श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । प्रवृत्तिरेव प्रथमं यथाशास्त्रविहारिणाम् । प्रभेव वर्णभेदानां साधनी सर्वकर्मणाम् ॥ १ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | pravṛttirēva prathamaṁ yathāśāstravihāriṇām | prabhēva varṇabhēdānāṁ sādhanī sarvakarmaṇām || 1 ||
Translation
Śrī Vasiṣṭha said: For those who act as scripture directs, action itself comes first: it accomplishes every work, as light reveals the different colours.
Word by word
- śrīvasiṣṭha
- Śrī Vasiṣṭha
- uvāca
- said
- pravṛttir
- (pravṛttiḥ) action
- ēva
- itself
- prathamaṁ
- comes first
- yathāśāstra
- as scripture directs
- vihāriṇām
- for those who act
- prabhā
- light
- iva
- as
- varṇa
- colours
- bhēdānāṁ
- the different
- sādhanī
- accomplishes
- sarva
- every
- karmaṇām
- work
Meaning
Vasiṣṭha now sets out to prove what he asserted at the end of the last sarga: that there is no fate apart from effort, and that effort is stronger. He begins with a principle. For those who live by scripture (yathā-śāstra-vihārin), action (pravṛtti), doing, is the first cause of every achievement, as light (prabhā) is what makes blue, yellow and every colour appear. The commentary: as light is the chief cause of the manifestation of colours, so the activity of body, speech and mind according to scripture is the chief cause of every human aim. Colours exist in things, but without light they are not seen. So too every good we might reach is there, but without action it does not show itself.