यतन्ते सारसम्प्राप्तौ ये यशोनिधयो धियः । धन्या धुरि सतां गण्यास्त एव पुरुषोत्तमाः ॥ ४४ ॥
yatantē sārasamprāptau yē yaśōnidhayō dhiyaḥ | dhanyā dhuri satāṁ gaṇyāsta ēva puruṣōttamāḥ || 44 ||
Translation
"Those treasures of fame whose minds strive to gain the essence are blessed; they are to be counted at the head of the good; they alone are the best of men."
Word by word
- yatantē
- strive
- sāra
- the essence
- samprāptau
- to gain
- yē
- those
- yaśō
- (yaśaḥ) of fame
- nidhayō
- (nidhayaḥ) treasures
- dhiyaḥ
- whose minds
- dhanyā
- (dhanyāḥ) are blessed
- dhuri
- at the head
- satāṁ
- of the good
- gaṇyās
- (gaṇyāḥ) to be counted
- ta
- (te) they
- ēva
- alone
- puruṣōttamāḥ
- the best of men
Meaning
The praise of seeking itself. Those whose understanding (dhī) strives for the essence are blessed (dhanya), first among the good, the best of human beings (puruṣottama). The commentary: those who, always intent on inquiry into the truth, strive to gain the real thing. The striving is what is praised, not yet the finding. This echoes 1.29.10, where Rāma said that those who strive to undo the knots are the best. The reader who strives and has not found may take the verse as said to them.