तत्तावद् दुःखमोक्षार्थं जनस्याऽस्य हतात्मनः । प्रत्यग्रं तरणोपायमाशु प्रकटयाम्यहम् ॥ २३ ॥
tattāvad duḥkhamōkṣārthaṁ janasyā’sya hatātmanaḥ | pratyagraṁ taraṇōpāyamāśu prakaṭayāmyaham || 23 ||
Translation
So, for the release from sorrow of these stricken people, I shall at once bring to light a fresh means of crossing."
Word by word
- tat
- so
- tāvad
- (tāvat) now
- duḥkha
- from sorrow
- mōkṣa
- the release
- arthaṁ
- for
- janasya
- of people
- asya
- these
- hatātmanaḥ
- stricken
- pratyagraṁ
- fresh
- taraṇa
- of crossing
- upāyam
- a means
- āśu
- at once
- prakaṭayāmi
- shall bring to light
- aham
- I
Meaning
Pratyagram, fresh, new. The creator has tried the old way, seen its limits, and decides on something else. There is a lovely humility in the phrase. Note what he does not do: he does not take back what he made. Austerity and charity stay in the world, for those they suit. He adds to them. And he does it for hatātmanaḥ, those whose very selves are struck down. A teaching that has a reason for existing has it because of such people. It has not been brought into the world for the sake of the clever or for the interest of the subject.