कथं स्यादादिता जन्मकर्मणां दैवपुंस्त्वयोः । इत्यादिसंशयगणः शाम्यत्यह्नि यथा तमः ॥ १६ ॥
kathaṁ syādāditā janmakarmaṇāṁ daivapuṁstvayōḥ | ityādisaṁśayagaṇaḥ śāmyatyahni yathā tamaḥ || 16 ||
Translation
'How can birth or action come first, and so fate or human effort?': this host of doubts subsides, as darkness does by day.
Word by word
- kathaṁ
- how
- syād
- can
- āditā
- coming first
- janma
- of birth
- karmaṇāṁ
- or action
- daiva
- fate
- puṁstvayōḥ
- or human effort
- iti
- thus
- ādi
- and so on
- saṁśaya
- of doubts
- gaṇaḥ
- this host
- śāmyati
- subsides
- ahni
- by day
- yathā
- as
- tamaḥ
- darkness
Meaning
The commentary explains the doubt: if birth comes first in saṁsāra, effort comes first; if action comes first, fate does. It is the debate of the earlier sargas on fate and effort. Such doubts are settled, it says, because the teaching makes clear that both birth and action rest on ignorance.