विनियोक्त्रथ भूतानामस्त्यन्यच्चेज्जगत्त्रये । शेरते भूतवृन्दानि दैवं सर्वं करिष्यति ॥ १४ ॥
viniyōktratha bhūtānāmastyanyaccējjagattrayē | śēratē bhūtavṛndāni daivaṁ sarvaṁ kariṣyati || 14 ||
Translation
If there were some other thing in the three worlds that set beings to their tasks, then let all creatures lie down and sleep: fate will do everything.
Word by word
- viniyōktr
- (viniyoktṛ) that set to their tasks
- atha
- then
- bhūtānām
- beings
- asty
- (asti) there were
- anyac
- (anyat) some other thing
- cēj
- (cet) if
- jagat
- worlds
- trayē
- in the three
- śēratē
- let lie down and sleep
- bhūta
- creatures
- vṛndāni
- all
- daivaṁ
- fate
- sarvaṁ
- everything
- kariṣyati
- will do
Meaning
A return to scorn, and a good picture. If some outside agent were appointing all creatures to their work, the reasonable course would be for the whole universe to go to bed (śerate). The commentary says only that all beings would sleep, sure that fate will do it all. The word "everything" (sarvam) is the sting, since it shows up the absurdity of a half-belief. In truth nobody thinks fate will do it all; they think it will do the part that they do not want to. A person might look for that exact boundary in his own fatalism, for it shows where his laziness runs.