न पिशाचा न रक्षांसि न दैत्या न च शत्रवः । न च व्याघ्रभुजङ्गा वा द्विषन्ति शमशालिनम् ॥ ६६ ॥
na piśācā na rakṣāṁsi na daityā na ca śatravaḥ | na ca vyāghrabhujaṅgā vā dviṣanti śamaśālinam || 66 ||
Translation
No piśāca, no rākṣasa, no daitya, no enemy, no tiger and no serpent is hostile to one who has peace.
Word by word
- na
- no
- piśācā
- (piśācāḥ) piśāca
- rakṣāṁsi
- rākṣasa
- daityā
- (daityāḥ) daitya
- ca
- and
- śatravaḥ
- enemy
- vyāghra
- tiger
- bhujaṅgā
- (bhujaṅgāḥ) serpent
- vā
- or
- dviṣanti
- is hostile to
- śama
- peace
- śālinam
- one who has
Meaning
The list runs from spirits to beasts. A familiar belief lies behind it, that fierce creatures lose their fierceness around the calm. The Yoga Sūtra says something similar of non-violence (2.35). Taken psychologically it is simple enough. Much that attacks us does so out of a fear or aggression we ourselves have brought.