स्थितिरस्थिरतां याता मृतिरागमनोन्मुखी । धृतिर्वैधुर्यमायाता रतिर्नित्यमवस्तुनि ॥ १७ ॥
sthitirasthiratāṁ yātā mṛtirāgamanōnmukhī | dhṛtirvaidhuryamāyātā ratirnityamavastuni || 17 ||
Translation
Stability has become instability, death is ever ready to come, steadiness has fallen into ruin, and delight is always in the unreal.
Word by word
- sthitir
- (sthitiḥ) stability
- asthiratāṁ
- instability
- yātā
- has become
- mṛtir
- (mṛtiḥ) death
- āgamana
- to come
- unmukhī
- ready
- dhṛtir
- (dhṛtiḥ) steadiness
- vaidhuryam
- into ruin
- āyātā
- has fallen
- ratir
- (ratiḥ) delight
- nityam
- always
- avastuni
- in the unreal
Meaning
Four inversions: what seemed stable is unstable; death is always "facing towards coming"; fortitude has failed; and pleasure is always taken in avastu, what has no substance. Another commentary: life is unsteady, death eager to arrive. The reader may see their own pleasures in "delight in the unreal".