(Rāma's) Contempt for youth

Sri Rāma

1. Moving out of calamitous childhood and boyhood, one enters youth, smitten by desires and expectations. One fails even here, due to confusions and convulsions.

2. He goes through innumerable experiences caused by fickle and wandering mind. The fool transits from one misfortune to another.

3. -5. Due to the many agitations in his mind, he will be disgraced by the demon of lust in terms of thoughts and worries and fickle nature, his mind is more overpowered than that of women.Just like the way children are taken up by the power of illusions, the mind of a youth is always taken up (by such fickle thoughts).O muni, such bad ideas set a young person on immoral paths and lead to his downfall.

6. -10. Because of its hellish foundations, youth is constantly bewildering.One who is not spoilt by it will never be spoilt by any other thing. Youth is full of many passions, emotions, strange situations and events. It is fearful. One who crosses this can be called a wise and courageous man.Youth is momentarily flashy. It is like a loud lightning (with a momentary light and effulgence).It is not auspicious. I do not like it. Youth is like the intoxicationg sweet-bitter wine which is reprehensible. I do not relish it.It is unreal, but looks dear. Soon one can realise its treacherous charecter. It is like copulating with a woman-in-dream. I do not relish youth.

11. -13. Of all the fascinating and charming things in a person, youth is the most transient. It is like the city of "Gandharvas" - a city in the sky. I do not relish youth. It gives pleasure only for the instant, equal to the time of travel of an arrow released from the bow to the target. Youth is full of unhappiness. It is full of burning desires and defects (of charecter).It is not to my liking. It is transiently enchanting. It is devoid of any good intentions or ideas. It is as good as copulating with a prostitute. It is not to my liking.

14. -17. All grief-giving actions and initiatives, without exeption , arise at the time of youth, like great catastophies that arise at the time of dissolution. Youth makes the heart blind. Even god, in the shape of "Bhairava" is afraid in the night of youth. All good traditions are conveniently forgotten during youth. Youth blunts intellect and discrimination. The confusions and perplexities of youth cause intense attraction to flesh (of body). An young is burnt by the fire of separation from his woman, like a tree by forest fire.

18. -20. Mind gets polluted in youth, though normally broad and pure like a river during rainy season. It is possible to cross a river in spate but it is not possible to live through youth made turbulent with desires. People become old even in their youth with thoughts like "Oh, that lady - her round, fleshy breasts - that coquetry, that elegance, oh! "

21. -23. Saints and virtuous people do not care for desire-bent fickle minded youth.They treat them as a peice of straw. Youth afflicted by passion is the destroyer (of people). Youth is like a wild elephant wearing pearls of blemishes and weaknesses. It is the anchor that ties a person down. Oh! Youth is like a forest with withering trees, called sorrows. Mind is the vast source of these sorrows. This forest holds many serpents called weaknesses and defects.

24. -26. Know that youth is a blue lotus with bees called bad thoughts. Its petals are improper fancies. Attachments and affections are its filaments. Youth is the nest of crooked-winged birds called mental and physical diseases, flying on the shores of the heart-lake. This teenage is an ocean of improprieties and undersirable waves of charms, enticements and stupidities.

27. This whiff of youthful air, with its established qualities of "Rajas" and "Tamas", is capable of sweeping away all good qualities.

28. Rising high in millions, the particles of youthful dust smear the face whitish pale, with sweepings of convulsions and agitations.

29. The charms and ecstasies of youth increase the blemishes in people and cut away the good qualities.

30. The moon of teenage ensnares the wandering bee of mind into the pollen of the lotus of body and binds it.

31. -33. The creeper of youth as it sprouts of the bower of body entices the bee of mind. Running after the mirage of youth, rising out of the heat of the desert of the body, the deer of the mind slips into the chasm of sensuous things.Youth is the moonlight of night of body.It is the main of the lion of the mind. It is a wave of the ocean of life. It does not make me comortable.

34. In this jungle of body, the spring of youth is fruitful for a short while. It is not trustworthy.

35. This eagle of youth flies away in a trice from the body like "Chintamani" which slips out of the hands of an unfortunate person.

36. As youth ascends to its highest peaks, passions leap and gallop and that is only for destruction of a person.

37. The night of youth does not end as long as attachments, attractions, jealousies, and hatreds do not die.

38. The way one commisserates with a dying son, one should take pity on youth which is beset with all passions and disorders . It is transient and lost in itself.

39. -40. Infatuation brings elation. However, one who is ecstatically elated by youth reminds one of a human beast. Youth is intoxicating with frenzy of passion. One who is drawn to it will repent soon.

41. O virtuous one, those who happily overcome the afflictions of youth, they are worship-worthy. They are real great people. They are great souls.

42. -43. One can cross a great ocean infested with fierce crocodiles. However, one cannot easily cross this turbulent youth afflicted by weaknesses and vices. In this world, it is difficult to find the kind of youth which is humble, compassionate and peaceful.It is as imaginary as a flower in the sky.