किं वा शास्त्रोपदेशेन मूकोऽयं पुरुषः किल । संचार्यते तु दैवेन किं कस्येहोपदिश्यते ॥ ७ ॥
kiṁ vā śāstrōpadēśēna mūkō’yaṁ puruṣaḥ kila | saṁcāryatē tu daivēna kiṁ kasyēhōpadiśyatē || 7 ||
Translation
And what use is the teaching of scripture? This man is dumb, it seems, and moved about by fate. So who is being taught what here?
Word by word
- kiṁ
- what
- vā
- and
- śāstra
- of scripture
- upadēśēna
- use is the teaching
- mūkō
- (mūkaḥ) dumb
- ayaṁ
- this
- puruṣaḥ
- man
- kila
- it seems
- saṁcāryatē
- is moved about
- tu
- and
- daivēna
- by fate
- kasya
- who
- iha
- here
- upadiśyatē
- is being taught
Meaning
The argument turns on the fact of teaching itself. Scripture teaches, gives commands, forbids. All of that takes for granted a listener who can choose. If a man is a puppet, says the commentary, one fate makes dance as it likes, who is giving what instruction to whom? The Sanskrit is dry: mūkaḥ ayaṁ puruṣaḥ kila, "this man, as we are told, is mute". There is a real point here for a person of faith. You cannot both hold to a scripture and hold that nothing a person does is his. Every instruction, even the words of the one who says "all is fated" as he tries to convince you, is a vote for human agency.