सच्छास्त्रसत्सङ्गमजैर्विवेकै- स्तथा विनश्यन्ति बलादविद्याः । यथा जलानां कतकानुषङ्गा- द्यथा जनानां मतयोऽपि योगात् ॥ २२ ॥
sacchāstrasatsaṅgamajairvivēkai- stathā vinaśyanti balādavidyāḥ | yathā jalānāṁ katakānuṣaṅgā- dyathā janānāṁ matayō’pi yōgāt || 22 ||
Translation
By the discriminations born of true scripture and good company, ignorances perish by force, as the mud of waters by contact with the kataka nut, as the wandering thoughts of people through yoga.
Word by word
- sacchāstra
- true scripture
- satsaṅgama
- good company
- jair
- (jaiḥ) born of
- vivēkais
- (vivekaiḥ) by the discriminations
- tathā
- so
- vinaśyanti
- perish
- balād
- (balāt) by force
- avidyāḥ
- ignorances
- yathā
- as
- jalānāṁ
- of waters
- kataka
- with the kataka nut
- anuṣaṅgād
- (anuṣaṅgāt) by contact
- janānāṁ
- of people
- matayō
- (matayaḥ) the thoughts
- api
- also
- yōgāt
- through yoga
Meaning
The sarga ends in upajāti, a longer metre. The kataka nut, rubbed in a pot of muddy water, makes the mud settle and the water clear; the commentary adds the second image, that by the practice of yoga people's outward-turned thoughts fall away. So too, discrimination born of scripture and good company destroys, of itself, passion, aversion and the rest that stand against knowledge. The water was always clear; the mud only had to settle. Why praise these two above the many other means? the commentary asks; because from them discrimination is born, and discrimination does the rest.