परं विवर्धनं बुद्धेरज्ञानतरुशातनम् । समुत्सारणमाधीनां विद्धि साधुसमागमम् ॥ ५ ॥
paraṁ vivardhanaṁ buddhērajñānataruśātanam | samutsāraṇamādhīnāṁ viddhi sādhusamāgamam || 5 ||
Translation
Know the company of the good as the highest increase of the understanding, the felling of the tree of ignorance, the driving away of the pains of the mind.
Word by word
- paraṁ
- the highest
- vivardhanaṁ
- increase
- buddhēr
- (buddheḥ) of the understanding
- ajñāna
- of ignorance
- taru
- of the tree
- śātanam
- the felling
- samutsāraṇam
- the driving away
- ādhīnāṁ
- of the pains of the mind
- viddhi
- know
- sādhu
- of the good
- samāgamam
- the company
Meaning
Three effects, in an order. The understanding grows, ignorance is cut at the trunk, and the mind's pains are driven off. This is one movement seen from three sides: as understanding grows, the ignorance it replaces falls, and the pains that ignorance fed go with it.