शरीरमरुतापोत्थां युवतामृगतृष्णिकाम् । मनोमृगाः प्रधावन्तः पतन्ति विषयावटे ॥ ३२ ॥
śarīramarutāpōtthāṁ yuvatāmṛgatṛṣṇikām | manōmṛgāḥ pradhāvantaḥ patanti viṣayāvaṭē || 32 ||
Translation
Running towards the mirage of youth that rises from the heat of the desert of the body, the deer of the mind fall into the pit of the senses' objects.
Word by word
- śarīra
- of the body
- maru
- of the desert
- tāpa
- from the heat
- utthāṁ
- that rises
- yuvatā
- of youth
- mṛgatṛṣṇikām
- the mirage
- manō
- (manaḥ) of the mind
- mṛgāḥ
- the deer
- pradhāvantaḥ
- running towards
- patanti
- fall
- viṣaya
- of the senses' objects
- avaṭē
- into the pit
Meaning
In a desert, heat produces a mirage, and thirsty deer run towards it. The body is a desert; its heat, the commentary says, is the burning of desire; youth is the mirage; and the deer of the mind run to it and fall into the pits of sense-objects. The mirage image has appeared before (1.13.17); here it is youth itself. The reader may ask whether the water they ran towards in youth was ever there.