वसिष्ठ उवाच । विशेषेण महाबुद्धे संसारोत्तरणे नृणाम् । सर्वत्रोपकरोतीह साधुः साधुसमागमः ॥ १ ॥
vasiṣṭha uvāca | viśēṣēṇa mahābuddhē saṁsārōttaraṇē nṛṇām | sarvatrōpakarōtīha sādhuḥ sādhusamāgamaḥ || 1 ||
Translation
Vasiṣṭha said: Above all, O great-minded one, the company of the good, itself good, helps people everywhere here in crossing saṁsāra.
Word by word
- vasiṣṭha
- Vasiṣṭha
- uvāca
- said
- viśēṣēṇa
- above all
- mahā
- O great
- buddhē
- minded one
- saṁsāra
- saṁsāra
- uttaraṇē
- in crossing
- nṛṇām
- people
- sarvatra
- everywhere
- upakarōti
- helps
- iha
- here
- sādhuḥ
- itself good
- sādhu
- of the good
- samāgamaḥ
- the company
Meaning
The fourth gatekeeper is sādhu-samāgama, the meeting with good people, the company of the wise. The commentary introduces the sarga as describing it, and as showing that strong effort given to any one of the four yields the goal. 'Everywhere' it reads as in every state of life. The other three gatekeepers are qualities to be grown within. This one comes from outside, from other people, and it is what helps the other three to grow.