कर्त्तव्यं किं मया कष्टं परत्रेत्यतिदारुणम् । अप्रतीकारयोग्यं हि वर्द्धते वार्द्धके भयम् ॥ ९ ॥
karttavyaṁ kiṁ mayā kaṣṭaṁ paratrētyatidāruṇam | apratīkārayōgyaṁ hi varddhatē vārddhakē bhayam || 9 ||
Translation
"What am I to do? Alas, the next world!": in old age a very dreadful fear grows, which nothing can remedy.
Word by word
- karttavyaṁ
- am to do
- kiṁ
- what
- mayā
- I
- kaṣṭaṁ
- alas
- paratra
- the next world
- iti
- thus
- ati
- very
- dāruṇam
- dreadful
- apratīkāra
- nothing can remedy
- yōgyaṁ
- which
- hi
- indeed
- varddhatē
- grows
- vārddhakē
- in old age
- bhayam
- a fear
Meaning
The fear of what comes after death, "the next world" (paratra), grows in age, and it is apratīkāra-yogya, beyond remedy, because there is no longer time or strength to do anything. Another commentary: great fear of the other world, for which there is no cure. The verse carries the practical urgency of the whole sarga: what can be done must be done before.