भावाभावविपण्णाङ्गमुत्पातध्वंसतत्परम् । सर्गेऽस्मिन्भूतजातीनां नानाव्यसनसङ्कुलम् ॥ १६ ॥
bhāvābhāvavipaṇṇāṅgamutpātadhvaṁsatatparam | sargē’sminbhūtajātīnāṁ nānāvyasanasaṅkulam || 16 ||
Translation
Its limbs were worn out by gaining and losing, it was given to arising and perishing, and it was crowded with every kind of misfortune among the races of beings in this creation.
Word by word
- bhāva
- by gaining
- abhāva
- and losing
- vipaṇṇa
- worn out
- aṅgam
- its limbs
- utpāta
- to arising
- dhvaṁsa
- and perishing
- tatparam
- given
- sargē
- in creation
- asmin
- this
- bhūta
- of beings
- jātīnāṁ
- among the races
- nānā
- every kind of
- vyasana
- misfortune
- saṅkulam
- crowded with
Meaning
Bhāva and abhāva are coming to have and ceasing to have; the commentary takes them as gain and loss. Viṣaṇṇāṅga, with limbs that have sunk: the very posture of a person worn out by a lifetime of hoping and losing. Then utpāta-dhvaṁsa, arising and collapsing, says that birth and death are what these creatures are busy with. They are described almost as a people with one occupation, tat-para, intent on it. The commentary adds that the many misfortunes of the last line are the troubles that come through enjoying the objects of the senses. What we run after is itself what wears us out.