दुःखाद्यथा दुःखकाले हा कष्टमिति कथ्यते । हा कष्टशब्दपर्यायस्तथा हा दैवमित्यपि ॥ ३ ॥
duḥkhādyathā duḥkhakālē hā kaṣṭamiti kathyatē | hā kaṣṭaśabdaparyāyastathā hā daivamityapi || 3 ||
Translation
As in a time of pain one cries from the pain "Alas, how it hurts!", so "Alas, fate!" is only another way of saying "Alas, how it hurts!"
Word by word
- duḥkhād
- (duḥkhāt) from the pain
- yathā
- as
- duḥkha
- of pain
- kālē
- in a time
- hā
- alas
- kaṣṭam
- how it hurts
- iti
- thus
- kathyatē
- one cries
- kaṣṭa
- how it hurts
- śabda
- the words
- paryāyas
- (paryāyaḥ) another way of saying
- tathā
- so
- daivam
- fate
- ity
- (iti) thus
- api
- only
Meaning
A small, exact piece of observation about language. When we are hurt we cry out; the cry "hā kaṣṭam" states no theory of the universe. "Hā daivam", "alas, fate!", is a synonym (paryāya) of that cry. The word sounds as if it named a cause, but it only expresses the pain. The commentary adds what lies behind both cries: one's own past action, ripened into suffering, is what is called "the hurt", and that same thing is called "fate". The verse is a useful one to remember in bad times. It takes nothing away from the pain. It takes away only the imagined enemy behind it, and leaves a person with the pain and with what can still be done.