क्रमेणोपार्जितेऽप्यर्थे नष्टे कार्या न खेदिता । न बलं यत्र मे शक्तं तत्र का परिदेवना ॥ २१ ॥
kramēṇōpārjitē’pyarthē naṣṭē kāryā na khēditā | na balaṁ yatra mē śaktaṁ tatra kā paridēvanā || 21 ||
Translation
Even when wealth gathered little by little is lost, one must not grieve. Where my strength is not able, what use is lamenting?
Word by word
- kramēṇa
- little by little
- upārjitē
- gathered
- apy
- (api) even
- arthē
- when wealth
- naṣṭē
- is lost
- kāryā
- one must
- na
- not
- khēditā
- grieve
- balaṁ
- strength
- yatra
- where
- mē
- my
- śaktaṁ
- able
- tatra
- there
- kā
- what use
- paridēvanā
- lamenting
Meaning
From argument to the way one should bear loss. Effort is limited in any moment, and Vasiṣṭha admits this: there are places where "my strength is not able". Then what? Not grief (khedita, paridevanā). Effort belongs to what can be done, and lamenting does nothing to what cannot. The commentary adds the ending the verse implies: when one has no power there, why grieve? The proper thing there is to take up the work once more. Another commentary agrees: one should not, out of sorrow, give up. So this acceptance is not surrender. It frees the strength that grief would have spent, and returns it to the next task.