दैवं न किञ्चित्कुरुते न भुङ्क्ते न च विद्यते । न दृश्यते नाऽऽद्रियते केवलं कल्पनेदृशी ॥ ३ ॥
daivaṁ na kiñcitkurutē na bhuṅktē na ca vidyatē | na dṛśyatē nā’’driyatē kēvalaṁ kalpanēdṛśī || 3 ||
Translation
Fate does nothing, enjoys nothing and does not exist. It is not seen and is not honoured. It is only a fancy of this kind.
Word by word
- daivaṁ
- fate
- na
- not
- kiñcit
- anything
- kurutē
- does
- bhuṅktē
- enjoys
- ca
- and
- vidyatē
- exist
- dṛśyatē
- is seen
- ādriyatē
- is honoured
- kēvalaṁ
- only
- kalpanā
- a fancy
- īdṛśī
- of this kind
Meaning
Six denials in a row. Fate does not act, does not experience, does not exist, is not perceived, and is not respected (another commentary: not by those who discern). The last words give what remains: kevalaṁ kalpanā īdṛśī, merely a fancy of this sort. A fancy is not nothing, of course. It has effects, as a bad dream has. It can keep a person from getting up. But what has to be dealt with is the thought, and a thought can be examined. It is worth seeing how much of the fear we call "my fate" is made of this material.