तावत्तावत्प्रयत्नेन यतितव्यं सुपौरुषम् । प्राक्तनं पौरुषं यावदशुभं शाम्यति स्वयम् ॥ ११ ॥
tāvattāvatprayatnēna yatitavyaṁ supauruṣam | prāktanaṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvadaśubhaṁ śāmyati svayam || 11 ||
Translation
Strive with good effort, with exertion, just so long until the evil effort of the past is calmed of itself.
Word by word
- tāvat
- just so long; so long
- prayatnēna
- with exertion
- yatitavyaṁ
- strive
- su
- good
- pauruṣam
- with effort
- prāktanaṁ
- of the past
- pauruṣaṁ
- effort
- yāvad
- (yāvat) until
- aśubhaṁ
- the evil
- śāmyati
- is calmed
- svayam
- of itself
Meaning
How long must one strive? Until (yāvat) the inauspicious past effort subsides "of itself" (svayam). The commentary notes the word: "of itself" means completely, with no remainder; if it were only held down by another force, it could rise again when that force was removed. So the goal is not suppression but exhaustion. One keeps up good effort not for a while, but until the old pattern has nothing left to feed on.