परस्परविनाशोक्तेः श्रेयःस्थो न कदाचन । सुखदुःखदशे राम तडित्प्रसरभङ्गुरे ॥ २९ ॥
parasparavināśōktēḥ śrēyaḥsthō na kadācana | sukhaduḥkhadaśē rāma taḍitprasarabhaṅgurē || 29 ||
Translation
Since each is said to be the other's ruin, no one ever stands firm in good, Rāma, in the state of pleasure and pain, which breaks like a lightning flash.
Word by word
- paraspara
- each the other's
- vināśa
- ruin
- uktēḥ
- since said to be
- śrēyaḥ
- in good
- sthō
- (sthaḥ) stands firm
- na
- no one
- kadācana
- ever
- sukha
- of pleasure
- duḥkha
- and pain
- daśē
- in the state
- rāma
- Rāma
- taḍit
- of lightning
- prasara
- like a flash
- bhaṅgurē
- which breaks
Meaning
The commentary gives the saying behind parasparavināśokti: after pleasure comes pain and after pain pleasure, and a person goes round like the wheel of a well. Each cancels the other. So within that pairing there can be no resting place, whichever side one is on. The good day is not a refuge, for it is on its way to being replaced.