सर्वमेवेह हि सदा संसारे रघुनन्दन । सम्यक्प्रयुक्तात् सर्वेण पौरुषात् समवाप्यते ॥ ८ ॥
sarvamēvēha hi sadā saṁsārē raghunandana | samyakprayuktāt sarvēṇa pauruṣāt samavāpyatē || 8 ||
Translation
Everything here in the world, joy of Raghu's line, is always gained by everyone through effort rightly applied.
Word by word
- sarvam
- everything
- ēva
- indeed
- iha
- here
- hi
- surely
- sadā
- always
- saṁsārē
- in the world
- raghunandana
- joy of Raghu's line
- samyak
- rightly
- prayuktāt
- applied
- sarvēṇa
- by everyone
- pauruṣāt
- through effort
- samavāpyatē
- is gained
Meaning
Now begins the praise of effort (pauruṣa), which runs through the next several sargas. The commentary explains the step: Śuka and the like were perfect in calm and self-control, so hearing gave them knowledge at once; ordinary people lack those means; can they then hope for the fruit? Vasiṣṭha answers that there is nothing in the world that well-applied effort cannot reach. Where effort fails, the commentary adds, the cause is only that it was not kept up. This is the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha's famous doctrine of self-effort against fate. Its purpose here is practical: the seeker who feels unfit is told that fitness is made, not given.