श्मशानमापदं दैन्यं दृष्ट्वा को न विरज्यते । तद्वैराग्यं परं श्रेयः स्वतो यदभिजायते ॥ २८ ॥
śmaśānamāpadaṁ dainyaṁ dṛṣṭvā kō na virajyatē | tadvairāgyaṁ paraṁ śrēyaḥ svatō yadabhijāyatē || 28 ||
Translation
Who does not turn away on seeing a cremation ground, calamity or misery? That dispassion is the highest good which arises of itself.
Word by word
- śmaśānam
- a cremation ground
- āpadaṁ
- calamity
- dainyaṁ
- misery
- dṛṣṭvā
- on seeing
- kō
- (kaḥ) who
- na
- not
- virajyatē
- turns away
- tad
- that
- vairāgyaṁ
- dispassion
- paraṁ
- the highest
- śrēyaḥ
- good
- svatō
- (svataḥ) of itself
- yad
- which
- abhijāyatē
- arises
Meaning
The argument of verses 21 and 23 is put one last time with its plainest examples. The visits people make to the funeral ground, and the sober mood they come back with, are familiar to anyone. The mood fades in a few days. Svataḥ, of itself: what arises from one's own seeing stays, because the seeing stays. The commentary calls this kind the means to the highest good.