The Impurity of the Body and the Sufferings of Childhood and the Other Stages of Life

Verse 1 (shiva.uma.23.1)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । शृणु व्यास महाबुद्धे देहस्याशुचितां मुने । महत्त्वं च स्वभावस्य समासात्कथयाम्यहम्

sanatkumāra uvāca śṛṇu vyāsa mahābuddhe dehasyāśucitāṁ mune mahattvaṁ ca svabhāvasya samāsātkathayāmyaham

Sanatkumara said: Listen, Vyasa, O greatly wise sage, to the impurity of the body; I shall tell you briefly of its true nature and its significance.

Verse 2 (shiva.uma.23.2)

शुक्रशोणितसंयोगाद्देहः सञ्जायते यतः । नित्यं विण्मूत्रसम्पूर्णस्तेनायमशुचिः स्मृतः

śukraśoṇitasaṁyogāddehaḥ sañjāyate yataḥ nityaṁ viṇmūtrasampūrṇastenāyamaśuciḥ smṛtaḥ

Since the body arises from the union of semen and blood, and is ever filled with feces and urine, it is therefore remembered as impure.

Verse 3 (shiva.uma.23.3)

यथान्तर्विष्ठया पूर्णः शुचिमान्न बहिर्घटः । शोध्यमानो हि देहोऽयं तेनायमशुचिस्ततः

yathāntarviṣṭhayā pūrṇaḥ śucimānna bahirghaṭaḥ śodhyamāno hi deho'yaṁ tenāyamaśucistataḥ

Just as a pot filled inside with excrement is not made pure merely by cleaning it outside, so too this body, however much it is cleansed, remains impure for that same reason.

Verse 4 (shiva.uma.23.4)

सम्प्राप्याति पवित्राणि पञ्चगव्यं हवींषि च । अशुचित्वं क्षणाद्यान्ति किमन्यदशुचिस्ततः

samprāpyāti pavitrāṇi pañcagavyaṁ havīṁṣi ca aśucitvaṁ kṣaṇādyānti kimanyadaśucistataḥ

Even the most sacred substances, the five products of the cow, and the sacrificial offerings, become impure the moment they touch it; what then could be more impure than this?

Verse 5 (shiva.uma.23.5)

हृद्यान्यप्यन्नपानानि यं प्राप्य सुरभीणि च । अशुचित्वं प्रयान्त्याशु किमन्यदशुचिस्ततः

hṛdyānyapyannapānāni yaṁ prāpya surabhīṇi ca aśucitvaṁ prayāntyāśu kimanyadaśucistataḥ

Even delightful food and drink, fragrant as they are, become impure at once upon reaching it; what then could be more impure than this?

Verse 6 (shiva.uma.23.6)

हे जनाः किन्न पश्यन्ति यन्निर्याति दिने दिने । स्वदेहात्कश्मलं पूतिस्तदाधारः कथं शुचिः

he janāḥ kinna paśyanti yanniryāti dine dine svadehātkaśmalaṁ pūtistadādhāraḥ kathaṁ śuciḥ

O people, do they not see what filth and putrescence comes forth day after day from their own bodies? How, then, can its very vessel be pure?

Verse 7 (shiva.uma.23.7)

देहः सशोध्यमानोऽपि पञ्चगव्यकुशाम्बुभिः । घृष्यमाण इवाङ्गारो निर्मलत्वं न गच्छति

dehaḥ saśodhyamāno'pi pañcagavyakuśāmbubhiḥ ghṛṣyamāṇa ivāṅgāro nirmalatvaṁ na gacchati

Even when it is cleansed with the five products of the cow and with water and kusha grass, the body, like a piece of charcoal being scrubbed, does not attain purity.

Verse 8 (shiva.uma.23.8)

स्रोतांसि यस्य सततं प्रभवन्ति गिरेरिव । कफमूत्रपुरीषाद्यैः स देहः शुध्यते कथम्

srotāṁsi yasya satataṁ prabhavanti gireriva kaphamūtrapurīṣādyaiḥ sa dehaḥ śudhyate katham

How can that body ever be made pure, from which streams of phlegm, urine, feces, and the like flow forth continually, as if from a mountain?

Verse 9 (shiva.uma.23.9)

सर्वाशुचिनिधानस्य शरीरस्य न विद्यते । शुचिरेकः प्रदेशोऽपि विण्मूत्रस्य दृतेरिव

sarvāśucinidhānasya śarīrasya na vidyate śucirekaḥ pradeśo'pi viṇmūtrasya dṛteriva

In this body, the storehouse of every impurity, there does not exist even a single pure spot, just as there is none in a bag full of feces and urine.

Verse 10 (shiva.uma.23.10)

सृष्ट्वात्मदेहस्रोतांसि मृत्तोयैः शोध्यते करः । तथाप्यशुचिभाण्डस्य न विभ्रश्यति किं करः

sṛṣṭvātmadehasrotāṁsi mṛttoyaiḥ śodhyate karaḥ tathāpyaśucibhāṇḍasya na vibhraśyati kiṁ karaḥ

Having touched the body's own discharges, the hand is cleansed with earth and water; yet does the hand's connection with this impure vessel ever truly leave it?

Verse 11 (shiva.uma.23.11)

कायः सुगन्धधूपाद्यैर्यत्नेनापि सुसंस्कृतः । न जहाति स्वभावं स श्वपुच्छमिव नामितम्

kāyaḥ sugandhadhūpādyairyatnenāpi susaṁskṛtaḥ na jahāti svabhāvaṁ sa śvapucchamiva nāmitam

The body, even when carefully perfumed with fragrant incense and the like, does not abandon its own nature, just as a dog's tail, however bent, returns to its own shape.

Verse 12 (shiva.uma.23.12)

यथा जात्यैव कृष्णोर्थः शुक्लः स्स्यान्नह्युपायतः । संशोद्ध्यमानापि तथा भवेन्मूर्तिर्न निर्मला

yathā jātyaiva kṛṣṇorthaḥ śuklaḥ ssyānnahyupāyataḥ saṁśoddhyamānāpi tathā bhavenmūrtirna nirmalā

Just as something black by its very nature cannot become white by any device, so too the body, however much it is cleansed, does not become truly stainless.

Verse 13 (shiva.uma.23.13)

जिघ्रन्नपि स्वदुर्गन्धं पश्यन्नपि स्वकं मलम् । न विरज्येत लोकोऽयं पीडयन्नपि नासिकाम्

jighrannapi svadurgandhaṁ paśyannapi svakaṁ malam na virajyeta loko'yaṁ pīḍayannapi nāsikām

Even while smelling his own foul odor, even while seeing his own filth, even while it assaults his own nostrils, this world of people does not turn away in dispassion.

Verse 14 (shiva.uma.23.14)

अहो मोहस्य माहात्म्यं येनेदं छादितं जगत् । शीघ्रं पश्यन् स्वकं दोषं कायस्य न विरज्यते

aho mohasya māhātmyaṁ yenedaṁ chāditaṁ jagat śīghraṁ paśyan svakaṁ doṣaṁ kāyasya na virajyate

Ah, how great is the power of delusion, by which this world is so utterly veiled -- for even while quickly perceiving the body's own faults, one does not turn away from it in dispassion.

Verse 15 (shiva.uma.23.15)

स्वदेहस्य विगन्धेन न विरज्येत यो नरः । विरागकारणं तस्य किमेतदुपदिश्यते

svadehasya vigandhena na virajyeta yo naraḥ virāgakāraṇaṁ tasya kimetadupadiśyate

What further cause for dispassion can be taught to a man who does not turn away in dispassion even from the foul odor of his own body?

Verse 16 (shiva.uma.23.16)

सर्वस्यैव जगन्मध्ये देह एवाशुचिर्भवेत् । तन्मलावयवस्पर्शाच्छुचिरप्यशुचिर्भवेत्

sarvasyaiva jaganmadhye deha evāśucirbhavet tanmalāvayavasparśācchucirapyaśucirbhavet

In the entire world, the body alone is that which is impure; and by contact with even a part of its impurity, even a pure thing becomes impure.

Verse 17 (shiva.uma.23.17)

गन्धलेपापनोदार्थ शौचं देहस्य कीर्तितम् । द्वयस्यापगमाच्छुद्धिः शुद्धस्पर्शाद्विशुध्यति

gandhalepāpanodārtha śaucaṁ dehasya kīrtitam dvayasyāpagamācchuddhiḥ śuddhasparśādviśudhyati

The cleansing of the body is declared for the purpose of removing odor and filth; purity comes from the removal of both, and one becomes truly pure by contact with what is inwardly pure.

Verse 18 (shiva.uma.23.18)

गङ्गातोयेन सर्वेण मृद्भारैः पर्वतोपमैः । आमृत्योराचरेच्छौचं भावदुष्टो न शुध्यति

gaṅgātoyena sarveṇa mṛdbhāraiḥ parvatopamaiḥ āmṛtyorācarecchaucaṁ bhāvaduṣṭo na śudhyati

Even were one to perform ablution his whole life long with the entire waters of the Ganga and with mountainous loads of clay, one whose inner disposition is corrupt is never purified.

Verse 19 (shiva.uma.23.19)

तीर्थस्नानैस्तपोभिर्वा दुष्टात्मा नैव शुध्यति । श्वदृतिः क्षालिता तीर्थे किं शुद्धिमधिगच्छति

tīrthasnānaistapobhirvā duṣṭātmā naiva śudhyati śvadṛtiḥ kṣālitā tīrthe kiṁ śuddhimadhigacchati

By bathing in sacred fords or by austerities, the corrupt soul is never purified; does a dog-skin bag, though washed in a holy ford, ever attain purity?

Verse 20 (shiva.uma.23.20)

अन्तर्भावप्रदुष्टस्य विशतोऽपि हुताशनम् । न स्वर्गो नापवर्गश्च देहनिर्दहनं परम्

antarbhāvapraduṣṭasya viśato'pi hutāśanam na svargo nāpavargaśca dehanirdahanaṁ param

For one whose inner disposition is corrupt, even entering into fire brings neither heaven nor liberation -- only the mere burning up of the body.

Verse 21 (shiva.uma.23.21)

सर्वेण गाङ्गेन जलेन सम्यङ् मृत्पर्वतेनाप्यथ भावदुष्टः । आजन्मनः स्नानपरो मनुष्यो न शुध्यतीत्येव वयं वदामः

sarveṇa gāṅgena jalena samyaṅ mṛtparvatenāpyatha bhāvaduṣṭaḥ ājanmanaḥ snānaparo manuṣyo na śudhyatītyeva vayaṁ vadāmaḥ

With the entire water of the Ganga, and with mountains of clay besides, a man of corrupt disposition, though devoted to bathing from birth to death, is never purified -- this indeed is what we declare.

Verse 22 (shiva.uma.23.22)

प्रज्वाल्य वह्निं घृततैलसिक्तं प्रदक्षिणावर्तशिखं महान्तम् । प्रविश्य दग्धस्त्वपि भावदुष्टो न धर्ममाप्नोति फलं न चान्यत्

prajvālya vahniṁ ghṛtatailasiktaṁ pradakṣiṇāvartaśikhaṁ mahāntam praviśya dagdhastvapi bhāvaduṣṭo na dharmamāpnoti phalaṁ na cānyat

Having kindled a great fire, drenched with ghee and oil, its flames swirling clockwise, and having entered it and been burned, one of corrupt disposition attains neither dharma nor any other fruit.

Verse 23 (shiva.uma.23.23)

गङ्गादितीर्थेषु वसन्ति मत्स्या देवालये पक्षिगणाश्च नित्यम् । भावोज्झितास्ते न फलं लभन्ते तीर्थावगाहाच्च तथैव दानात्

gaṅgāditīrtheṣu vasanti matsyā devālaye pakṣigaṇāśca nityam bhāvojjhitāste na phalaṁ labhante tīrthāvagāhācca tathaiva dānāt

Fish dwell continually in the Ganga and other sacred fords, and flocks of birds dwell continually in temples; but being devoid of right disposition, they gain no fruit from their immersion in the sacred waters, nor likewise from any giving.

Verse 24 (shiva.uma.23.24)

भावशुद्धिः परं शौचं प्रमाणे सर्वकर्मसु । अन्यथालिङ्ग्यते कान्ता भावेन दुहितान्यथा

bhāvaśuddhiḥ paraṁ śaucaṁ pramāṇe sarvakarmasu anyathāliṅgyate kāntā bhāvena duhitānyathā

Purity of disposition is the highest purification, the true measure in all actions; a wife is embraced with one disposition, and a daughter is embraced with quite another.

Verse 25 (shiva.uma.23.25)

मनसो भिद्यते वृत्तिरभिन्नेष्वपि वस्तुषु । अन्यथैव सुतं नारी चिन्तयत्यन्यथा पतिम्

manaso bhidyate vṛttirabhinneṣvapi vastuṣu anyathaiva sutaṁ nārī cintayatyanyathā patim

The disposition of the mind differs even toward things not physically different; a woman thinks of her son in one way, and of her husband in quite another.

Verse 26 (shiva.uma.23.26)

पश्यध्वमस्य भावस्य महाभाग्यमशेषतः । परिष्वक्तोऽपि यन्नार्या भावहीनं न कामयेत्

paśyadhvamasya bhāvasya mahābhāgyamaśeṣataḥ pariṣvakto'pi yannāryā bhāvahīnaṁ na kāmayet

Behold the full greatness of this power of disposition -- for even when embraced by his wife, a man devoid of that disposition feels no desire at all.

Verse 27 (shiva.uma.23.27)

नाद्याद्विविधमन्नाद्यं भक्ष्याणि सुरभीणि च । यदि चिन्तां समाधत्ते चित्ते कामादिषु त्रिषु

nādyādvividhamannādyaṁ bhakṣyāṇi surabhīṇi ca yadi cintāṁ samādhatte citte kāmādiṣu triṣu

One does not eat even various delicious foods and fragrant delicacies, if his mind is fixed in anxious thought upon the three pursuits beginning with desire.

Verse 28 (shiva.uma.23.28)

गृह्यते तेन भावेन नरो भावाद्विमुच्यते । भावतः शुचि शुद्धात्मा स्वर्गं मोक्षं च विन्दति

gṛhyate tena bhāvena naro bhāvādvimucyate bhāvataḥ śuci śuddhātmā svargaṁ mokṣaṁ ca vindati

By that very disposition a man is bound, and by disposition rightly directed he is freed; through purity of disposition, the pure-souled one attains both heaven and liberation.

Verse 29 (shiva.uma.23.29)

भावेनैकात्मशुद्धात्मा दहन् जुह्वन् स्तुवन् मृतः । ज्ञानावाप्तेरवाप्याशु लोकान् सुबहुयाजिनाम्

bhāvenaikātmaśuddhātmā dahan juhvan stuvan mṛtaḥ jñānāvāpteravāpyāśu lokān subahuyājinām

One whose soul is purified, unified in disposition, dies while offering fire-oblations and hymns of praise; through the attainment of knowledge he swiftly gains the worlds of the greatest performers of sacrifice.

Verse 30 (shiva.uma.23.30)

ज्ञानामलाम्भसा पुंसां सद्वैराग्यमृदा पुनः । अविद्यारागविण्मूत्रलेपगन्धविशोधनम्

jñānāmalāmbhasā puṁsāṁ sadvairāgyamṛdā punaḥ avidyārāgaviṇmūtralepagandhaviśodhanam

With the stainless water of knowledge, and again with the cleansing earth of true dispassion, is accomplished the removal of the filth and stench of ignorance and attachment, as if of feces and urine.

Verse 31 (shiva.uma.23.31)

एवमेतच्छरीरं हि निसर्गादशुचि स्मृतम् । त्वङ्मात्रसारं निःसारं कदलीसारसन्निभम्

evametaccharīraṁ hi nisargādaśuci smṛtam tvaṅmātrasāraṁ niḥsāraṁ kadalīsārasannibham

Thus this body is by its very nature remembered as impure; its only substance is the skin, and it is otherwise without essence, resembling the insubstantial pith of a plantain tree.

Verse 32 (shiva.uma.23.32)

ज्ञात्वैवं दोषवद्देहं यः प्राज्ञः शिथिलो भवेत् । देहभोगोद्भवाद्भावाच्छमचित्तः प्रसन्नधीः

jñātvaivaṁ doṣavaddehaṁ yaḥ prājñaḥ śithilo bhavet dehabhogodbhavādbhāvācchamacittaḥ prasannadhīḥ

The wise man who, knowing the body to be thus full of faults, becomes indifferent to it, free from the disposition arising from bodily enjoyment, his mind at peace, his intellect serene --

Verse 33 (shiva.uma.23.33)

सोऽतिक्रामति संसारं जीवन्मुक्तः प्रजायते । संसारङ्कदलीसारदृढग्राह्यवतिष्ठते

so'tikrāmati saṁsāraṁ jīvanmuktaḥ prajāyate saṁsāraṅkadalīsāradṛḍhagrāhyavatiṣṭhate

-- he transcends the cycle of birth and death and becomes liberated while still living; whereas one who firmly grasps at the illusory pith of samsara, as if it were substantial, remains bound within it.

Verse 34 (shiva.uma.23.34)

एवमेतन्महाकष्टं जन्मदुःखं प्रकीर्तितम् । पुंसामज्ञानदोषेण नानाकर्मवशेन च

evametanmahākaṣṭaṁ janmaduḥkhaṁ prakīrtitam puṁsāmajñānadoṣeṇa nānākarmavaśena ca

Thus has this great suffering of birth been declared, which befalls men through the fault of ignorance and through the sway of their various deeds.

Verse 35 (shiva.uma.23.35)

श्लोकार्धेन तु वक्ष्यामि यदुक्तं ग्रन्थकोटिभिः । ममेति परमं दुःखं न ममेति परं सुखम्

ślokārdhena tu vakṣyāmi yaduktaṁ granthakoṭibhiḥ mameti paramaṁ duḥkhaṁ na mameti paraṁ sukham

But I shall now tell you, in half a verse, what has been said in tens of millions of scriptures: 'This is mine' is the greatest suffering; 'this is not mine' is the greatest happiness.

Verse 36 (shiva.uma.23.36)

बहवोऽपीह राजानः परं लोकमितो गताः । निर्ममत्वसमेतास्तु बद्धाः शतसहस्रशः

bahavo'pīha rājānaḥ paraṁ lokamito gatāḥ nirmamatvasametāstu baddhāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ

Many kings, indeed, have departed from here to the world beyond; those endowed with the sense that nothing is their own attained liberation, while hundreds of thousands, attached, remained bound.

Verse 37 (shiva.uma.23.37)

गर्भस्थस्य स्मृतिर्यासीत्सा च तस्य प्रणश्यति । सम्मूर्छितेन दुःखेन योनियन्त्रनिपीडनात्

garbhasthasya smṛtiryāsītsā ca tasya praṇaśyati sammūrchitena duḥkhena yoniyantranipīḍanāt

That memory which one had while in the womb is destroyed by the overwhelming suffering caused by the crushing pressure of the passage of birth.

Verse 38 (shiva.uma.23.38)

बाह्येन वायुना वास्य मोहसङ्गेन देहिनः । स्पृष्टमात्रेण घोरेण ज्वरः समुपजायते

bāhyena vāyunā vāsya mohasaṅgena dehinaḥ spṛṣṭamātreṇa ghoreṇa jvaraḥ samupajāyate

Or else, the moment the embodied being is touched by the outer air, together with the terrible contact of delusion, a fever arises within him.

Verse 39 (shiva.uma.23.39)

तेन ज्वरेण महता सम्मोहश्च प्रजायते । सम्मूढस्य स्मृतिभ्रंशः शीघ्रं सञ्जायते पुनः

tena jvareṇa mahatā sammohaśca prajāyate sammūḍhasya smṛtibhraṁśaḥ śīghraṁ sañjāyate punaḥ

By that great fever, utter bewilderment arises; and from that bewilderment, the loss of memory quickly comes about again.

Verse 40 (shiva.uma.23.40)

स्मृतिभ्रंशात्ततस्तस्य स्मृतिर्न्नो पूर्वकर्मणः । रतिः सञ्जायते तूर्णं जन्तोस्तत्रैव जन्मनि

smṛtibhraṁśāttatastasya smṛtirnno pūrvakarmaṇaḥ ratiḥ sañjāyate tūrṇaṁ jantostatraiva janmani

From that loss of memory, he no longer remembers his former deeds; and attachment quickly arises in the creature toward that very new birth.

Verse 41 (shiva.uma.23.41)

रक्तो मूढश्च लोकोऽयं न कार्ये सम्प्रवर्तते । न चात्मानं विजानाति न परं न च दैवतम्

rakto mūḍhaśca loko'yaṁ na kārye sampravartate na cātmānaṁ vijānāti na paraṁ na ca daivatam

Thus attached and deluded, this being does not apply himself to what truly should be done; he knows neither his own self, nor the Supreme, nor the divine.

Verse 42 (shiva.uma.23.42)

न शृणोति परं श्रेयः सति कर्णेऽपि सन्मुने । न पश्यति परं श्रेयः सति चक्षुषि तत्क्षमे

na śṛṇoti paraṁ śreyaḥ sati karṇe'pi sanmune na paśyati paraṁ śreyaḥ sati cakṣuṣi tatkṣame

O worthy sage, even though his ears are present, he does not hear of the highest good; even though his eyes are capable, he does not see the highest good.

Verse 43 (shiva.uma.23.43)

समे पथि शनैर्गच्छन् स्खलतीव पदे पदे । सत्यां बुद्धौ न जानाति बोध्यमानो बुधैरपि

same pathi śanairgacchan skhalatīva pade pade satyāṁ buddhau na jānāti bodhyamāno budhairapi

Walking slowly even upon level ground, he stumbles as it were at every step; even though his intellect is present, and even when taught by the wise, he does not understand.

Verse 44 (shiva.uma.23.44)

संसारे क्लिश्यते तेन गर्भलोभवशानुगः । गर्भस्मृतेन पापेन समुज्झितमतिः पुमान्

saṁsāre kliśyate tena garbhalobhavaśānugaḥ garbhasmṛtena pāpena samujjhitamatiḥ pumān

Thus, driven by the craving born in the womb, and his mind having cast off the sinful memory of the womb, that man suffers in the cycle of worldly existence.

Verse 45 (shiva.uma.23.45)

इत्थं महत्परं दिव्यं शास्त्रमुक्तं शिवेन तु । तपसः कथनार्थाय स्वर्गमोक्षप्रसाधनम्

itthaṁ mahatparaṁ divyaṁ śāstramuktaṁ śivena tu tapasaḥ kathanārthāya svargamokṣaprasādhanam

Thus has this great and supremely divine teaching, spoken by Shiva himself, for the purpose of describing austerity, the very means for accomplishing heaven and liberation, been declared.

Verse 46 (shiva.uma.23.46)

ये सत्यस्मिन् शिवे ज्ञाने सर्वकामार्थसाधने । न कुर्वन्त्यात्मनः श्रेयस्तदेव महदद्भुतम्

ye satyasmin śive jñāne sarvakāmārthasādhane na kurvantyātmanaḥ śreyastadeva mahadadbhutam

That those who, even with this true knowledge of Shiva present, the accomplisher of every desire and goal, still fail to pursue their own true good -- this itself is a very great wonder.

Verse 47 (shiva.uma.23.47)

अव्यक्तेन्द्रियवृत्तित्वाद् बाल्ये दुःखं महत्पुनः । इच्छन्नपि न शक्नोति वक्तुं कर्तुं प्रतिक्रियाम्

avyaktendriyavṛttitvād bālye duḥkhaṁ mahatpunaḥ icchannapi na śaknoti vaktuṁ kartuṁ pratikriyām

In childhood too there is great suffering, because the functioning of the senses is not yet manifest; even when he wishes to, the child is unable to speak or to take any remedial action.

Verse 48 (shiva.uma.23.48)

दन्तोत्थाने महद्दुःखमल्पेन व्याधिना तथा । बालरोगैश्च विविधैः पीडा बालग्रहैरपि

dantotthāne mahadduḥkhamalpena vyādhinā tathā bālarogaiśca vividhaiḥ pīḍā bālagrahairapi

There is great suffering at the eruption of the teeth, and likewise from minor ailments; there is affliction from various childhood diseases, and also from the seizing spirits believed to afflict children.

Verse 49 (shiva.uma.23.49)

क्वचित्क्षुत्तृट्परीताङ्गः क्वचित्तिष्ठति संरटन् । विण्मूत्रभक्षणाद्यं च मोहाद् बालः समाचरेत्

kvacitkṣuttṛṭparītāṅgaḥ kvacittiṣṭhati saṁraṭan viṇmūtrabhakṣaṇādyaṁ ca mohād bālaḥ samācaret

Sometimes overcome in body by hunger and thirst, sometimes he simply lies there crying; and out of ignorance the child may even do such things as putting feces or urine in his mouth.

Verse 50 (shiva.uma.23.50)

कौमारे कर्णपीडायां मातापित्रोश्च साधनैः । अक्षराध्ययनाद्यैश्च नानादुःखं प्रवर्तते

kaumāre karṇapīḍāyāṁ mātāpitrośca sādhanaiḥ akṣarādhyayanādyaiśca nānāduḥkhaṁ pravartate

In boyhood, various sufferings arise -- from the piercing of the ears, from the disciplinary measures of his mother and father, and from the study of letters and the like.

Verse 51 (shiva.uma.23.51)

बाल्ये दुःखमतीत्यैव पश्यन्नपि विमूढधीः । न कुर्वीतात्मनः श्रेयस्तदत्र महदद्भुतम्

bālye duḥkhamatītyaiva paśyannapi vimūḍhadhīḥ na kurvītātmanaḥ śreyastadatra mahadadbhutam

That, even after having passed through and directly witnessed the sufferings of childhood, one of deluded intellect still fails to pursue his own true good -- this too is a very great wonder here.

Verse 52 (shiva.uma.23.52)

प्रवृत्तेन्द्रियवृत्तित्वात्कामरोगप्रपीडनात् । तदप्राप्ते तु सततं कुतः सौख्यं तु यौवने

pravṛttendriyavṛttitvātkāmarogaprapīḍanāt tadaprāpte tu satataṁ kutaḥ saukhyaṁ tu yauvane

Since in youth the senses become fully active, and one is constantly afflicted by the disease of desire, and since that which is desired is continually unattained, where indeed is happiness to be found in youth?

Verse 53 (shiva.uma.23.53)

ईर्ष्यया च महद्दुःखं मोहाद्रक्तस्य तस्य च । नेत्रस्य कुपितस्येव त्यागी दुःखाय केवलम्

īrṣyayā ca mahadduḥkhaṁ mohādraktasya tasya ca netrasya kupitasyeva tyāgī duḥkhāya kevalam

Great suffering also comes from jealousy, and for one deluded by passionate attachment; like an inflamed eye, one who must give up an attachment suffers only misery.

Verse 54 (shiva.uma.23.54)

न रात्रौ विन्दते निद्रां कामाग्निपरिवेदितः । दिवापि च कुतः सौख्यमर्थोपार्जनचिन्तया

na rātrau vindate nidrāṁ kāmāgnipariveditaḥ divāpi ca kutaḥ saukhyamarthopārjanacintayā

Tormented by the fire of desire, he finds no sleep at night; and by day too, where can there be happiness, given the constant anxiety of earning wealth?

Verse 55 (shiva.uma.23.55)

स्त्रीष्वध्यासितचित्तस्य ये पुंसः शुक्रबिन्दवः । ते सुखाय न मन्यन्ते स्वेदजा इव ते तथा

strīṣvadhyāsitacittasya ye puṁsaḥ śukrabindavaḥ te sukhāya na manyante svedajā iva te tathā

The drops of semen of a man whose mind is fixed upon women should not be regarded as true pleasure, being just like drops of sweat born of mere physical exertion.

Verse 56 (shiva.uma.23.56)

कृमिभिस्तुद्यमानस्य कुष्ठिनो वानरस्य च । कण्डूयनाभितापेन यद्भवेत् स्त्रीषु तद्विदः

kṛmibhistudyamānasya kuṣṭhino vānarasya ca kaṇḍūyanābhitāpena yadbhavet strīṣu tadvidaḥ

What relief a leper or a monkey, tormented by worms, feels from the heat of scratching -- that alone, the wise know, is what pleasure with women truly resembles.

Verse 57 (shiva.uma.23.57)

यादृशं मन्यते सौख्यं गण्डे पूतिविनिर्गमात् । तादृशं स्त्रीषु मन्तव्यं नाधिकं तासु विद्यते

yādṛśaṁ manyate saukhyaṁ gaṇḍe pūtivinirgamāt tādṛśaṁ strīṣu mantavyaṁ nādhikaṁ tāsu vidyate

Just as one imagines a kind of relief from the discharge of pus from a boil, such should pleasure with women be regarded -- nothing more than that exists in them.

Verse 58 (shiva.uma.23.58)

विण्मूत्रस्य समुत्सर्गात्सुखं भवति यादृशम् । तादृशं स्त्रीषु विज्ञेयं मूढैः कल्पितमन्यथा

viṇmūtrasya samutsargātsukhaṁ bhavati yādṛśam tādṛśaṁ strīṣu vijñeyaṁ mūḍhaiḥ kalpitamanyathā

Whatever relief comes from the passing of feces and urine, that same kind of relief should be understood as the true nature of pleasure with women -- it is only the deluded who imagine it to be otherwise.

Verse 59 (shiva.uma.23.59)

नारीष्ववस्तुभूतासु सर्वदोषाश्रयासु च । नाणुमात्रं सुखं तासु कथितं पञ्चचूडया

nārīṣvavastubhūtāsu sarvadoṣāśrayāsu ca nāṇumātraṁ sukhaṁ tāsu kathitaṁ pañcacūḍayā

In women, who are in truth without real substance, and who are the very abode of every fault, not even an atom's worth of pleasure exists -- so it has been declared by Panchachuda.

Verse 60 (shiva.uma.23.60)

सम्माननावमानाभ्यां वियोगेनेष्टसङ्गमात् । यौवनं जरया ग्रस्तं क्व सौख्यमनुपद्रवम्

sammānanāvamānābhyāṁ viyogeneṣṭasaṅgamāt yauvanaṁ jarayā grastaṁ kva saukhyamanupadravam

Through honor and dishonor, through separation and union with what is desired, and finally seized by old age -- where, in youth, is there happiness free from trouble?

Verse 61 (shiva.uma.23.61)

वलीपलितखालित्यैः शिथिलिकृतविग्रहम् । सर्वक्रियास्वशक्तिं च जरया जर्जरीकृतम्

valīpalitakhālityaiḥ śithilikṛtavigraham sarvakriyāsvaśaktiṁ ca jarayā jarjarīkṛtam

Old age comes, with wrinkles, gray hair, and baldness, the body made feeble, incapable in all activities, utterly worn down by age.

Verse 62 (shiva.uma.23.62)

स्त्रीपुंसयौवनं हृद्यमन्योऽन्यस्य प्रियं पुरा । तदेव जरया ग्रस्तमनयोरपि न प्रियम्

strīpuṁsayauvanaṁ hṛdyamanyo'nyasya priyaṁ purā tadeva jarayā grastamanayorapi na priyam

The youth of a man and woman, once delightful and dear to each other, once seized by old age, is no longer dear even to the two of them.

Verse 63 (shiva.uma.23.63)

अपूर्ववत्स्वमात्मानं जरया परिवर्तितम् । यः पश्यन्नपि रज्येत कोऽन्यस्तस्मादचेतनः

apūrvavatsvamātmānaṁ jarayā parivartitam yaḥ paśyannapi rajyeta ko'nyastasmādacetanaḥ

Who is more senseless than one who, even while seeing his own self transformed by old age as if into someone entirely different, still remains attached to worldly life?

Verse 64 (shiva.uma.23.64)

जराभिभूतः पुरुषः पुत्रीपुत्रादिबान्धवैः । असक्तत्वाद्दुराधर्षैर्भृत्यैश्च परिभूयते

jarābhibhūtaḥ puruṣaḥ putrīputrādibāndhavaiḥ asaktatvāddurādharṣairbhṛtyaiśca paribhūyate

The man overcome by old age is scorned by his own daughters, sons, and other kin, on account of their lack of attachment to him, and even by servants who grow insolent.

Verse 65 (shiva.uma.23.65)

धर्ममर्थं च कामं वा मोक्षं वातिजरातुरः । अशक्तः साधितुं तस्माद्युवा धर्मं समाचरेत्

dharmamarthaṁ ca kāmaṁ vā mokṣaṁ vātijarāturaḥ aśaktaḥ sādhituṁ tasmādyuvā dharmaṁ samācaret

One utterly afflicted by old age becomes incapable of accomplishing dharma, artha, kama, or moksha; therefore, let a man practice dharma while he is still young.