कामार्थधर्माप्तिकृतान्तराभिः क्रियाभिरादौ दिवसानि नीत्वा । चेतश्चलद्बर्हिणपिच्छलोलं विश्रान्तिमागच्छतु केन पुंसः ॥ १५ ॥
kāmārthadharmāptikṛtāntarābhiḥ kriyābhirādau divasāni nītvā | cētaścaladbarhiṇapicchalōlaṁ viśrāntimāgacchatu kēna puṁsaḥ || 15 ||
Translation
Having spent the days at first in actions for gaining pleasure, wealth and duty, by what means can a man's mind, restless as a peacock's quivering tail, come to rest?
Word by word
- kāma
- pleasure
- artha
- wealth
- dharma
- and duty
- āpti
- for gaining
- kṛta
- done
- antarābhiḥ
- aimed at
- kriyābhir
- (kriyābhiḥ) in actions
- ādau
- at first
- divasāni
- the days
- nītvā
- having spent
- cētaś
- (cetaḥ) mind
- calad
- (calat) quivering
- barhiṇa
- a peacock's
- piccha
- tail
- lōlaṁ
- restless as
- viśrāntim
- to rest
- āgacchatu
- can come
- kēna
- by what means
- puṁsaḥ
- a man's
Meaning
Kāma, artha, dharma: pleasure, wealth and the duties that bring heaven. A life spent seeking these three, the commentary says, never practised the one thing that brings peace, the fourth aim, liberation. So at the end, how can the mind, trembling like a peacock's tail, be still? The question asks the reader whether they have given any of their days to the fourth aim.