महापुरुषता ह्येषा शमादिगुणशालिनी । सम्यग्ज्ञानं विना राम सिद्धिमेति न काञ्चन ॥ ३ ॥
mahāpuruṣatā hyēṣā śamādiguṇaśālinī | samyagjñānaṁ vinā rāma siddhimēti na kāñcana || 3 ||
Translation
This greatness, rich in calm and the other virtues, reaches no success at all without right knowledge, Rāma.
Word by word
- mahāpuruṣatā
- greatness
- hi
- indeed
- ēṣā
- this
- śama
- in calm
- ādi
- and the other
- guṇa
- virtues
- śālinī
- rich
- samyag
- right
- jñānaṁ
- knowledge
- vinā
- without
- rāma
- Rāma
- siddhim
- success
- ēti
- reaches
- na
- not
- kāñcana
- any at all
Meaning
Virtue alone is not enough. The commentary: greatness, full of calm and the other qualities, reaches no kind of accomplishment without true knowledge. Calm without knowledge may be only quiet; goodness without knowledge may still serve a mistaken idea of oneself. Knowledge is what turns the virtues toward their end.