शुभाशुभाभ्यां मार्गाभ्यां वहन्ती वासनासरित् । पौरुषेण प्रयत्नेन योजनीया शुभे पथि ॥ ३० ॥
śubhāśubhābhyāṁ mārgābhyāṁ vahantī vāsanāsarit | pauruṣēṇa prayatnēna yōjanīyā śubhē pathi || 30 ||
Translation
The river of tendencies flows along two paths, the good and the bad. By effort and striving it must be guided on to the good path.
Word by word
- śubha
- the good
- aśubhābhyāṁ
- and the bad
- mārgābhyāṁ
- along two paths
- vahantī
- flows
- vāsanā
- of tendencies
- sarit
- the river
- pauruṣēṇa
- by effort
- prayatnēna
- and striving
- yōjanīyā
- must be guided
- śubhē
- to the good
- pathi
- on the path
Meaning
One of the great images of the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha. The commentary calls it the fruit of what has been shown. Tendency is a river. It runs in two channels. One does not create a river, and one cannot stop it. What can be done is what every farmer does: dig, block, and turn the water. All the energy of even one's worst habits is usable. The anger and the craving are the same water that can feed the good field. The aim, then, is to divert the current, and there is no need to hate it.