes every kind of turmoil, he is helplessly overpowered by force.
Word by word
- sva
- his own
- citta
- of mind
- bila
- in the hole
- saṁsthēna
- which lives
- nānā
- every kind of
- saṁbhrama
- turmoil
- kāriṇā
- makes
- balāt
- by force
- kāma
- desire
- piśācēna
- by the demon
- vivaśaḥ
- helplessly
- paribhūyatē
- he is overpowered
Meaning
Kāma, desire, is a piśāca, a demon, and it does not come from outside: it lives "in the hole of one's own mind" (svacitta-bila). From there it makes the young man its servant, the commentary says, overriding his discrimination. "Helplessly" (vivaśaḥ) and "by force" (balāt): youth feels like freedom, but it is the time of the strongest compulsion. The reader may ask how many of their young choices were really chosen.