देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यवशतो विस्फुरन्त्यमी । सर्व एव जगद्भावा जयत्यधिकयत्नवान् ॥ २३ ॥
dēśakālakriyādravyavaśatō visphurantyamī | sarva ēva jagadbhāvā jayatyadhikayatnavān || 23 ||
Translation
All these things of the world arise under the sway of place, time, action and means. The one of greater effort wins.
Word by word
- dēśa
- of place
- kāla
- time
- kriyā
- action
- dravya
- and means
- vaśatō
- (vaśataḥ) under the sway
- visphuranty
- (visphuranti) arise
- amī
- these
- sarva
- (sarve) all
- ēva
- indeed
- jagad
- (jagat) of the world
- bhāvā
- (bhāvāḥ) things
- jayaty
- (jayati) wins
- adhika
- of greater
- yatnavān
- effort
Meaning
Effort does not work in a vacuum, and Vasiṣṭha knows it. Things come forth dependent on place (deśa), time (kāla), the way of acting (kriyā) and the materials to hand (dravya). The commentary makes this very practical: where an effort fails in one place and time, drop it, and try again in another place, at another time, by another method, with other means. It gives the example of Viśvāmitra, whose austerities met obstacles in the east and the other quarters and succeeded in the north. Here is the sane form of perseverance, which is not to hit the same wall again. When something keeps failing, the question to ask is not "what is wrong with my fate?" but "which of these four should I change?"