On the Transience of Hostility Towards Beatitude and Salvation

Sri Rāma

1. This world appears extremely interesting and charming. But what comes of it does not lead to tranquility of mind.

2. With childhood passing off, the deer of mind reaches the declining stream of old age, indulging in its mental fancies and imaginations.

3. The bee of life strays away from the lotus of the body. The moment it starts shriveling due to the dew of old age, then the lake of samsara becomes empty of people.

4. An aged human body is like a withering creeper with fading flowers. As it becomes riper and riper, passions decrease and the flowers fall off.

5. The river of “trisna” rushes along in this world, swallowing all the things and rooting out and grinding away all the pleasant and good trees on the shores.

6. Contained within skin, this boat of body is tossed about on the sea of samsara. The crocodiles called five senses shake and swing the boat.

7. -8. The wild beast of mind moves among the myriad branches of the tree of desires in the forest of desires, and wastes away its time without any result or fruit. Great people with strong mind and heat remain distant from attachment and sorrow. They are not enthused or delighted by easy life(of riches). They are not easily moved by women.

9. Those who cross the sea of war fields made turbulent by the elephants, are not real warriors. Only those are real heroes who cross the ocean of body and sense, agitated by the waves of mind.

10. There is no non-afflicting action which gives peace to a person gripped by unrestrained ambition and desire.

11. Very rare are the great souls who remain calm and unbound after filling the world with their fame, conquering the quarters and filling by their might and courage, their homes with riches.

12. Whether one hides in a cave of mountain or deposits himself in an invincible palace built of hard diamonds, calamities and good things visit him as destined.

13. -16. O muni, people imagine and expect that sons, wife, wealth are all sweet and pleasant things. They realize soon that these are only transient and temporary in the end. Even the most enchanting one is only a stupefying epileptic experience. At the end, when the body reaches its final moments, the old person burns inside, saying, that all his life was full of sorrow and cruel phases and he is reminded of the unethical and unrighteous ways of his behaviour. How can people attain peace of mind, which flutters like a peacock feather, when all their life was led in desires and acquisition of wealth? Even the good fruits of good actions and providential like the tides in a river. People are deceived by these fruits. Different people like different things!

17. -20. To please one’s wife, near and dear, people spend their entire time from youth to old age in pursuing riches and pleasing things. This way, they wear away their mind till the end of their lives. The way ripe leaves fall off a tree, fools are born to die very soon. When a person wanders around during the day without performing intelligent and proper actions and enters the house as night approaches, how can he get good sleep? A person has conquered all his enemies. Whatever riches he desired have come. He has served joys all the while. From somewhere soon, arrives death.

21. -23. Undesirable passions and feeling arise from somewhere and disappear in a trice. Churning in these thoughts and mental states and dispositions, people do not notice the onrushing calamity of death. The workings of Time makes even delightful people, who are struck and bound by past actions, like rams in the sacrifice. They become joyful again only by effort, and not by afflictions of the body. Who knows from where the people of this world are coming and to where they are going in haste. All this is transient like waves in the sea.

24. Women are like creepers hanging from a poisonous tree. They attract people with their quivering eyes, like bees with blood-red wings. They take the lives of men who are attracted to them with their beauty.

25. The relations and mutualities between relatives, friends and wife are like meeting people on tour. They are all in vain.

26. -27. The great experience of peace is like a golden ornament. I do not understand the logic or philosophy of those ignorant people who are bound by these affections and loves and the fickle and unsteady world. Even though this conglomeration of agitations of the world are transient like water bubbles (in the rainy season) the wandering, distracted intelligence of the people believes it to be eternal and stable.

28. The radiant beauty of a lotus is destroyed in a natural way by autumn. Similarly, the qualities and stations (in life) are taken away by old age, but the comfort of consolation has gone far away. It is difficult to feel happy and consoled.

29. Even a tree which helps people with fruits, shade and flowers again and again by god’s grace, falls a prey to the axe. Where then is the question of any consolation for anyone?

30. Mixing with people may be delightful. Yet, it is inherently faulty and detrimental like a poisonous tree. People are only asking for stupefying trouble.

31. Even Brahma and such gods also are of transient life of “kalpa”-instants through the dexterous art of the matrix of time, the sense of short and long (times) is created. These in fact, are unreal.

32. Where are the people who are without blemishless sight? Where are quarters not burnt by sorrows? Where are people who are not transient? Where are actions which are not deceitful?

33. The mountains are full of stones. The earth is full of soil. All trees are full of wood. Humans are full of flesh. Egoistic and distorted actions are not at all unusual.

34. When looked at from the point of view of physical and seperative consciousness, the world appears to be existent; otherwise not.

35. Even in dreams, mind artfully beguiles the intelligent people of this world. Then o muni, what is surprising if they consider this world beautiful.

36. -38. Neither at the beginning nor at any time of journey (through life), noble and generous behaviour does arise in people who are beaten by avarice and greed. Such behaviour seems to be like a fruit of a creeper in the sky. Men are drifting down into the dumps of their deep desire to ascend to high status and riches due to their own faults and mental degradations. It is like an animal falling off a cliff in attempting to eat the fruits of a tree on the edge. The shade, fruits, and leaves of a tree located in an inaccessible location like a chasm, are useless. Similar are the riches of modern (non-believing) people.

39. Some people move about and behave in a soft, beautiful and pleasing manner. Some behave in a harsh manner. It is like the animal “krishnasara” wandering sometimes in a harsh environment and sometimes in a beautiful garden.

40. Every new day, the creator is fierce. It looks charming, but soon slips into darkness. As the actions reach fruition, they are struck by some unknown hand. Who will not be surprised at such a deadly mind?

41. People driven by desire are indulging in all kinds of distasteful and undesirable actions. It is not easy to find, even in dreams, good people in this world. All actions are full of sorrow and are distressful. I do not know how one can live through this life.