ये केचन दुरारम्भा दुराचारा दुराधयः । अविचारेण ते भान्ति वेतालास्तमसा यथा ॥ १९ ॥
yē kēcana durārambhā durācārā durādhayaḥ | avicārēṇa tē bhānti vētālāstamasā yathā || 19 ||
Translation
Whatever ill-begun undertakings, ill conduct and torments of mind there are, they appear through non-inquiry, as goblins appear through darkness.
Word by word
- yē
- whatever
- kēcana
- there are
- durārambhā
- (durārambhāḥ) ill-begun undertakings
- durācārā
- (durācārāḥ) ill conduct
- durādhayaḥ
- torments of mind
- avicārēṇa
- through non-inquiry
- tē
- they
- bhānti
- appear
- vētālās
- (vetālāḥ) goblins
- tamasā
- through darkness
- yathā
- as
Meaning
The commentary sorts the three: acts that bring sorrow to oneself and others, acts that are forbidden, and the pains of the mind. All three share one source. Darkness does not make goblins; it lets them be imagined. In the same way the lack of inquiry is the condition in which these things come up.