श्रीराम उवाच । वन्ध्यापुत्रनभोवृक्षकल्पना तावदस्ति हि । सा यथा नाशजन्माढ्या तथैवेदं न किं भवेत् ॥ ६ ॥
śrīrāma uvāca | vandhyāputranabhōvṛkṣakalpanā tāvadasti hi | sā yathā nāśajanmāḍhyā tathaivēdaṁ na kiṁ bhavēt || 6 ||
Translation
Rāma said: The idea of a barren woman's son, or a tree in the sky, does at least exist. As that is rich in destruction and birth, why should this world not be so too?
Word by word
- vandhyā
- of a barren woman
- putra
- son
- nabhō
- (nabhaḥ) in the sky
- vṛkṣa
- tree
- kalpanā
- the idea
- tāvad
- (tāvat) at least
- asti
- exists
- hi
- indeed
- sā
- it
- yathā
- as
- nāśa
- destruction
- janma
- birth
- āḍhyā
- rich in
- tathā
- so
- ēva
- too
- idaṁ
- this (world)
- na
- not
- kiṁ
- why
- bhavēt
- should it be
Meaning
Rāma raises a sharp objection. The commentary sets it out: the world's arising is established by perception, so in the first place the barren woman's son cannot be its comparison; second, the utterly unreal is never seen used as a comparison at all; so what is left is the knowledge of such things, the idea (kalpanā) of a barren woman's son, which is a thought-construct, and that should be the world's likeness. Ideas do arise and pass. Another commentary says the same: the idea comes and goes, so why should the world not be like an idea, since the utterly unreal cannot serve as an example? Rāma is trying to keep some being for the world: if not the being of a thing, then at least the being of a thought that comes and goes.