असवोऽथ धनं दारास्त्यज्यन्ते मानवैः सुखम् । न पुत्रो मुनिशार्दूल स्वभावो ह्येष जन्तुषु ॥ १६ ॥
asavō’tha dhanaṁ dārāstyajyantē mānavaiḥ sukham | na putrō muniśārdūla svabhāvō hyēṣa jantuṣu || 16 ||
Translation
"Men give up life, wealth and wives easily, tiger among sages, but not a son: such is the nature of living beings.
Word by word
- asavō
- (asavaḥ) life
- atha
- and
- dhanaṁ
- wealth
- dārās
- (dārāḥ) wives
- tyajyantē
- give up
- mānavaiḥ
- men
- sukham
- easily
- na
- not
- putrō
- (putraḥ) a son
- muni
- among sages
- śārdūla
- tiger
- svabhāvō
- (svabhāvaḥ) the nature
- hi
- indeed
- ēṣa
- such is
- jantuṣu
- of living beings
Meaning
The nature (svabhāva) of beings: an instinct, not a reasoned choice. The work will later take this very attachment apart.