ते यान्ति दुर्गमाद् दुर्गं दुःखाद् दुःखं भयाद्भयम् । नरकान्नरकं मूढा मोहमन्थरबुद्धयः ॥ २८ ॥
tē yānti durgamād durgaṁ duḥkhād duḥkhaṁ bhayādbhayam | narakānnarakaṁ mūḍhā mōhamantharabuddhayaḥ || 28 ||
Translation
those deluded ones, their minds dull with stupor, go from hardship to hardship, sorrow to sorrow, fear to fear, hell to hell.
Word by word
- tē
- those
- yānti
- go
- durgamād
- (durgamāt) from hardship
- durgaṁ
- to hardship
- duḥkhād
- (duḥkhāt) from sorrow
- duḥkhaṁ
- to sorrow
- bhayād
- (bhayāt) from fear
- bhayam
- to fear
- narakān
- (narakāt) from hell
- narakaṁ
- to hell
- mūḍhā
- (mūḍhāḥ) deluded ones
- mōha
- with stupor
- manthara
- dull
- buddhayaḥ
- their minds
Meaning
Four pairs in a row, and the rhythm of the line enacts the journey. Each state only opens on to another of its own kind. Moha-manthara, slowed by delusion, is what prevents one from noticing the pattern. A person who sees it has already, to that extent, stepped out of it.