पुरुषो जायते लोके वर्धते जीर्यते पुनः । न तत्र दृश्यते दैवं जरायौवनबाल्यवत् ॥ २३ ॥
puruṣō jāyatē lōkē vardhatē jīryatē punaḥ | na tatra dṛśyatē daivaṁ jarāyauvanabālyavat || 23 ||
Translation
A person is born in the world, grows and ages again. Old age, youth and childhood can be seen in him; fate cannot be seen there.
Word by word
- puruṣō
- (puruṣaḥ) a person
- jāyatē
- is born
- lōkē
- in the world
- vardhatē
- grows
- jīryatē
- ages
- punaḥ
- again
- na
- not
- tatra
- there
- dṛśyatē
- can be seen
- daivaṁ
- fate
- jarā
- old age
- yauvana
- youth
- bālyavat
- and childhood
Meaning
An argument from what can be pointed at. Every stage of a human life leaves its mark. One can see a child, a young man, an old man. If fate were an actual constituent of a person, it too should show itself somewhere. It doesn't. The comparison, in the commentary's words, is simply that as old age, youth and childhood appear in a man, fate does not. The argument has charm and force together. For those of us who feel that we can sense our fate pressing on us, it is a useful question: what, exactly, is it that I am sensing? Usually one finds a memory and a fear.