शृणु तत्पौरुषं कीदृगात्मज्ञानस्य लब्धये । येन शाम्यत्यशेषेण रागद्वेषविषूचिका ॥ १५ ॥
śṛṇu tatpauruṣaṁ kīdṛgātmajñānasya labdhayē | yēna śāmyatyaśēṣēṇa rāgadvēṣaviṣūcikā || 15 ||
Translation
Hear what that endeavour is, for gaining knowledge of the Self, by which the cholera of passion and aversion is wholly calmed.
Word by word
- śṛṇu
- hear
- tat
- that
- pauruṣaṁ
- endeavour
- kīdṛg
- (kīdṛk) what
- ātma
- of the Self
- jñānasya
- knowledge
- labdhayē
- for gaining
- yēna
- by which
- śāmyati
- is calmed
- aśēṣēṇa
- wholly
- rāga
- passion
- dvēṣa
- aversion
- viṣūcikā
- the cholera
Meaning
Passion and aversion are called cholera (viṣūcikā), a sickness that empties the body in a day: they drain a life as quickly. The other commentary calls it a great plague. Vasiṣṭha now describes the effort in the concrete, step by step, in the next verses.