न चाऽमूर्तेन दैवेन मूर्तस्य सहकर्तृता । पुंसः संदृश्यते काचित्तस्माद्दैवं निरर्थकम् ॥ ९ ॥
na cā’mūrtēna daivēna mūrtasya sahakartṛtā | puṁsaḥ saṁdṛśyatē kācittasmāddaivaṁ nirarthakam || 9 ||
Translation
Nor is a formless fate ever seen as a partner in the doing of a man who has a body. So fate is pointless.
Word by word
- na
- nor
- ca
- and
- amūrtēna
- formless
- daivēna
- by fate
- mūrtasya
- of one who has a body
- saha
- partner
- kartṛtā
- in the doing
- puṁsaḥ
- of a man
- saṁdṛśyatē
- is seen
- kācit
- ever
- tasmād
- (tasmāt) so
- daivaṁ
- fate
- nirarthakam
- pointless
Meaning
A fallback is closed. Perhaps fate does not do everything; perhaps it helps. Another commentary states the compromise: fate may somewhere assist a man's efforts. Vasiṣṭha answers from physics. What acts together with a body must touch it. A hand can work with a hammer because both are solid. Something without form (a-mūrta) has no way to grasp the handle. The philosophers' name for this is the problem of interaction, and it has troubled others who wanted an immaterial thing to move a material one. Here it is used in the simplest way: show me fate's hand on the plough. Note what is not said. Vasiṣṭha is not saying that consciousness has no part in action. The sarga that follows will take up that question.