बुद्ध्वैव पौरुषफलं पुरुषत्वमेत- दात्मप्रयत्नपरतैव सदैव कार्या । नेया ततः सफलतां परमामथाऽसौ सच्छास्त्रसाधुजनपण्डितसेवनेन ॥ ४१ ॥
buddhvaiva pauruṣaphalaṁ puruṣatvamēta- dātmaprayatnaparataiva sadaiva kāryā | nēyā tataḥ saphalatāṁ paramāmathā’sau sacchāstrasādhujanapaṇḍitasēvanēna || 41 ||
Translation
Understand that this is what being human is, the fruit of effort. Be always wholly given to your own effort; then bring it to its highest fulfilment by serving true scripture, the good and the wise.
Word by word
- buddhvā
- understand
- ēva
- this very; alone
- pauruṣa
- of effort
- phalaṁ
- the fruit
- puruṣatvam
- being human
- ētad
- this
- ātma
- your own
- prayatna
- effort
- paratā
- wholly given
- sadā
- always
- kāryā
- be
- nēyā
- bring
- tataḥ
- then
- saphalatāṁ
- to fulfilment
- paramām
- highest
- atha
- and
- asau
- it
- sacchāstra
- true scripture
- sādhu
- the good
- jana
- people
- paṇḍita
- and the wise
- sēvanēna
- by serving
Meaning
What is a human birth for? The commentary answers from the verse: the birth of one who is fit bears fruit only when the human aim is reached, and not otherwise. Another commentary puts it directly: the gaining of self-knowledge through effort is the fruit of human birth, and without it that birth is empty. So "being a person" (puruṣatva) and "effort" (pauruṣa), the words being one in origin, come together. To be human is to be the kind of being that can strive for the highest. And there are two stages in the verse. First be given to your own effort (ātma-prayatna-paratā). Then let that effort be brought home by serving those who have arrived. Personal striving alone does not finish the journey, and neither does leaning on others without having striven.