ईश्वरप्रेरितो गच्छेत्स्वर्गं नरकमेव वा । स सदैव पराधीनः पशुरेव न संशयः ॥ २७ ॥
īśvaraprēritō gacchētsvargaṁ narakamēva vā | sa sadaiva parādhīnaḥ paśurēva na saṁśayaḥ || 27 ||
Translation
Impelled by the Lord, he goes to heaven or to hell. He is ever dependent on another, a mere beast: there is no doubt of it.
Word by word
- īśvara
- by the Lord
- prēritō
- (preritaḥ) impelled
- gacchēt
- he goes
- svargaṁ
- to heaven
- narakam
- to hell
- ēva
- indeed
- vā
- or
- sa
- (saḥ) he
- sadā
- ever
- para
- on another
- adhīnaḥ
- dependent
- paśur
- (paśuḥ) a beast
- na
- no
- saṁśayaḥ
- doubt
Meaning
The sentence is kept for the same person, and it is hard. One who will not take up his own life is carried, as an animal is carried: to the butcher or the green field, it has no say. The commentary: he goes to heaven or hell without merit or sin of his own making, is forever dependent, and is truly a beast. The word paśu, "beast", is also the old word for the bound soul, tethered and led. To be moved about by God sounds devout, and the verse says that for a person who has simply not bothered, it is no devotion but servitude. There is a world of difference between surrender that is the ripe end of effort and passivity that goes by the same name.