तदैव धर्मराजेन यमेनाऽऽश्वनुशासितः । यदेव क्रियते नित्यं रतिस्तत्रैव जायते ॥ ४८ ॥
tadaiva dharmarājēna yamēnā’’śvanuśāsitaḥ | yadēva kriyatē nityaṁ ratistatraiva jāyatē || 48 ||
Translation
Even then he was quickly taught by Yama, the king of dharma. Whatever one always does, one comes to delight in that very thing.
Word by word
- tadā
- then
- ēva
- even; very
- dharmarājēna
- the king of dharma
- yamēna
- by Yama
- āśu
- quickly
- anuśāsitaḥ
- he was taught
- yad
- (yat) whatever
- kriyatē
- one does
- nityaṁ
- always
- ratis
- (ratiḥ) delight
- tatra
- in that
- jāyatē
- one comes to
Meaning
Why did Death try what his power could not do? The commentary: from habit. Whatever a person does every day becomes a craving, and he delights in it. The maxim is said of Death, but it is a mirror: our habits of grasping become our pleasures, and we go on grasping even where nothing can be held.