देशाद्देशान्तरप्राप्तिर्हस्तस्य द्रव्यधारणम् । व्यापारश्च तथाऽङ्गानां पौरुषेण न दैवतः ॥ २५ ॥
dēśāddēśāntaraprāptirhastasya dravyadhāraṇam | vyāpāraśca tathā’ṅgānāṁ pauruṣēṇa na daivataḥ || 25 ||
Translation
Reaching one country from another, the hand's holding a thing, and likewise the work of the limbs: all come by effort, not from fate.
Word by word
- dēśād
- (deśāt) from country
- dēśa
- country
- antara
- another
- prāptir
- (prāptiḥ) reaching
- hastasya
- the hand's
- dravya
- a thing
- dhāraṇam
- holding
- vyāpāraś
- (vyāpāraḥ) the work
- ca
- and
- tathā
- likewise
- aṅgānāṁ
- of the limbs
- pauruṣēṇa
- by effort
- na
- not
- daivataḥ
- from fate
Meaning
A descent to what is smallest. The feet carry us from place to place, the hand holds, the other limbs do what they do. The commentary gives it limb by limb. Each of these, seen closely, is an effort. We do not usually think of picking up a cup as an achievement; a person recovering from a stroke knows better. All our ease in the world is effort so long practised that it no longer shows. The verse quietly suggests that the difference between the mighty deeds of earlier verses and lifting a hand is one of scale only.