विद्राविते शत्रुजने समस्ते समागतायामभितश्च लक्ष्म्याम् । सेव्यन्त एतानि सुखानि यावत्तावत्समायाति कुतोऽपि मृत्युः ॥ २० ॥
vidrāvitē śatrujanē samastē samāgatāyāmabhitaśca lakṣmyām | sēvyanta ētāni sukhāni yāvattāvatsamāyāti kutō’pi mṛtyuḥ || 20 ||
Translation
When all enemies have been driven off and fortune has come from every side, just as one begins to enjoy these pleasures, death comes from somewhere.
Word by word
- vidrāvitē
- have been driven off
- śatru
- enemy
- janē
- when people
- samastē
- all
- samāgatāyām
- has come
- abhitaś
- (abhitaḥ) from every side
- ca
- and
- lakṣmyām
- fortune
- sēvyanta
- (sevyante) one begins to enjoy
- ētāni
- these
- sukhāni
- pleasures
- yāvat
- just as
- tāvat
- then
- samāyāti
- comes
- kutō
- (kutaḥ) from
- api
- somewhere
- mṛtyuḥ
- death
Meaning
Victory, then wealth, then at last time to enjoy, and death comes. The commentary: just as one starts to enjoy, death appears from who knows where. Every life planned around a future enjoyment is exposed by this verse. The reader is asked to stop postponing what matters until the enemies are defeated and the money is made.