On the inpermanence (of the world)

Sri Vasista

1. -4 O Rama, thus the two great 'tapaswis' were like two dried trees in a forest. They developed intense hatred for all worldly things and departed in their separate ways. After a long time, in their old age, they met. They did not attain knowledge even after several years of penance. They conversed thus.

Vilasa

5. -7 O my friend, you are the fruit of a great tree called excellent life. You are my best friend in this world. Welcome to you. O gentle friend, where did you live all these days? Did your penance bear fruit? Is your intelligence free of grief? Have you realised the Self? Are you happy?

Sri Vasista

8. Bhasa then spoke to Vilasa, who was troubled by the world and who was yet unrealized.

Bhasa

9. -12 My venerable friend, greetings and welcome to you. It is my good fortune that I could meet you. Where is happiness for us who are entangled in this 'samsara'? Where is happiness till one gets to realize the truth, till the mind is destroyed and till one crosses the ocean of samsara? Where is happiness till one axes out all the desires that arise out of mind? Where is happiness till one develops equality and attains enlightenment?

13. -16 . O gentle one, this fatal disease of 'samsara' will attack again and again till one gets the medicine of knowledge and attains the Self. This tree of 'samsara' grows from the sprout called childhood, develops leaves called youth, and blossoms into flowers called old age. It comes out again and again. The grief of relatives is like the buzzing of bees. From this tree arises the bouquet of flowers called death. After living elsewhere in other worlds for a while till the acquired fate is dissolved, one is born again. The result of good 'Karma' will pass away soon. Many years thus are spent in vain.

17. This mountain called body, is full of thorns called desires. Even so one repeatedly slips into the serpents called fruits of activities of the world.

18. Sorrows are in the shape of (some) little joy. They are (sometimes) short- lived and (sometimes) long standing. Some are good and some are bad. These are bound by begining and end. They come and go like nights.

19. Lowly beings reduce the span of their lives with insincere initiatives, extensive evil desires and ugly actions.

20. The arrogant elephant, called mind, pulls away from its anchor and suffers from loss of sleep due to the fear of female elephant called desire.

21. The eagle, called desire, dwells in the big hollow of tree called body. With its inconsiderate yielding to the palate, it drops even a diamond (from its beak).

22. Days go by without any interesting feeling, without any joy. These are of light and fragile content. They are like dried leaves (without any life).

23. Our faces are like shrunken lotus hit by dew. It has lost its lustre due to the hits by the 'rajoguna' called humiliation by children.

24. The body is like a dried tank with the waters of youth having evaporated. And so the king swan, called life span, flies away to some unknown destination without returning back.

25. This tree of life is shaken by wind of time, then flowers, called pleasures, and leaves, called days, fall off the tree.

26. Mind is drowned in the wells of delusion and attachment. These wells are full of serpents, called pleasures, and frogs called sorrows.

27. Desire is vily. It drags one into attachments. It is fickle. It is like the flag fluttering atop a pillar in a temple.

28. Desire to live long is like a thread which is bitten by a rat called death living in a hole called 'mahakaal'.

29. Life is like a wild river which is full of waves called youth, foam called desire, anger etc, and vortices called desires.

30. The impetus for action is like a river without limits. It is full of waves called worldly activities.

31. Numerous are relatives and friends. They are like big rivers flowing towards the ocean of time.

32. One does not know why this diamond dart, called body dives into the deeps of ocean of destruction birth after birth.

33. Mind is encircled in grief for long. It is famous for evil activities. It is whirling like a tender leaf in the vortex in a deep abyss.

34. Mind is not at rest even for a moment with its engagement with dance called grievous thinking. It is floating and swinging infinitely on the waves, called activities.

35. 'I have done this, I will do that' - bound by the net of such thoughts, the bird called discrimination is sinking in a swoon.

36. 'This one is my friend, that one is my enemy' - with these thoughts, the elephant of mind is hitting my vitals.

37. Mind is fickle like a fish. It grows in the vortex of thoughts.

38. People sink into such misery, the identifying themselves with body, ignoring Self, and suffer from (non-self) sorrows.

39. These people are hit by the winds of aging and death and are struck with many kinds of joys and sorrows. They are rolling on the slopes of the hill of this world and are decaying like dry leaves.