शक्तस्य पौरुषं दृश्यमदृश्यं वाऽपि यद्भवेत् । तद्दैवमित्यशक्तेन बुद्धमात्मन्यबुद्धिना ॥ १४ ॥
śaktasya pauruṣaṁ dṛśyamadṛśyaṁ vā’pi yadbhavēt | taddaivamityaśaktēna buddhamātmanyabuddhinā || 14 ||
Translation
The effort of the capable, seen or unseen, whatever it may be: that is what the feeble man, lacking understanding, takes in his own mind for fate.
Word by word
- śaktasya
- of the capable
- pauruṣaṁ
- the effort
- dṛśyam
- seen
- adṛśyaṁ
- unseen
- vā
- or
- api
- even
- yad
- (yat) whatever
- bhavēt
- it may be
- tad
- (tat) that
- daivam
- fate
- ity
- (iti) thus
- aśaktēna
- by the feeble man
- buddham
- is taken
- ātmany
- (ātmani) in his own mind
- abuddhinā
- lacking understanding
Meaning
Here is the definition from below. When a person of power works in the open, we can see it; when he works behind the scenes, we cannot. In either case (dṛśyam adṛśyaṁ vā), the weak call it "fate". The word is the name that powerlessness gives to whatever it cannot see into. The commentary: the incapable and unintelligent man, out of his own ignorance, takes that effort for fate or the unseen (adṛṣṭa). Note "in his own mind" (ātmani). Fate exists there, as an idea. The verse locates it precisely, in the head of the one who has given up. When we say of a rival or a rich family "they are just lucky", it can be worth asking what labour we have not seen.