संदिग्धायामपि भृशं शुभामेव समाहर । अस्यां तु वासनावृद्धौ शुभाद्दोषो न कश्चन ॥ ३८ ॥
saṁdigdhāyāmapi bhṛśaṁ śubhāmēva samāhara | asyāṁ tu vāsanāvṛddhau śubhāddōṣō na kaścana || 38 ||
Translation
Even in doubt, gather earnestly only the good. For in this growth of tendency, no harm comes from the good.
Word by word
- saṁdigdhāyām
- in doubt
- api
- even
- bhṛśaṁ
- earnestly
- śubhām
- the good
- ēva
- only
- samāhara
- gather
- asyāṁ
- in this
- tu
- for
- vāsanā
- of tendency
- vṛddhau
- in growth
- śubhād
- (śubhāt) from the good
- dōṣō
- (doṣaḥ) harm
- na
- no
- kaścana
- any
Meaning
And what if one does not know? What if the outcome is unclear, or one cannot tell whether any of this works? The commentary gives an old maxim: when it is in doubt whether an act will bring good or ill, still do the good; if the promised fruit is not there, what is lost? If it is there, the unbeliever is the one undone. It is a practical wager. A person need not settle the great questions before living well. The good has no downside. It is one of the few investments of which this can be said.