न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति । कार्याण्येष प्रबुद्धोऽपि निष्प्रबुद्ध इव द्रुमः ॥ ३० ॥
na dvēṣṭi saṁpravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati | kāryāṇyēṣa prabuddhō’pi niṣprabuddha iva drumaḥ || 30 ||
Translation
He does not hate what has come about, nor long for what has gone. Awake, he is yet like a tree that is not awake to its tasks.
Word by word
- na
- not
- dvēṣṭi
- hate
- saṁpravṛttāni
- what has come about
- nivṛttāni
- what has gone
- kāṅkṣati
- long for
- kāryāṇi
- to its tasks
- ēṣa
- he
- prabuddhō
- (prabuddhaḥ) awake
- api
- yet
- niṣprabuddha
- (niṣprabuddhaḥ) not awake
- iva
- like
- drumaḥ
- a tree
Meaning
The commentary: he knows the nature of action and its fruit, and still remains like a tree that does not know them. A tree does not resent the axe or wish for the rain. He knows, and his knowing does not turn into wanting.