श्रीराम उवाच । कथमेवं वद ब्रह्मन् भूयते विषमा हि मे । दृष्टिरेषाऽथ दुष्प्राप्या दुराक्रम्येति निश्चयः ॥ २४ ॥
śrīrāma uvāca | kathamēvaṁ vada brahman bhūyatē viṣamā hi mē | dṛṣṭirēṣā’tha duṣprāpyā durākramyēti niścayaḥ || 24 ||
Translation
Rāma said: Tell me, Brahman, how such a one comes to be; for this vision seems hard to me, hard to reach, and hard to hold: that is my conviction.
Word by word
- katham
- how
- ēvaṁ
- such a one
- vada
- tell me
- brahman
- Brahman
- bhūyatē
- comes to be
- viṣamā
- hard
- hi
- for
- mē
- to me
- dṛṣṭiḥ
- vision
- ēṣā
- this
- atha
- and
- duṣprāpyā
- hard to reach
- durākramyā
- hard to hold
- iti
- that
- niścayaḥ
- is my conviction
Meaning
Rāma is honest. The commentary: there are many obstacles to gaining an equal vision of all, so it is rare; if it is rare, how much rarer is freedom. Rāma says: my sight is uneven; such freedom is hard to reach; and if by some chance it were reached, how hard to keep the mind steady in it; it would not stay even when it came to hand. The doubt is the right one to bring: a teaching that cannot be lived is no help.