राम पौरुषयुक्त्या च सलिलं धार्यतेऽनया । चिरं करण्डके चारु न दैवं तत्र कारणम् ॥ २४ ॥
rāma pauruṣayuktyā ca salilaṁ dhāryatē’nayā | ciraṁ karaṇḍakē cāru na daivaṁ tatra kāraṇam || 24 ||
Translation
Rāma, by this device of effort water is held for a long time, and well, in a basket. Fate is no cause of that.
Word by word
- rāma
- Rāma
- pauruṣa
- of effort
- yuktyā
- by device
- ca
- and
- salilaṁ
- water
- dhāryatē
- is held
- anayā
- by this
- ciraṁ
- for a long time
- karaṇḍakē
- in a basket
- cāru
- well
- na
- no
- daivaṁ
- fate
- tatra
- of that
- kāraṇam
- cause
Meaning
From heaven's wars to a craftsman's trick, a typical move of this text. A basket does not hold water. Yet by coating it (the commentary says with resin and beeswax), one can keep water in it for a long time. Note yukti: not simply force, but device, skill, a clever way. What nature seemed to rule out has been made possible with thought and a little care. The verse suggests something the heroic examples do not: effort is often a matter of finding the coating. Before a thing is written off as impossible for someone of one's temperament or circumstances, it is worth asking whether anyone has found the way to make that basket hold water.