मेघेन नीयते यद्वद्वत्सरोपार्जिता कृषिः । मेघस्य पुरुषार्थोऽसौ जयत्यधिकयत्नवान् ॥ २० ॥
mēghēna nīyatē yadvadvatsarōpārjitā kṛṣiḥ | mēghasya puruṣārthō’sau jayatyadhikayatnavān || 20 ||
Translation
As a harvest gathered through a whole year is carried off by a cloud: that is the cloud's effort. The one of greater effort wins.
Word by word
- mēghēna
- by a cloud
- nīyatē
- is carried off
- yadvad
- (yadvat) as
- vatsara
- through a whole year
- upārjitā
- gathered
- kṛṣiḥ
- a harvest
- mēghasya
- the cloud's
- puruṣārthō
- (puruṣārthaḥ) effort
- asau
- that is
- jayaty
- (jayati) wins
- adhika
- of greater
- yatnavān
- effort
Meaning
A third hard case. A farmer labours for a year and hailstones ruin it in an hour; the commentary presents this as the objection, that here plainly fate is the stronger. Vasiṣṭha does not flinch: count it as the cloud's effort. Nature too is at work, and on this day its work was greater. The verse keeps to its one law, "the one of greater effort wins", and leaves no room for a ruler of events who takes sides. The commentary adds that in truth the farmer's own effort from an earlier life is at work there through the unseen. The farmer is not being blamed. He is being kept from concluding that the world has turned against him, and from giving up the next sowing.