अन्नभूता हि महतां लघवो यत्नशालिनाम् । यथेष्टं विनियोज्यन्ते तेन कर्मसु लोष्टवत् ॥ १३ ॥
annabhūtā hi mahatāṁ laghavō yatnaśālinām | yathēṣṭaṁ viniyōjyantē tēna karmasu lōṣṭavat || 13 ||
Translation
For the small are food to the great who abound in effort; so they use them in their works at will, like lumps of clay.
Word by word
- anna
- food
- bhūtā
- (bhūtāḥ) are
- hi
- for
- mahatāṁ
- to the great
- laghavō
- (laghavaḥ) the small
- yatna
- in effort
- śālinām
- who abound
- yathā
- at
- iṣṭaṁ
- will
- viniyōjyantē
- they are used
- tēna
- so
- karmasu
- in works
- lōṣṭavat
- like lumps of clay
Meaning
The thought continues. Those without effort are "food" (anna-bhūta) to those who have it, and are moved about in the works of others as lumps of earth (loṣṭa-vat) are moved by the builder. It is a stark line, and it means to wake a person up. The commentary reads it simply: people of little strength become something to be consumed by the strong and are set to work according to the others' wishes. Everyone is doing someone's work. The question the verse puts is whether one's life is being used for a purpose chosen by oneself, or is clay in the hands of those, whether people or fashions or appetites, who have made more effort to use it.