तृष्णानदी सारतरप्रवाह- ग्रस्ताखिलानन्तपदार्थजाता । तटस्थसन्तोषसुवृक्षमूल- निकाषदक्षा वहतीह लोके ॥ ५ ॥
tṛṣṇānadī sāratarapravāha- grastākhilānantapadārthajātā | taṭasthasantōṣasuvṛkṣamūla- nikāṣadakṣā vahatīha lōkē || 5 ||
Translation
The river of craving flows here in the world, its strong current swallowing every endless kind of thing, skilled at tearing out the roots of the good tree of contentment on its bank.
Word by word
- tṛṣṇā
- of craving
- nadī
- the river
- sāratara
- strong
- pravāha
- its current
- grasta
- swallowing
- akhila
- every
- ananta
- endless
- padārtha
- thing
- jātā
- kind of
- taṭa
- on its bank
- stha
- standing
- santōṣa
- of contentment
- su
- good
- vṛkṣa
- tree
- mūla
- the roots
- nikāṣa
- at tearing out
- dakṣā
- skilled
- vahati
- flows
- iha
- here
- lōkē
- in the world
Meaning
Craving (1.17) is a river in flood that sweeps everything away and undermines the tree on its bank: santoṣa, contentment. The commentary: it uproots contentment. The image places the enemy of peace exactly: not misfortune, but the flood of wanting that eats away at the ground on which contentment stands.