प्राणात्प्रियतरं दृष्ट्वा तुष्टिमेति न वै जनः । यामायाति जनः शान्तिमवलोक्य शमाशयम् ॥ ६९ ॥
prāṇātpriyataraṁ dṛṣṭvā tuṣṭimēti na vai janaḥ | yāmāyāti janaḥ śāntimavalōkya śamāśayam || 69 ||
Translation
A person does not find, on seeing one dearer than life, the contentment that comes on seeing one whose heart is at peace.
Word by word
- prāṇāt
- than life
- priyataraṁ
- one dearer
- dṛṣṭvā
- on seeing
- tuṣṭim
- contentment
- ēti
- find
- na
- not
- vai
- indeed
- janaḥ
- a person
- yām
- which
- āyāti
- comes
- śāntim
- the contentment
- avalōkya
- on seeing
- śama
- at peace
- āśayam
- one whose heart is
Meaning
Priyatara, dearer. The one dearer than life is, another commentary says, a wife or child. These verses go on piling up comparisons with what a person most values, and it is worth asking whether this one is true. The Sanskrit says it plainly. There is a peace in the presence of the peaceful that even love for one's own cannot quite give, since that love is mixed with fear for them.