तत्रैव मूढमतिभिर्दैवमस्तीति निश्चयः । आत्तो दुरवबोधेन रज्ज्वामिव भुजङ्गमः ॥ ३ ॥
tatraiva mūḍhamatibhirdaivamastīti niścayaḥ | āttō duravabōdhēna rajjvāmiva bhujaṅgamaḥ || 3 ||
Translation
On those very words, fools have fixed the belief that "fate exists", taken up through poor understanding, like a snake in a rope.
Word by word
- tatra
- on those
- ēva
- very
- mūḍha
- fools
- matibhir
- (matibhiḥ) by minds
- daivam
- fate
- asti
- exists
- iti
- that
- niścayaḥ
- the belief
- āttō
- (āttaḥ) taken up
- duravabōdhēna
- through poor understanding
- rajjvām
- in a rope
- iva
- like
- bhujaṅgamaḥ
- a snake
Meaning
Here for the first time in this discussion comes the most famous image of Indian philosophy: the rope taken for a snake. In dim light one sees a coil on the path and starts back. There is real fear and a real heartbeat, and no snake. Fools have done the same with those remarks (tatra eva, "on them"), and have read into them an entity. Both commentaries keep to the image: the mistake is one of poor understanding (durava-bodha), and no new fact is needed to cure it, only better light. The reader should note this. A snake must be killed; a rope-snake has only to be looked at. Vasiṣṭha is not fighting fate. He is holding up a lamp.