ते भोगास्तानि दुःखानि व्यासपुत्रस्य तन्मनः । नाऽजह्रुर्मन्दपवना बद्धपीठमिवाऽचलम् ॥ २५ ॥
tē bhōgāstāni duḥkhāni vyāsaputrasya tanmanaḥ | nā’jahrurmandapavanā baddhapīṭhamivā’calam || 25 ||
Translation
Those pleasures and those hardships did not carry away the mind of Vyāsa's son, as gentle winds do not carry away a firmly founded mountain.
Word by word
- tē
- those
- bhōgās
- (bhogāḥ) pleasures
- tāni
- those
- duḥkhāni
- hardships
- vyāsa
- of Vyāsa's
- putrasya
- son
- tan
- (tat) the
- manaḥ
- mind
- na
- not
- ajahrur
- (ajahruḥ) did carry away
- manda
- gentle
- pavanā
- (pavanāḥ) winds
- baddha
- firmly
- pīṭham
- founded
- iva
- as
- acalam
- a mountain
Meaning
The result of both tests is the same. Neither the hardships (duḥkhāni) of the gate and courtyard nor the pleasures (bhogāḥ) of the inner palace moved Śuka's mind. The image is a mountain on its foundation (baddha-pīṭha) and gentle winds (manda-pavana) that cannot carry it off (na ajahruḥ). The commentary uses a firmly rooted tree. Both images say that pleasure and pain are only winds; what is grounded is not shaken by them. Notice that the verse puts pleasure and pain together as one test. The mind that is moved by one will be moved by the other. Equanimity is not endurance of pain alone; it is being unmoved by both.