मनो हि चपलं राम संसारवनमर्कटम् । संशोध्य हृदि यत्नेन श्रोतव्या परमार्थगीः ॥ ५६ ॥
manō hi capalaṁ rāma saṁsāravanamarkaṭam | saṁśōdhya hṛdi yatnēna śrōtavyā paramārthagīḥ || 56 ||
Translation
The mind, Rāma, is fickle, a monkey in the forest of saṁsāra. Having cleansed it in the heart with effort, one should listen to words of the supreme.
Word by word
- manō
- (manaḥ) the mind
- hi
- indeed
- capalaṁ
- fickle
- rāma
- Rāma
- saṁsāra
- of saṁsāra
- vana
- in the forest
- markaṭam
- a monkey
- saṁśōdhya
- having cleansed
- hṛdi
- in the heart
- yatnēna
- with effort
- śrōtavyā
- should be listened to
- paramārtha
- of the supreme
- gīḥ
- words
Meaning
The monkey mind of the last sarga's curse returns, now in everyone. Saṁśodhya, having purified: the commentary says by refinement bringing it under one's control. The order is the point: first the cleansing, then the hearing. Most of us come to such words as we are, and hope they will do the cleansing. Vasiṣṭha allows that they will, later on, but he asks for preparation first.