Bibliotheca Polyglotta

atha smṛtikavāṭena pidhāyendriyasaṃvaram |
bhojane bhava mātrājño dhyānāyānāmayāya ca ||

14.1 And so using the floodgate of awareness to close a dam on the power of the senses,
Know the measure, in eating food, that conduces to meditation and to health.

prāṇāpānau nigṛhṇāti glāninidre prayacchati |
kṛto hy atyartham āhāro vihanti ca parākramam ||

14.2 For it depresses in-breath and out-breath, and brings tiredness and sleepiness,
When food is taken in excess; it also destroys enterprise.

yathā cātyartham āhāraḥ kṛto ’narthāya kalpate |
upayuktas tathātyalpo na sāmarthyāya kalpate ||

14.3 And just as eating too much conduces to a dearth of value,
So eating too little makes for a lack of efficacy.

ācayaṃ dyutim utsāhaṃ prayogaṃ balam eva ca |
bhojanaṃ kṛtam atyalpaṃ śarīrasyāpakarṣati ||

14.4 Of its substance, lustre, and stamina; of its usefulness and its very strength,
A meagre diet deprives the body.

yathā bhāreṇa namate laghunonnamate tulā |
samā tiṣṭhati yuktena bhojyeneyaṃ tathā tanuḥ ||

14.5 Just as a weighing scale bends down with a heavy weight, bends upwards with a light one,
And stays in balance with the right one, so does this body according to intake of food.

tasmād abhyavahartavyaṃ svaśaktim anupaśyatā |
nātimātraṃ na cātyalpaṃ meyaṃ mānavaśād api ||

14.6 Therefore food is to be eaten, each reflecting on his own energy,
And none apportioning himself too much or too little under the influence of pride.

atyākrānto hi kāyāgnir guruṇānnena śāmyati |
avacchan na ivālpo ’gniḥ sahasā mahatendhasā ||

14.7 For the fire of the body is damped down when it is burdened by a heavy load of food,
Like a small blaze suddenly covered with a big heap of firewood.

atyantam api saṃhāro nāhārasya praśasyate |
anāhāro hi nirvāti nirindhana ivānalaḥ ||

14.8 Excessive fasting, also, is not recommended;
For one who does not eat is extinguished like a fire without fuel.

yasmān nāsti vināhārāt sarvaprāṇabhṛtāṃ sthitiḥ |
tasmād duṣyati nāhāro vikalpo ’tra tu vāryate ||

14.9 Since without food there is none that survives among those that bear breath,
Therefore eating food is not a sin; but being choosy, in this area, is prohibited.

na hy evakviṣaye ’nyatra sajyante prāṇinas tathā |
avijñāte yathāhāre boddhavyaṃ tatra kāraṇam ||

14.10 For on no other single object are sentient beings so stuck
As on the heedless eating of food. To the reason for this one must be awake.

cikitsārthaṃ yathā dhatte vraṇasyālepanaṃ vraṇī |
kṣudvighātārtham āhāras tadvat sevyo mumukṣunā ||

14.11 Just as one who is wounded, for the purpose of healing, puts ointment on a wound,
So does one who wills freedom, for the purpose of staving off hunger, eat food.

bhārasyodvahanārthaṃ ca rathākṣo ’bhyajyate yathā |
bhojanaṃ prāṇayātrārthaṃ tadvad vidvān niṣevate ||

14.12 Just as, in order to ready it for bearing a burden, one greases a wagon’s axle,
So, in order to journey through life, does the wise man utilize food.

samatikramaṇārthaṃ ca kāntārasya yathādhvagau |
putramāṃsāni khādetāṃ dampatī bhṛṣaduḥkhitau ||

14.13 And just as two travellers in order to cross a wasteland
Might feed upon the flesh of a child, though grievously pained to do so, as its mother and father,

evam abhyavahartavyaṃ bhojanaṃ pratisaṃkhyayā |
na bhūṣārthaṃ na vapuṣe na madāya na dṛptaye ||

14.14 So food should be eaten, consciously,
Neither for display, nor for appearance; neither to excite hilarity, nor to feed extravagance.

dhāraṇārthaṃ śarīrasya bhojanaṃ hi vidhiyate |
upastambhaḥ pipatiṣor durbalasyeva veśmanaḥ ||

14.15 Food is provided for the upkeep of the body
As if to prop, before it falls, a dilapidated house.

plavaṃ yatnād yathā kaś cid badhnīyād dhārayed api |
na tatsnehena yāvat tu mahaughasyottīrṣayā ||

14.16 Just as somebody might take pains to build and then carry a raft,
Not because he is so fond of it but because he means to cross a great flood,

tathopakaraṇaiḥ kāyaṃ dhārayanti parikṣakāḥ |
na tatsnehena yāvat tu duḥkhaughasya titīrṣayā ||

14.17 So too, by various means, do men of insight sustain the body,
Not because they are so fond of it but because they mean to cross a flood of suffering.

śocatā pīḍyamānena dīyate śatrave yathā |
na bhaktyā nāpi tarṣena kevalaṃ prāṇaguptaye ||

14.18 Just as [a king] under siege yields, in sorrow, to a rival king,
Not out of devotion, nor through thirsting, but solely to safeguard life,

yogācāras tathāhāraṃ śarirāya payacchati |
kevalaṃ kṣudvighātārthaṃ na rāgeṇa na bhaktaye ||

14.19 So the devotee of practice tenders food to his body
Solely to stave off hunger, neither with passion nor as devotion.

manodhāraṇayā caiva pariṇāmyātmavān ahaḥ |
vidhūya nidrāṃ yogena niśām apy atināmayeḥ ||

14.20 Having passed the day self-possessed, through maintenance of the mind,
You may be able, shaking off sleep, to spend the night-time too in a state of practice.

hṛrdi yatsaṃjñinaś caiva nidrā prādurbhavet tava |
guṇavatsaṃjñitāṃ saṃjñāṃ tadā manasi mā kṛthāḥ ||

14.21 Since even when you are conscious sleep might be holding out in your heart,
Consciousness properly revealing itself is nothing to be sure about.

dhātur ārambhadhṛtyoś ca sthāmavikramayor api |
nityaṃ manasi kāryas te bādhyamānena nidrayā ||

14.22 Initiative, constancy, inner strength and courage are the elements
Always to bear in mind while you are being oppressed by sleep.

āmnātavyāś ca viśadaṃ te dharmā ye pariśrutāḥ |
parebhyaś copadeṣṭavyāḥ saṃcintyāḥ svayam eva ca ||

14.23 Recite clearly those dharma-teachings that you have learnt;
Point others in their direction, and think them out for yourself.

prakledyamadbhir vadanṃ vilokyāḥ sarvato diśaḥ |
cāryā dṛṣṭiś ca tārāsu jijāgariṣuṇā sadā ||

14.24 Wet the face with water, look around in all directions,
And glance at the stars, wanting always to be awake.

antargatair acapalair vaśasthāyibhir indriyaiḥ |
avikṣiptena manasā caṅkramyavāsva vā niśi ||

14.25 By the means of inner senses that are not impetuous but in a state of subjection,
By the means of a mind that is not scattered, walk up and down at night or else sit.

bhaye prītau ca śoke ca nidrayā nābhibhūyate |
tasmān nidrābhiyogeṣu sevitavyam idaṃ trayam ||

14.26 In fear, in joy and in grief, one does not succumb to sleep;
Therefore against the onslaughts of sleep resort to these three:

bhayam āgamanān mṛtyoḥ prītiṃ dharmaparigrahāt |
janmaduḥkhād aparyantāc chokam āgantum arhasi ||

14.27 Feel fear from death’s approach, joy from grasping a teaching of dharma,
And from the boundless suffering inherent in a birth, feel the grief.

evamādi kramaḥ saumya kāryo jāgaraṇaṃ prati |
vandhyaṃ hi śayanād āyuḥ kaḥ prājñaḥ kartum arhati ||

14.28 Such a step may need to be taken, my friend, in the direction of being awake;
For what wise man, out of sleep, makes a wasted life?

doṣavyālān atikramya vyālān gṛhagatān iva |
kṣamaṃ prājñasya na svaptuṃ nistīrṣor mahadbhayam ||

14.29 To neglect the reptilian faults, as if ignoring snakes in the house,
And thus to slumber on, does not befit a man of wisdom who wishes to overcome the great terror.

pradīpte jīvaloke hi mṛtyuvyādhijarāgnibhiḥ |
kaḥ śayīta nirudvegaḥ pradīpta iva veśmani ||

14.30 For while the world of the living burns with the fires of death, disease and aging,
Who could lie down insensibly, any more than in a burning house?

tasmāt tama iti jñātvā nidrāṃ nāveṣṭum arhasi |
apraśānteṣu doṣeṣu saśastreṣv iva śatgruṣu ||

14.31 Therefore, knowing it to be darkness, you should not let sleep enshroud you
While the faults remain unquieted, like sword-wielding enemies.

pūrvaṃ yāmaṃ triyāmāyāḥ prayogeṇātināmya tu |
sevyā śayyā śarīrasya viśrāmārthaṃ svatantriṇā ||

14.32 But having spent the first of the three night-watches actively engaged in practice,
You should, as one who is pulling his own strings, go to bed to rest the body.

dakṣiṇena tu pārśvena sthitayālokasaṃjñayā |
prabodhaṃ hṛdaye kṛtvā śayīthāḥ śāntamānasaḥ ||

14.33 On your right side, then, remaining conscious of light,
Thinking in your heart of wakefulness, you might with peace of mind fall asleep

yāme tṛtīye cotthāya carann āsīna eva vā |
bhūyo yogaṃ mahaḥśuddhau kurvīthā niyatendriyaḥ ||

14.34 Again, by getting up in the third watch and going into movement, or indeed just sitting,
You might renew your practice, with mind refreshed, and power of the senses curbed.

athāsanagatasthānaprekṣitavyāhṛtādiṣu |
saṃprajānan kriyāḥ sarvāḥ smṛtim ādhātum arhasi ||

14.35 And so, upon acts like sitting, moving, standing, looking, and speaking –
Being fully aware of every action – you should bring mindfulness to bear.

dvārādhyakṣa iva dvāri yasya praṇihitā smṛtiḥ |
dharṣayanti na taṃ doṣāḥ puraṃ guptam ivārayaḥ ||

14.36 When [a man], like a gatekeeper at his gate, is cocooned in vigilance,
The faults do not venture to attack him, any more than enemies would attack a guarded city.

na tasyotpadyate kleśo yasya kāyagatā smṛtiḥ |
cittaṃ sarvāsv avasthāsu bālaṃ dhātrīva rakṣati ||

14.37 No affliction arises in him for whom awareness pervades the body –
Guarding the mind in all situations, as a nurse protects a child.

śaravyaḥ sa tu doṣāṇāṃ yo hīnaḥ smṛtivarmaṇā |
raṇasthaḥ pratiśatrūṇāṃ vihīna iva varmaṇā ||

14.38 But he is a target for the faults who lacks the armour of mindfulness:
As for enemies is he who stands in battle with no suit of armour.

anāthaṃ tan mano jñeyaṃ yat smṛtir nābhirakṣati |
nirṇetā dṛṣṭirahito viṣameṣu carann iva ||

14.39 Know to be vulnerable that mind which vigilance does not guard –
Like a blind man without a guide groping after objects.

anartheṣu prasaktāś ca svārthebhyaś ca parāṅmukhāḥ |
yad bhaye sati nodvignāḥ smṛtināśo ’tra kāraṇam ||

14.40 When [men] attach to meaningless aims and turn away from their proper aims,
Failing to shudder at the danger, loss of mindfulness is the cause.

svabhūmiṣu guṇāḥ sarve ye ca śīlādayaḥ sthitāḥ |
vikīrṇā iva gā gopaḥ smṛtis tān anugacchati ||

14.41 Again, when each virtue, beginning with integrity, is standing on its own patch,
Mindfulness goes after those virtues like a herdsman rounding up his scattered cows.

pranaṣṭam amṛtaṃ tasya yasya kviprasṛtā smṛtiḥ |
hastastham amṛtaṃ tasya yasya kāyagatā smṛtiḥ ||

14.42 The deathless nectar is lost to him whose awareness dissipates;
The nectar exists in the hands of him for whom awareness pervades the body.

āryo nyāyaḥ kutas tasya smṛtir yasya na vidyate |
yasyāryo nāsti ca nyāyaḥ pranaṣṭas tasya satpathaḥ ||

14.43 Where is the noble principle of a man who lacks awareness?
And for whom no noble principle exists, to him a true path has been lost.

pranaṣṭo yasya sanmārgo naṣṭaṃ tasyāmṛtaṃ padam |
pranaṣṭam amṛtaṅ yasya sa duḥkhān na vimucyate ||

14.44 He who has lost the right track has lost the deathless step.
Having lost that nectar of deathlessness, he is not exempt from suffering.

tasmāc caran caro ’smīti sthito ’smiti ca dhiṣṭhitaḥ |
evamādiṣu kāleṣu smṛtim ādhātum arhasi ||

14.45 Therefore walking with the awareness that “I am walking” and standing with the awareness that “I am standing” –
Upon such moments as these, you should bring mindfulness to bear.

yagānulomaṃ vijanaṃ viśabdaṃ śayyāsanaṃ saumya tathā bhajasva |
kāyasya kṛtvā hi vivekam ādau sukho ’dhigantuṃ manaso vivekaḥ ||

14.46 In this manner, my friend, repair to a place suited for practice, free of people and free of noise, a place for lying down and sitting;
For by first achieving solitude of the body it is easy to obtain solitude of the mind.

alabdhacetaḥpraśamaḥ sarāgo yo na pracāraṃ bhajate viviktam |
sa kṣaṇyate hy apartilabdhamārgaś carann ivoryāṃ bahukaṇṭakāyām ||

14.47 The man of redness, the tranquillity of his mind unrealized, who does not take to a playground of solitude,
Is injured as though, unable to regain a track, he is walking on very thorny ground.

adṛṣṭatattvena parīkṣakeṇa sthitena citre viṣayapracāre |
cittaṃ niṣeddhuṃ na sukhena śkyaṃ kṛśṭādako gaur iva sasyamadhyāt ||

14.48 For a seeker who fails to see reality but stands in the tawdry playground of objects,
It is no easier to rein in the mind than to drive a foraging bull away from corn.

anīryamāṇas tu yathānilena praśāntim āgacchati citrabhānuḥ |
alpena yatnena tathā vivikteṣv aghaṭṭitaṃ śāntim upaiti cetaḥ ||

14.49 But just as a bright fire dies down when not fanned by the wind,
So too, in solitary places, does an unstirred mind easily come to quiet.

kva cid bhuktvā yat tad vasanam api yat tat parihito vasann ātmārāmaḥ kva cana vijane yo ’bhiramate |
kṛtārthaḥ saj ñeyaḥ śamasukharasajñaḥ kṛtamatiḥ
pareṣāṃ saṃsargaṃ pariharati yaḥ kaṇṭakam iva ||

14.50 One who eats anything at any place, and wears any clothes,
Who dwells in enjoyment of his own being and loves to be anywhere without people:
He is to be known as a success, a knower of the taste of peace and ease, whose mind is made up –
He avoids involvement with others like a thorn.

yadi dvandvārāme jagati viṣayavyagrahṛdaye vivikte nirdvando viharati kṛtī śāntahṛdayaḥ |
tataḥ pītvā prajñārasam amṛtavat tṛptahṛdayo viviktaḥ saṃsaktaṃ viṣayakṛpaṇaṃ śocati jagat ||

14.51 If, in a world that delights in duality and is at heart distracted by objects,
He roves in solitude, free of duality, a man of action, his heart at peace,
Then he drinks the essence of wisdom as if it were the deathless nectar and his heart is filled.
Separately he sorrows for the clinging, object-needy world.

vasañ śuṇyāgāre yadi satatam eko ’bhiramate yadi kleśotpādaiḥ saha na ramate śatrubhir iva |
carann ātmārāmo yadi ca pibati prītisalilaṃ tato bhuṅkte śreṣṭhaṃ tridaśapatirājyād api sukham ||

14.52 If he constantly abides as a unity, in an empty abode,
If he is no fonder of arisings of affliction than he is of enemies,
And if, going rejoicing in the self, he drinks the water of joy,
Then greater than dominion over thirty gods is the happiness he enjoys.

saundaranande mahākāvya ādiprasthāno nāma caturdaśaḥ sargaḥ ||

The 14th canto of the epic poem Handsome Nanda, titled “Stepping Into Action.”

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