अनुत्तमानन्दपदप्रधानविश्रान्तिरिक्तं सततं महात्मन् । कदर्थयन्तीह भृशं विकल्पाः श्वानो वने देहमिवाऽल्पजीवम् ॥ २७ ॥
anuttamānandapadapradhānaviśrāntiriktaṁ satataṁ mahātman | kadarthayantīha bhṛśaṁ vikalpāḥ śvānō vanē dēhamivā’lpajīvam || 27 ||
Translation
Great soul, one who is always without the rest whose chief is the unsurpassed state of bliss is torn hard here by doubts, as dogs in a forest tear the body of a weak creature.
Word by word
- anuttama
- the unsurpassed
- ānanda
- of bliss
- pada
- state
- pradhāna
- whose chief is
- viśrānti
- the rest
- riktaṁ
- without
- satataṁ
- always
- mahātman
- great soul
- kadarthayanti
- is torn
- iha
- here
- bhṛśaṁ
- hard
- vikalpāḥ
- by doubts
- śvānō
- (śvānaḥ) dogs
- vanē
- in a forest
- dēham
- the body
- iva
- as
- alpa
- of a weak
- jīvam
- creature
Meaning
The sarga closes in a longer metre, and with a harsh image. Without rest (viśrānti) in the highest state of bliss (anuttama-ānanda-pada), a person is set upon by doubts (vikalpa), the "this or that" of verse 4, as wild dogs in a forest set upon a small animal with little strength (alpa-jīva). The commentary: so the many doubts torment the one who has no lasting rest in the bliss of Brahman. Doubts are not idle; they bite. And the only shelter is rest in what is beyond doubt. So the purpose of the teaching (prayojana, the name of this sarga) is said in its last verse: rest. The reader who has lain awake while doubts tore at them may know the dogs, and the weakness, and what Rāma is asking for.