पौरुषेणाऽन्नमाक्रम्य यथा दन्तेन चूर्ण्यते । अन्यः पौरुषमाश्रित्य तथा शूरेण चूर्ण्यते ॥ १२ ॥
pauruṣēṇā’nnamākramya yathā dantēna cūrṇyatē | anyaḥ pauruṣamāśritya tathā śūrēṇa cūrṇyatē || 12 ||
Translation
As food is seized by effort and ground by the teeth, so another man, by the use of effort, is ground down by the strong.
Word by word
- pauruṣēṇa
- by effort
- annam
- food
- ākramya
- seized
- yathā
- as
- dantēna
- by the teeth
- cūrṇyatē
- is ground
- anyaḥ
- another man
- pauruṣam
- of effort
- āśritya
- by the use
- tathā
- so
- śūrēṇa
- by the strong
Meaning
An unsentimental image of how power works in the world. Food does not choose to be chewed. The mouth takes it, the teeth work on it; the commentary follows this exactly, first the food pressed in the mouth, then ground to pieces. In just this way the strong man, relying on effort, grinds down the weak. To the weak this feels like fate. The verse says it is only someone else's effort, and a stronger one. The teaching is no approval of oppression; it is a description of what passes for destiny. It closes off one last escape, the idea that what is done to me comes from the sky.