आमोद इव पुष्पेषु न नश्यति विनाशिषु । प्रत्यक्षस्थोऽप्यथाऽग्राह्यः शौक्ल्यं शुक्लपटे यथा ॥ ६३ ॥
āmōda iva puṣpēṣu na naśyati vināśiṣu | pratyakṣasthō’pyathā’grāhyaḥ śauklyaṁ śuklapaṭē yathā || 63 ||
Translation
Like fragrance in flowers, he does not perish in perishing things; though present to perception, he cannot be grasped, like the whiteness in a white cloth.
Word by word
- āmōda
- fragrance
- iva
- like
- puṣpēṣu
- in flowers
- na
- not
- naśyati
- he does perish
- vināśiṣu
- in perishing things
- pratyakṣa
- to perception
- sthō
- present
- api
- though
- atha
- yet
- agrāhyaḥ
- he cannot be grasped
- śauklyaṁ
- the whiteness
- śukla
- white
- paṭē
- in a cloth
- yathā
- like
Meaning
Two images of something always there and never an object. The commentary: as scent is the essence in flowers, he is the essence in all perishing things and does not perish when they do. He stands as light in every act of perceiving, yet like whiteness in white cloth he is not grasped as a thing perceived. One sees the cloth, and its whiteness is in every glance; but one does not see whiteness apart from it.