अनन्तं समतानन्दं परमार्थं विदुर्बुधाः । स येभ्यः प्राप्यते नित्यं ते सेव्याः शास्त्रसाधवः ॥ ३४ ॥
anantaṁ samatānandaṁ paramārthaṁ vidurbudhāḥ | sa yēbhyaḥ prāpyatē nityaṁ tē sēvyāḥ śāstrasādhavaḥ || 34 ||
Translation
The wise know as the highest good the endless bliss of sameness. Those by whom it is ever reached, the scriptures and the good, are to be served.
Word by word
- anantaṁ
- endless
- samatā
- of sameness
- ānandaṁ
- the bliss
- paramārthaṁ
- as the highest good
- vidur
- (viduḥ) know
- budhāḥ
- the wise
- sa
- (saḥ) it
- yēbhyaḥ
- by whom
- prāpyatē
- is reached
- nityaṁ
- ever
- tē
- those
- sēvyāḥ
- are to be served
- śāstra
- the scriptures
- sādhavaḥ
- and the good
Meaning
The goal is finally named, and it is not what the argument about effort might have led one to expect. The highest aim (paramārtha) is no conquest. It is the endless bliss of sameness (samatā-ānanda), a joy with no edge, free of the ups and downs that ignorance makes. The commentary: the wise know the supreme reality, Brahman, which is without end and without the unevenness that ignorance brings. All that talk of fighting and force was in the service of peace. There is no contradiction. A river needs strength to reach level water, and arrived there, it rests. And the way to it is again through those who have it: scripture and the good are to be served, since this is not a thing that one can reason out alone.