Bhartruhari Sataka Trisati - Vairaagya Satakam - Sinhala

භර්තෘහරි's වෛරාග්ය ශතකම් is the third part of the ශතක-ත්රිශති - verses that turn the mind from restless craving toward clarity and freedom. Here වෛරාග්ය is not bitterness; it is the sober strength to enjoy what is appropriate without being owned by it.

Many verses are intentionally sharp, even unsettling, because they are meant to break complacency. The poet repeatedly exposes how තෘෂ්ණා (craving) disguises itself as "just one more" and keeps the mind running, and how විවේක (discernment) begins when we see the cost of that running.

A helpful way to read these verses is to treat them as mirrors: when a line feels exaggerated, ask what habit it is trying to correct. When a line feels difficult, pause and examine what it is touching - fear, pride, status, pleasure, or the need for control. The commentary connects the verse to daily life and, when it naturally fits, to අද්වෛත and to parallel insights found in thinkers like Schopenhauer and Jiddu Krishnamurthy.

චූඩෝත්තංසිතචංද්රචාරුකලිකාචංචච්ඡිඛාභාස්වරෝ
ලීලාදග්ධවිලෝලකාමශලභඃ ශ්රේයෝදශාග්රේ ස්ඵුරන් ।
අංතඃස්ඵූර්ජද්අපාරමෝහතිමිරප්රාග්භාරං උච්චාටයන්
ශ්වේතඃසද්මනි යෝගිනාං විජයතේ ජ්ඤානප්රදීපෝ හරඃ ॥ 3.1 ॥

ඡංදඃ (ශාර්දූලවික්රීඩිතම්): This is in ශාර්දූලවික්රීඩිතම් (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 19 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `GGGLLGL GLLLG GGLGGLG`; යති (pause) is after the 7th and 12th syllables in each පාද.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
චූඩා - crest; topknot
උත්තංසිත - adorned with; worn as an ornament
චංද්ර - moon
චාරු - beautiful; charming
කලිකා - digit; crescent
චංචත් - trembling; flickering; moving
ශිඛා - crest/flame-like tuft
භාස්වරඃ - shining; radiant
චූඩෝත්තංසිතචංද්රචාරුකලිකාචංචච්ඡිඛාභාස්වරඃ - shining with the flickering crescent moon adorning his crest (compound)
ලීලා - playfully; as a sportive act
දග්ධ - burned
විලෝල - fluttering; restless
කාම - desire (here: Cupid)
ශලභඃ - moth
ලීලාදග්ධවිලෝලකාමශලභඃ - he who playfully burned the fluttering moth of Desire (compound)
ශ්රේයඃ - highest good; auspiciousness
දශා - state; stage
අග්රේ - at the summit/forefront
ස්ඵුරන් - shining; flashing forth
අංතඃ - within
ස්ඵුරත් - flashing; springing up (in verse: ස්ඵූර්ජද්)
අපාර - boundless
මෝහ - delusion
තිමිර - darkness
ප්රාග්භාරඃ - dense mass; heavy load
උච්චාටයන් - uprooting; driving away
ශ්වේතඃ - white; pure
සද්මන් - abode; dwelling
යෝගිනාං - of yogins
විජයතේ - triumphs
ජ්ඤාන - knowledge
ප්රදීපඃ - lamp
හරඃ - Shiva

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Shiva, the lamp of knowledge, triumphs in the pure abode of yogins: his crest shines with the flickering crescent moon; he playfully burned the fluttering moth of desire; and he uproots the dense darkness of boundless delusion that flares up within.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse presents හරඃ not merely as a deity "out there", but as the inner light of ජ්ඤාන (clear knowing). The crescent on the head suggests cool lucidity, the "moth of කාම" suggests the restless mind that keeps flying toward glittering pleasures, and the "darkness of මෝහ" points to confusion that rises from within. The central claim is simple: when awareness is steady, craving loses its glamour and delusion loses its grip.

In lived experience, the same pattern appears when we chase "just one more" - one more achievement, one more purchase, one more approval - and still feel unfinished. Schopenhauer observed that desire keeps the will in perpetual dissatisfaction; Jiddu Krishnamurti likewise emphasizes that when desire is watched without indulgence or suppression, its compulsive momentum weakens. This verse invites that kind of seeing: not fighting desire, but illuminating it. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: when a craving rises today, pause for one minute and feel the wanting directly in the body. Ask, "What do I think this will fix in me?" and let the answer be seen quietly. You can pair the pause with the Upanishadic prayer තමසෝ මා ජ්යෝතිර්ගමය (lead me from darkness to light): let the moment of craving become a cue to return to clarity, then choose the next action deliberately.

භ්රාංතං දේශං අනේකදුර්ගවිෂමං ප්රාප්තං න කිංචිත්ඵලං
ත්යක්ත්වා ජාතිකුලාභිමානං උචිතං සේවා කෘතා නිෂ්ඵලා ।
භුක්තං මානවිවර්ජිතං පරගෘහේෂ්වාශංකයා කාකවත්
තෘෂ්ණේ ජෘංභසි පාපකර්මපිශුනේ නාද්යාපි සංතුෂ්යසි ॥ 3.2 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භ්රාංතං - wandered; roamed
දේශං - land; region
අනේක - many
දුර්ග - difficult; hard to traverse
විෂමං - uneven; harsh
අනේකදුර්ගවිෂමං - many difficult and harsh (places)
ප්රාප්තං - obtained; reached
න කිංචිත්ඵලං - no fruit/result at all
ත්යක්ත්වා - having abandoned
ජාති - birth/caste
කුල - lineage
අභිමානඃ - pride
ජාතිකුලාභිමානං - pride of birth and lineage
උචිතං - proper; fitting
සේවා - service
කෘතා - done
නිෂ්ඵලා - fruitless
භුක්තං - eaten
මාන - honor; respect
විවර්ජිතං - devoid of; lacking
මානවිවර්ජිතං - without respect; without honor
පර - others'
ගෘහ - house
පරගෘහේෂු - in others' houses
ආශංකයා - with suspicion/fear
කාකවත් - like a crow
තෘෂ්ණේ - O thirst/craving
ජෘංභසි - you yawn; you keep opening wider
පාප - sinful; harmful
කර්ම - action
පිශුනා - informer; betrayer; one that "tells" (drives one into wrong acts)
පාපකර්මපිශුනේ - O betrayer that leads to sinful deeds (vocative)
නාද්යාපි - not even now
සංතුෂ්යසි - are you satisfied?

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
I have wandered many harsh lands and gained no result; abandoned pride of birth and served appropriately yet fruitlessly; eaten in others' houses like a suspicious crow without honor - O craving, you keep yawning, betrayer that drives harmful deeds, and even now you are not satisfied.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
භර්තෘහරි speaks to craving as if it were a living tyrant. Even after exhausting travel, social humiliation, and "doing the right things" outwardly, the inner demand remains unchanged. Calling it a betrayer of sinful actions is a precise psychological claim: when craving is intense, it quietly pushes people into compromises they later regret - dishonesty, flattery, boundary-violations, and self-abandonment. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is the hedonic treadmill: the target keeps moving. In contemporary life it shows up as overworking for status, constant comparison through feeds, or treating relationships as ladders. Schopenhauer's critique of desire fits closely here: if the inner hunger is unexamined, external wins cannot fill it; they only refresh the appetite. The verse invites විවේක (discernment) - seeing the pattern clearly, without self-justification.

Practice: define "enough" in one domain this week (money, consumption, attention, achievement) and set a concrete boundary. Replace one habit of reaching with one act of contentment: finish work at a set time, spend an evening without scrolling, or eat simply. Keep watching the mind: satisfaction grows not by getting more, but by reducing the inner demand.

උත්ඛාතං නිධිශංකයා ක්ෂිතිතලං ධ්මාතා ගිරේර්ධාතවෝ
නිස්තීර්ණඃ සරිතාං පතිර්නෘපතයෝ යත්නේන සංතෝෂිතාඃ ।
මංත්රාරාධනතත්පරේණ මනසා නීතාඃ ශ්මශානේ නිශාඃ
ප්රාප්තඃ කාණවරාටකෝऽපි න මයා තෘෂ්ණේ සකාමා භව ॥ 3.3 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
උත්ඛාතං - dug up
නිධි - treasure
ශංකයා - with suspicion/hope
ක්ෂිති - earth
තලං - surface
ක්ෂිතිතලං - the surface of the earth
ධ්මාතාඃ - blown; smelted
ගිරේඃ - of the mountain
ධාතවඃ - ores; metals
නිස්තීර්ණඃ - crossed; passed over
සරිතාං - of rivers
පතිඃ - lord (here: the ocean)
නෘපතයාඃ - kings
යත්නේන - with effort
සංතෝෂිතාඃ - satisfied; pleased
මංත්ර - mantra
ආරාධන - worship; propitiation
තත්පරඃ - intent on; devoted to
මනසා - with the mind
නීතාඃ - spent; led through
ශ්මශානේ - in the cremation ground
නිශාඃ - nights
ප්රාප්තඃ - obtained
කාණවරාටකඃ - a paltry coin; a meagre gain (sandhi in verse: කාණවරාටකෝऽපි = කාණවරාටකඃ + අපි)
අපි - even
න - not
මයා - by me
තෘෂ්ණේ - O thirst/craving
ස - with
කාමා - desire; wanting
සකාමා - still wanting; still desireful
භව - be; remain

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
I dug the earth suspecting treasure, smelted mountain ores, crossed the ocean, and labored to please kings; with a mind devoted to mantra-worship I spent nights in cremation grounds - yet I did not obtain even a paltry coin. O craving, do not remain desireful.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse stacks up extreme efforts to show the range of craving: it can drive adventure, labor, ambition, and even "spiritual" austerity. Yet the reward shrinks into a mockery - a tiny coin after enormous cost. The deeper point is not about money; it is about misdirected energy: when the motive is hunger, the mind stays hungry, no matter what the outer activity looks like. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In everyday life, this appears when people jump from one scheme to another: speculative bets, side hustles, networking for influence, even meditation treated as a life-hack for success. Krishnamurti repeatedly warns that the mind seeks psychological security through accumulation, but that security is not produced by possessions or by ritualized striving. The verse says: if තෘෂ්ණා (craving) is the driver, the destination will not satisfy.

Practice: before starting a new pursuit, write down your real aim (service, learning, health, freedom) and ask whether the pursuit supports it or is just another chase. Simplify one area of life and reclaim time for what genuinely nourishes you. When the urge says "one more try", remember the cremation-ground image: time is finite; spend it on what actually frees the mind.

ඛලාලාපාඃ සෞඪාඃ කථං අපි තද්ආරාධනපරෛර්නිගෘහ්යාංතර්
බාෂ්පං හසිතං අපි ශූන්යේන මනසා ।
කෘතෝ විත්තස්තංභප්රතිහතධියාං අංජලිරපි
ත්වං ආශේ මෝඝාශේ කිම අපරං අතෝ නර්තයසි මාම් ॥ 3.4 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 30 + 17 + 19 + 25 මාත්රාඃ (total 91); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ඛලාලාපඃ - foolish chatter; prattle (in verse: ඛලාලාපාඃ)
සෞඪඃ - palace; lofty mansion (in verse: සෞඪාඃ)
කථං අපි - somehow; by some means
තද් - that (verse join)
ආරාධන - worshiping/serving (here: serving the "palace" life)
පරෛඃ - by those engaged in it
නිගෘහ්ය - suppressing
අංතර් - within
බාෂ්පං - tears
හසිතං - laughter; smile
අපි - even
ශූන්යේන - with empty; hollow
මනසා - mind
කෘතඃ - done; performed
විත්ත - wealth
ස්තංභඃ - arrogance; pride
ප්රතිහත - blocked; impeded
ධියඃ - minds (gen. pl.)
අංජලිඃ - salutation with folded hands
ත්වං - you
ආශේ - O hope/expectation
මෝඝ - futile; vain
කිම අපරං - what more (is there)?
අතඃ - then; therefore
නර්තයසි - you make (me) dance
මාං - me

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In those noisy palaces, the ones who serve them somehow suppress inner tears, and even laughter is forced by an empty mind; even salutations are offered by minds blocked by the arrogance of wealth. O vain Hope, what more is there - why do you still make me dance?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a candid portrait of life lived for status: noise, performance, and the inner cost of being "managed" by wealth and power. Tears are swallowed, laughter is staged, and even respectful gestures become transactions. Then the poet turns on ආශා (hope/expectation): it keeps the person dancing - always waiting, chasing, pleasing, and postponing dignity for a promised payoff. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This pattern is easy to recognize today: people-pleasing, status anxiety, and constant image-curation. Jiddu Krishnamurti calls this the trap of "becoming" - psychological time where the mind is always moving toward a future self and never resting in what is true now. The verse asks a hard question: what if you stop outsourcing your peace to external validation? This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: pick one arena where you over-perform for approval. For a week, do the necessary work but drop one extra performance: stop explaining yourself, stop checking for likes, stop rehearsing speeches. Use the freed attention for quiet study, a walk, or service. The mind learns that dignity does not need an audience.

අමීෂාං ප්රාණානාං තුලිතවිසිනීපත්රපයසාං
කෘතේ කිං නාස්මාභිර්විගලිතවිවේකෛර්ව්යවසිතම් ।
යද්ආඪ්යානාං අග්රේ ද්රවිණමදනිඃසංජ්ඤමනසාං
කෘතං මාවව්රීඩෛර්නිජගුණකථාපාතකං අපි ॥ 3.5 ॥

ඡංදඃ (ශිඛ්හරිනී): This is in ශිඛ්හරිනී (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 17 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `LGGGGG LLLLL GGLLLG`; යති (pause) is after the 6th and 11th syllables in each පාද.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අමීෂාං - of these
ප්රාණානාං - lives; vital breaths
තුලිත - comparable to; like
විසිනී - lotus (in verse: විසිනී)
පත්ර - leaf
පයස් - water
විසිනීපත්රපයසාං - water (drops) on lotus leaves (image of fragility)
කෘතේ - for the sake of
කිම් - what?
න - not
අස්මාභිඃ - by us
විගලිත - slipped away; fallen
විවේකඃ - discernment
විගලිතවිවේකෛඃ - with discernment fallen away
ව්යවසිතං - undertaken; decided; done
යද් - because/that (verse join)
ආඪ්යානාං - of the rich
අග්රේ - before; in front
ද්රවිණ - wealth
මදඃ - intoxication; pride
ද්රවිණමද - pride/intoxication of wealth
අනිඃසංජ්ඤ - insensible; numb
මනසාං - of minds
මා - without
අව්රීඩෛඃ - without shame
නිජ - one's own
ගුණ - virtues
කථා - talk; narration
පාතකං - sin; wrongdoing
නිජගුණකථාපාතකං - the "sin" of praising one's own virtues
අපි - even

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
For these fragile lives, like water on lotus leaves, what have we not done with discernment lost? For we, shameless, have even committed the "sin" of talking about our own virtues before the rich whose minds are numbed by the intoxication of wealth.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The image of water on a lotus leaf points to how precarious life is - one gust and it slides away. Yet, with විවේක (discernment) weakened, people do many humiliating things to protect comfort and continuation. The poet then names an even subtler fall: in front of those intoxicated by wealth, we begin advertising ourselves, praising our own virtues, and bargaining for favor. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In contemporary life, this is the pressure of self-branding: exaggerating achievements, flattering gatekeepers, bending principles to be accepted. Schopenhauer would call it the will's servitude: wherever it imagines satisfaction, it bows. The verse is a call to self-respect - do not sell inner truth for outer reward. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: notice where you feel compelled to impress. Replace one act of boasting with one act of competence done quietly and well. If you must present yourself (interviews, proposals), keep it factual and restrained. Let your work speak, and let your mind remain free of the need to be "seen".

ක්ෂාංතං න ක්ෂමයා ගෘහෝචිතසුඛං ත්යක්තං න සංතෝෂතඃ
සෝඪෝ දුඃසහශීතතාපපවනක්ලේශෝ න තප්තං තපඃ ।
ධ්යාතං විත්තං අහර්නිශං නිත්යමිතප්රාණෛර්න ශංභෝඃ පදං
තත්තත්කර්ම කෘතං යදේව මුනිභිස්තෛස්තෛඃ ඵලෛර්වංචිතාඃ ॥ 3.6 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ක්ෂාංතං - endured; borne
න - not
ක්ෂමයා - by forgiveness/patience
ගෘහ - householder life
උචිත - fitting; proper
සුඛං - comfort
ගෘහෝචිතසුඛං - comforts appropriate to householder life
ත්යක්තං - abandoned
න - not
සංතෝෂතඃ - through contentment
සෝඪඃ - endured; borne
දුඃසහ - hard to bear
ශීත - cold
තාප - heat
පවන - wind
ක්ලේශඃ - hardship
තපඃ - austerity
න තප්තං - not practiced/"heated" fully
ධ්යාතං - meditated on
විත්තං - wealth
අහර්නිශං - day and night
නිත්යම් - always
ඉත - measured
ප්රාණෛඃ - with (limited) breath/life
න - not
ශංභෝඃ - of Shiva
පදං - feet; state; goal
තත්තත් - this and that
කර්ම - actions
කෘතං - done
මුනිභිඃ - by sages
තෛඃ තෛඃ - by those and those
ඵලෛඃ - fruits/results
වංචිතාඃ - cheated; deprived

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We did not truly cultivate forgiveness; we did not abandon even ordinary comforts through contentment; we endured cold, heat, wind, and hardship, yet did not practice real austerity; we meditated on wealth day and night with our limited life-breaths, not on Shiva's feet. Thus the sages who did such works were "cheated" by the very fruits they gained.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a review of misdirected life: one can tolerate hardship, but still not develop inner patience; one can speak of renunciation, but still cling to comfort; one can "work hard", yet aim that work at wealth rather than at freedom. "Cheated by fruits" means: effort did produce outcomes, but those outcomes did not deliver the lasting peace that was implicitly sought. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

This is a warning against intensity without orientation. People can spend decades optimizing comfort or chasing money and still feel spiritually barren. It is also a critique of spiritual practice done for ego, display, or reward: if the mind keeps clinging to objects, it does not rest in the ආත්ම (Self). In අද්වෛත, the final aim is not a new possession, but release from the need to possess.

Practice: choose one daily action that clearly reduces craving and increases clarity - a short meditation, simple eating, truthful speech, or service without applause. Do it consistently. The verse says: effort matters, but direction matters more; aim your energy at what actually frees the mind.

භෝගා න භුක්තා වයං ඒව භුක්තාස්
තපෝ න තප්තං වයං ඒව තප්තාඃ ।
කාලෝ න යාතෝ වයං ඒව යාතාස්තෘෂ්ණා
න ජීර්ණා වයං ඒව ජීර්ණාඃ ॥ 3.7 ॥

ඡංදඃ (ඉංද්රවජ්රා): This is in ඉංද්රවජ්රා (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 11 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `GGLGGLLGLGG`.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භෝගාඃ - pleasures; enjoyments
න - not
භුක්තාඃ - enjoyed (by us)
වයං - we
ඒව - indeed
භුක්තාඃ - were enjoyed/consumed
තපඃ - austerity
න - not
තප්තං - practiced/"heated"
වයං - we
ඒව - indeed
තප්තාඃ - were burned
කාලඃ - time
න - not
යාතඃ - went/passed
වයං - we
ඒව - indeed
යාතාඃ - went/passed away
තෘෂ්ණා - thirst; craving
න - not
ජීර්ණා - worn out; aged
වයං - we
ඒව - indeed
ජීර්ණාඃ - became aged

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We did not enjoy pleasures; pleasures consumed us. We did not practice austerity; hardship burned us. Time did not pass; we passed away. Craving did not grow old; we grew old.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is භර්තෘහරි's famous reversal: the mind believes it is the master of enjoyment, but often it is the object that masters the mind. "Pleasures consumed us" means our attention, energy, and dignity were eaten up by chasing stimulation. "Time did not pass; we passed" means life is not a resource we own; it is what is being spent. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In contemporary life, this is the feeling of being used by habits: addiction loops, compulsive productivity, endless entertainment. Schopenhauer's insight is relevant: desire is a perpetual lack, so the object seems to promise completion but the structure of craving renews itself. Krishnamurti adds that when you see the movement of craving directly, without justifying it, the spell weakens - not by force, but by understanding. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: pick one habit where you feel "used" (phone, sugar, approval). For a week, insert a small pause before the impulse and do something simple but opposite: drink water, breathe, stand up, or delay by five minutes. Each pause restores agency. වෛරාග්ය begins as repeated small acts of freedom.

බලිභිර්මුඛං ආක්රාංතං පලිතේනාංකිතං ශිරඃ ।
ගාත්රාණි ශිථිලායංතේ තෘෂ්ණෛකා තරුණායතේ ॥ 3.8 ॥

ඡංදඃ (අනුෂ්ටුභ්): This is in අනුෂ්ටුභ් (ශ්ලෝක) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 8 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද (32 total; commonly written/recited as two 16-syllable half-verses separated by `।`); පථ්යා cadence often ends as pAda 1/3 = `x x x x L G x G`, pAda 2/4 = `x x x x L G L G`; a common යති (pause) is after the 4th or 5th syllable in each පාද (separate from the natural pauses at `।` and `॥`). ලක්ෂණ ශ්ලෝක: ශ්ලෝකේ ෂෂ්ඨං ගුරු ජ්ඤේයං සර්වත්ර ලඝුපංචමම් । ද්විචතුෂ්පාදයෝඃ හ්රස්වං සප්තමං දීර්ඝමන්යයෝඃ ॥ - this mnemonic says the 6th syllable is ගුරු and the 5th is ලඝු in all පාදාඃ; the 7th is ලඝු in pAda 2/4 and ගුරු in pAda 1/3.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
බලිභිඃ - by weakness; by loss of strength (lit. "by forces" pressing down)
මුඛං - face
ආක්රාංතං - overpowered; seized
පලිතේන - by grey hair
අංකිතං - marked
ශිරඃ - head
ගාත්රාණි - limbs
ශිථිලායංතේ - become loose; slacken
තෘෂ්ණා - craving; thirst
ඒකා - alone
තරුණායතේ - remains young; becomes youthful

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
The face is overpowered by weakness, the head is marked by grey hair, and the limbs slacken; only craving remains young.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse makes a stark observation about aging: the body visibly declines, but the inner demand of wanting refuses to decline. Many people expect time itself to cure craving; භර්තෘහරි says time only weakens the instruments, not the appetite. If the mind is not trained, desire outlives strength. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is easy to see today when people chase the same thrills even when health suffers: overwork, late-night scrolling, compulsive consumption, or repeated relationship patterns. The verse is not condemning pleasure; it is exposing compulsion. තෘෂ්ණා (craving) is not solved by age; it is solved by විවේක (clear discernment).

Practice: reflect on one desire that keeps repeating. Ask whether it actually brings lasting well-being or just temporary relief. Then choose one "elder" value to honor this week: simplicity, health, relationships, or inner quiet. Let actions respect the body's limits instead of fighting them.

විවේකව්යාකෝශේ විදධති සමේ ශාම්යති තෘෂා
පරිෂ්වංගේ තුංගේ ප්රසරතිතරාං සා පරිණතා ।
ජරාජීර්ණෛශ්වර්යග්රසනගහනාක්ෂේපකෘපණස්තෘෂාපාත්රං
යස්යාං භවති මරුතාං අප්යධිපතිඃ ॥ 3.8.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
විවේක - discernment
ව්යාකෝශඃ - open space; wide expanse
විවේකව්යාකෝශේ - in the wide expanse of discernment
විදධති - it becomes; it takes on (a state)
සමේ - calm; even
ශාම්යති - becomes quiet; subsides
තෘෂා - thirst; craving
පරිෂ්වංගඃ - embrace
තුංගඃ - lofty; intense
පරිෂ්වංගේ තුංගේ - in a lofty/intense embrace
ප්රසරතිතරාං - spreads even more
සා - that (craving)
පරිණතා - transformed; grown
ජරා - old age
ජීර්ණ - worn out
ඓශ්වර්ය - power; wealth; lordship
ග්රසන - swallowing; devouring
ගහන - dense; hard to escape
ආක්ෂේපඃ - distraction; disturbance
කෘපණඃ - miserly; petty-minded
තෘෂා - craving
පාත්රං - vessel; receptacle
යස්යාං - in which case; for whom
භවති - becomes
මරුතාං - of the gods ("Maruts" as a collective)
අපි - even
අධිපතිඃ - lord (i.e., Indra)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In the wide expanse of discernment, craving becomes calm; but in an intense embrace it spreads even more. Ensnared in the dense distractions of old age and power, even the lord of the gods can become a mere vessel of thirst.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse contrasts two environments for the mind. In the open sky of විවේක (discernment), craving quiets down because the mind sees clearly and is not pressed by stimulation. But in the intensity of close sensual contact, craving multiplies because imagination, memory, and anticipation all get fed. Then the poet adds a warning: power and wealth do not protect; they can actually amplify distraction, so even the "lord" can become a receptacle of thirst. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In daily living, this is why discernment feels easy in calm moments and hard in high-arousal moments. Decisions made inside excitement often over-promise and under-deliver. Krishnamurti's point is relevant: desire gains strength through images and projections; when the mind stops feeding images, desire becomes simple and manageable. The verse is asking for that inner space even in the middle of life. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: decide your boundaries and values in a calm hour, not in the heat of attraction or anger. When you feel pulled, step back and create a little "sky": a walk, a breath, a delay, a honest conversation. Let closeness be guided by clarity and consent, not by compulsion. That is වෛරාග්ය as maturity, not as denial.

නිවෘත්තා භෝගේච්ඡා පුරුෂබහුමානෝऽපි ගලිතඃ
සමානාඃ ස්වර්යාතාඃ සපදි සුහෘදෝ ජීවිතසමාඃ ।
ශනෛර්යෂ්ට්යුත්ථානං ඝනතිමිරරුද්ධේ ච නයනේ
අහෝ මූඪඃ කායස්තදපි මරණාපායචකිතඃ ॥ 3.9 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
නිවෘත්තා - has ceased; has turned away
භෝග - pleasure
ඉච්ඡා - desire
භෝගේච්ඡා - desire for pleasure
පුරුෂ - person
බහුමානඃ - self-respect; pride; honor
අපි - even
ගලිතඃ - slipped away; fallen
සමානාඃ - equal; alike
ස්වර්යාතාඃ - have gone to heaven; have passed away
සුහෘදඃ - friends
ජීවිත - life
සමාඃ - equal to; like
ශනඊඃ - slowly
යෂ්ටි - staff
උත්ථානං - getting up
ඝන - dense
තිමිර - darkness
රුද්ධේ - obstructed; blocked
නයනේ - in the eyes
අහෝ - alas!
මූඪඃ - foolish
කායඃ - body
තදපි - even then
මරණ - death
ආපාය - danger; calamity
චකිතඃ - frightened

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Desire for pleasure has ceased, and even self-respect has slipped away; friends, equal to life itself, have departed. Rising now requires a staff, and the eyes are blocked by thick darkness - alas, the foolish body is still frightened of the danger of death.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a sober inventory of old age: pleasures no longer attract, pride no longer stands, friends are gone, eyesight dims, the body needs support. Yet fear of death remains. The irony is sharp: the body is called මූඪඃ (foolish) because it clings to life even when the usual reasons for clinging have already faded. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern terms, this points to how fear can survive even after the "content" of life changes. People keep worrying about status after retirement, keep chasing validation after friendships thin out, keep fearing loss even when there is little left to lose. වෛරාග්ය is not coldness; it is meeting reality early, so fear does not ambush you late.

Practice: do a small "death rehearsal" in a healthy way: imagine losing one attachment (a role, a possession, an image) and notice that awareness still remains. If this feels heavy, keep it gentle and short. The goal is not morbidity; it is courage - training the mind to rest in what is stable, so fear becomes smaller.

ආශා නාම නදී මනෝරථජලා තෘෂ්ණාතරංගාකුලා
රාගග්රාහවතී විතර්කවිහගා ධෛර්යද්රුමධ්වංසිනී ।
මෝහාවර්තසුදුස්තරාතිගහනා ප්රෝත්තුංගචිංතාතටී
තස්යාඃ පරගතා විශුද්ධං අලසෝ නංදංති යෝගීශ්වරාඃ ॥ 3.10 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආශා - hope; expectation
නාම - called; indeed
නදී - river
මනෝරථ - imagination; wish
ජලා - water (f.)
මනෝරථජලා - whose water is imagination/wish
තෘෂ්ණා - craving
තරංග - waves
ආකුලා - turbulent; full of
රාග - attachment; passion
ග්රාහඃ - crocodile
වතී - possessing
රාගග්රාහවතී - having crocodiles of attachment
විතර්ක - thoughts; doubts; argumentation
විහගඃ - bird
විතර්කවිහගාඃ - birds of restless thoughts
ධෛර්ය - steadiness; courage
ද්රුමඃ - tree
ධ්වංසනී - destroying
ධෛර්යද්රුමධ්වංසිනී - destroyer of the tree of steadiness
මෝහ - delusion
ආවර්තඃ - whirlpool
සු - very
දුස්තර - hard to cross
අති - extremely
ගහනා - deep; dense
මෝහාවර්තසුදුස්තරාතිගහනා - extremely deep and hard-to-cross whirlpool of delusion (compound)
ප්රෝත්තුංග - very lofty
චිංතා - worry
තටී - bank
ප්රෝත්තුංගචිංතාතටී - with high banks of worry
තස්යාඃ - having crossed beyond it; for those who have gone beyond it
පරගතාඃ - crossed over; gone beyond
විශුද්ධං - pure; clear
අලසාඃ - effortless; relaxed; free from strain
නංදංති - rejoice
යෝගීශ්වරාඃ - great yogins

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Hope is a river whose water is imagination, turbulent with waves of craving; it has crocodiles of attachment, birds of restless thoughts, and it destroys the tree of steadiness. It is a terribly deep whirlpool of delusion with high banks of worry. Those who have crossed beyond it - the great yogins - rejoice in effortless purity.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is one of the most vivid diagnoses of the inner life: ආශා (hope/expectation) looks innocent, but when mixed with තෘෂ්ණා (craving) it becomes a dangerous river. Imagination becomes "water", attachment becomes "crocodiles", thoughts become "birds", and worry becomes the high banks that keep you trapped in the same channel. The yogin is defined simply as the one who has crossed this river and can rest without strain.

In daily life, this is the mind that lives in projections: "When I get that, I will finally be okay." Schopenhauer calls this the structure of suffering in desire; Krishnamurti points out that psychological time - the future as a promise - is a subtle escape from the present. The verse does not ask you to kill hope; it asks you to see when hope has become a cage. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: each time you notice anxious imagining, label it gently as "river-water" and return to one concrete present action. Do one small duty fully: one email, one call, one meal, one breath. Over time, this weakens චිංතා (worry) and strengthens ධෛර්ය (steadiness). Crossing the river begins with coming back to "now" again and again.

න සංසාරෝත්පන්නං චරිතං අනුපශ්යාමි කුශලං
විපාකඃ පුණ්යානාං ජනයති භයං මේ විමෘශතඃ ।
මහද්භිඃ පුණ්යෞඝෛශ්චිරපරිගෘහීතාශ්ච විෂයා
මහාංතෝ ජායංතේ ව්යසනං ඉව දාතුං විෂයිණාම් ॥ 3.11 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
න - not
සංසාර - worldly life; the cycle of becoming
උත්පන්නං - arisen from; born of
සංසාරෝත්පන්නං - born of worldly life
චරිතං - conduct; way of living
අනුපශ්යාමි - I observe; I see
කුශලං - wholesome; auspicious; truly beneficial
විපාකඃ - ripening; fruit; result
පුණ්යානාං - of merits; of good deeds
ජනයති - produces; gives rise to
භයං - fear
මේ - to me; in me
විමෘශතඃ - when reflecting; on careful consideration
මහද්භිඃ - by great; by large
පුණ්යෞඝෛඃ - by floods/masses of merit
චිර - long (time)
පරිගෘහීතාඃ - acquired; obtained; held
ච - and
විෂයාඃ - sense objects; enjoyments
මහාංතඃ - great
ජායංතේ - arise; become
ව්යසනං - calamity; misfortune; addiction-like trouble
ඉව - as if
දාතුං - to give
විෂයිණාං - for those who indulge in objects; for sense-enjoyers

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
I do not see any truly safe conduct that is born of worldly life; when I reflect, even the fruits of merit produce fear in me. Sense objects obtained through great accumulated merit often become great misfortunes for those who indulge in them.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse says: there is no "safe" arrangement inside සංසාර (worldly becoming). Even පුණ්ය (merit) can mature into anxiety because it brings attractive objects, and attractive objects awaken attachment. What looks like a reward can become a trap: the more you have, the more you fear losing; the more you enjoy, the more you must maintain.

In contemporary terms, success often increases stress: larger responsibilities, a reputation to defend, lifestyle inflation, relationships colored by money, and the quiet fear of falling. This is why වෛරාග්ය is not negativity; it is protection. It does not say "do not do good"; it says "do not bind your peace to outcomes".

Practice: keep doing good work, but regularly train non-attachment. Choose one "result" you are clinging to and loosen it: share credit, simplify a possession, or accept a smaller win without complaint. The mind learns that security does not come from holding more, but from needing less.

අවශ්යං යාතාරශ්චිරතරං උෂිත්වාපි විෂයා
වියෝගේ කෝ භේදස්ත්යජති න ජනෝ යත්ස්වයං අමූන් ।
ව්රජංතඃ ස්වාතංත්ර්යාදතුලපරිතාපාය මනසඃ
ස්වයං ත්යක්තා හ්යේතේ ශමසුඛං අනංතං විදධති ॥ 3.12 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අවශ්යං - inevitably; certainly
යාතාරඃ - those that will go away; those that depart
චිරතරං - for a long time
උෂිත්වා - having stayed
අපි - even
විෂයාඃ - sense objects; enjoyments
වියෝගේ - in separation
කඃ - what?
භේදඃ - difference
ත්යජති - gives up; abandons
න - not
ජනඃ - a person
යත් - because
ස්වයං - oneself
අමූන් - these (objects)
ව්රජංතඃ - going away
ස්වාතංත්ර්යාත් - by their own independence
අතුල - incomparable
පරිතාපාය - for torment; for burning distress
මනසඃ - for the mind
ස්වයං - by oneself
ත්යක්තාඃ - abandoned
හි - indeed
ඒතේ - these (objects)
ශම - calm; peace
සුඛං - happiness
අනංතං - endless
විදධති - bestow; produce

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Sense objects will inevitably depart, even if they stay a long time; in separation, what difference is there between a person giving them up and them giving up the person? When they depart of their own will they bring incomparable torment to the mind, but when one renounces them willingly they bestow endless peace.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse makes a subtle distinction: loss and renunciation look similar externally, but they feel completely different internally. When the object leaves on its own terms, the mind burns with helplessness; when the mind releases the object by choice, the mind tastes freedom. The same event can be suffering or relief depending on who is holding whom. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is deeply practical today. Jobs, roles, people, and health eventually change; if identity is glued to them, change feels like injury. If attachment is loosened early, change becomes a transition. The ඊශ උපනිෂත් captures this spirit in one line: ත්යක්තේන භුඤීථාඃ - enjoy through renunciation; the joy is real when possession is not demanded.

Practice: pick one object of attachment and rehearse letting go in a small way. Give away one item, share one privilege, or accept one "no" without bargaining. Each deliberate release strengthens the mind's capacity for peace, so that inevitable change hurts less.

බ්රහ්මජ්ඤානවිවේකනිර්මලධියඃ කුර්වංත්යහෝ දුෂ්කරං
යන්මුංචංත්යුපභෝගභාංජ්යපි ධනාන්යේකාංතතෝ නිඃස්පෘහාඃ ।
සංප්රාතාන්න පුරා න සංප්රති න ච ප්රාප්තෞ දෘඪප්රත්යයාන්
වාංඡාමාත්රපරිග්රහානපි පරං ත්යක්තුං න ශක්තා වයම් ॥ 3.13 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
බ්රහ්ම - the Absolute; Brahman
ජ්ඤාන - knowledge
විවේක - discernment
නිර්මල - pure; spotless
ධියඃ - minds (gen. pl.)
බ්රහ්මජ්ඤානවිවේකනිර්මලධියඃ - those whose minds are purified by Brahman-knowledge and discernment
කුර්වංති - do; perform
අහෝ - ah! indeed (wonder/exclamation)
දුෂ්කරං - difficult (thing)
යත් - that which; because
මුංචංති - abandon; let go
උපභෝග - enjoyment
භාඤ් - granting; bringing about (in verse compound)
ධනානි - wealth; possessions
ඒකාංතතඃ - completely; entirely
නිඃස්පෘහාඃ - without craving; without desire
සංප්රාත් - now; at present
න - not
පුරා - before; formerly
න සංප්රති - not now
න ච - nor
ප්රාප්තෞ - in attainment; in the (final) getting
දෘඪ - firm
ප්රත්යයාන් - convictions; settled faith (acc. pl.)
වාංඡා - wish; longing
මාත්ර - mere; only
පරිග්රහාන් - graspings; acquisitions; possessions
අපි - even
පරං - completely; at all
ත්යක්තුං - to abandon
න ශක්තාඃ - are not able
වයං - we

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
How difficult a thing those with minds purified by Brahman-knowledge and discernment accomplish: with complete dispassion they utterly abandon wealth that enables enjoyment. But we, lacking firm conviction in past, present, or final attainment, cannot give up even mere wish-driven grasping.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse honors a high level of dispassion: letting go not because you lost, but because you are free. Such a person does not hate wealth; they simply do not need it for inner stability. Then the poet turns the mirror on us: our problem is not lack of possessions, but lack of conviction - we do not truly trust what we claim to value, so we keep clinging. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In modern life, this is the gap between ideals and habits. We may say we want peace, but we still feed the same comparison and accumulation. Schopenhauer would say: the will keeps grasping because it has not seen its own futility clearly enough. The verse says: විවේක must become real, not rhetorical.

Practice: do not try to renounce everything at once. Choose one small "wish-based grasping" (an impulse buy, a status display, a compulsive check) and drop it for a month. Replace it with something that builds inner confidence: study, skill, service, meditation. Dispassion grows when the mind experiences a deeper satisfaction.

ධන්යානාං ගිරිකංදරේෂු වසතාං ජ්යෝතිඃ පරං ධ්යායතාමානංදාශ්රු
ජලං පිබංති ශකුනා නිඃශංකං අංකේශයාඃ ।
අස්මාකං තු මනෝරථෝපරචිතප්රාසාදවාපීතටක්රීඩා
කානනකේලිකෞතුකජුෂාං ආයුඃ පරං ක්ෂීයතේ ॥ 3.14 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ධන්යානාං - of the blessed; of the fortunate
ගිරි - mountain
කංදර - cave
ගිරිකංදරේෂු - in mountain caves
වසතාං - living; dwelling
ජ්යෝතිඃ - light
පරං - supreme
ධ්යායතාං - of those meditating on
ආනංද - bliss
ආශ්රු - tears
ජලං - water
පිබංති - drink
ශකුනාඃ - birds
නිඃශංකං - fearlessly; without suspicion
අංකේශයාඃ - sitting on the lap (those seated on the lap)
අස්මාකං - of us
තු - but
මනෝරථ - imagination; wish
උපරචිත - constructed; built
ප්රාසාද - palace
වාපී - pond; tank
තට - bank
ක්රීඩා - play; sport
කානන - grove; pleasure-forest
කේලි - amusement; play
කෞතුක - delight; curiosity
ජුෂාං - of those who indulge in
ආයුඃ - life
පරං - greatly
ක්ෂීයතේ - is worn away; is wasted

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Blessed are those who live in mountain caves meditating on the supreme light: birds perched on their laps drink the water of their tears of bliss without fear. But our lives are worn away in pleasures of imagination - playing at the banks of palace-ponds and in pleasure-groves built by wishful thoughts.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse contrasts two kinds of "worlds". One is simple and real: a yogin in a cave, meditating on the පරං ජ්යෝතිඃ (supreme light), so full of peace that even birds trust him and drink his tears of bliss. The other is elaborate but unreal: palaces and pleasure-groves built by imagination, where life gets consumed in fantasy and entertainment. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is strikingly modern. Many people do not live in caves, but live in mental palaces: endless scenarios, worries, and curated pleasures. The mind can spend more time "living" inside screens and projections than inside reality. Krishnamurti's warning about living in images applies directly: the image-world feels rich, but it drains life. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: reduce one stream of imagination-fuel this week (doom-scrolling, gossip, over-planning). Use that time for one direct, grounding act: sit quietly, walk, read a few pages of a scripture, or serve someone. The verse says: the supreme light is accessed through simplicity and attention, not through ever-more stimulation.

භික්ෂාශතං තදපි නීරසං ඒකබාරං
ශය්යා ච භූඃ පරිජනෝ නිජදේහමාත්රම් ।
වස්ත්රං විශීර්ණශතඛංඩමයී ච කංථා
හා හා තථාපි විෂයා න පරිත්යජංති ॥ 3.15 ॥

ඡංදඃ (වසංතතිලකා): This is in වසංතතිලකා (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 14 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `GGLGLLLGLLGLGG`.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භික්ෂා - alms
ශතං - a hundred (i.e., many)
තදපි - even that
නීරසං - tasteless; without relish
ඒකබාරං - once (a day)
ශය්යා - bed
ච - and
භූඃ - earth
පරිජනඃ - attendants; companions
නිජ - one's own
දේහ - body
මාත්රං - only
නිජදේහමාත්රං - one's own body alone
වස්ත්රං - clothing
විශීර්ණ - torn; worn out
ශත - hundred
ඛංඩ - pieces
ශතඛංඩමයී - made of a hundred pieces
කංථා - a rag; patched cloth
හා හා - alas! alas!
තථාපි - even then
විෂයාඃ - sense objects; cravings
න - not
පරිත්යජංති - abandon; give up

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Even if one lives on tasteless alms once a day, sleeps on the earth with no companion but one's own body, and wears only a rag made of a hundred torn patches - alas, even then the cravings for sense objects do not leave.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse points to a hard fact: desire is not only about external comfort. Even when life is reduced to bare minimum, the mind can continue to crave. This is why වෛරාග්ය is not merely changing lifestyle; it is changing the inner relationship to wanting. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern life, you can see this when people simplify externally but keep scrolling endlessly, or when a person leaves one addiction and immediately substitutes another. Krishnamurti's insight is relevant: desire is sustained by thought and image; if images keep running, desire keeps returning. The external change is helpful, but the root is inward. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: instead of fighting desire, observe it. When a craving arises, notice the image it brings and the promise it makes. Let the image be seen and pass without acting on it immediately. Repeated "seeing without obeying" is the beginning of inner freedom.

ස්තනෞ මාංසග්රංථී කනකකලශාවිත්යුපමිතී
මුඛං ශ්ලේෂ්මාගාරං තදපි ච ශශාංකේන තුලිතම් ।
ස්රවන්මූත්රක්ලින්නං කරිවරශිරස්පර්ධි ජඝනං
මුහුර්නිංද්යං රූපං කවිජනවිශේෂෛර්ගුරුකෘතම් ॥ 3.16 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ස්තනෞ - breasts (dual)
මාංස - flesh
ග්රංථී - knot; lump
මාංසග්රංථී - mere knots of flesh
කනක - gold
කලශඃ - pot; pitcher
ඉව - like (in verse join)
උපමිතී - compared
මුඛං - face
ශ්ලේෂ්ම - phlegm
ආගාරං - house
ශ්ලේෂ්මාගාරං - a house of phlegm
තදපි - even that
ශශාංකේන - with the moon
තුලිතං - compared
ස්රවත් - flowing
මූත්ර - urine
ක්ලින්නං - wet; soaked
කරිවර - great elephant
ශිරසඃ - of the head
ස්පර්ධි - rivaling
ජඝනං - hips/buttocks
මුහුඃ - again and again
නිංද්යං - contemptible; blameworthy
රූපං - form; body
කවිජන - poets
විශේෂෛඃ - by the prominent/expert ones
ගුරු - heavy; great
කෘතං - made; fashioned (as in praise)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Breasts are mere knots of flesh, yet compared to golden pots; the face is a house of phlegm, yet compared to the moon; the hips are soaked with flowing urine, yet rival an elephant's brow. Again and again this contemptible body is made "great" by poets.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is a deliberate shock meant to puncture romantic illusion. භර්තෘහරි is not denying beauty; he is exposing the mind's habit of covering a perishable body with poetic fantasy and then becoming enslaved by its own fantasy. By naming what the body actually is, he forces the reader to separate perception from projection. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In daily life, this shows up when attraction blinds judgment: red flags get painted over, boundaries get crossed, and people confuse chemistry with character. ආදි ශංකරාචාර්ය makes a similar wake-up call in භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම්: මා කුරු ධන ජන යෞවන ගර්වං - do not be intoxicated by wealth, people, or youth. The point is not to hate, but to see clearly.

Practice: when attraction arises, add one question of discernment: "What is the person's character and conduct?" Let beauty be appreciated, but do not let it become hypnosis. If you cultivate this habit, love becomes wiser and less compulsive.

ඒකෝ රාගිෂු රාජතේ ප්රියතමාදේහාර්ධහාරී හරෝ
නීරාගේෂු ජනෝ විමුක්තලලනාසංගෝ න යස්මාත්පරඃ ।
දුර්වාරස්මරබාණපන්නගවිෂව්යාබිද්ධමුග්ධෝ ජනඃ
ශේෂඃ කාමවිඩංබිතාන්න විෂයාන්භෝක්තුං න මෝක්තුං ක්ෂමඃ ॥ 3.17 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ඒකෝ - one alone; only one
රාගිෂු - among the passionate/attached
රාජතේ - shines; stands out
ප්රියතමා - beloved (f.)
දේහ - body
අර්ධ - half
හාරී - taking/bearing
දේහාර්ධහාරී - bearing half the body (allusion to ArdhanArISvara)
හරඃ - Shiva
නීරාගේෂු - among the dispassionate
ජනඃ - person
විමුක්ත - freed
ලලනා - woman
සංගඃ - attachment
විමුක්තලලනාසංගඃ - one free from attachment to women
න - not
යස්මාත් - than whom
පරඃ - higher; greater
දුර්වාර - irresistible; hard to restrain
ස්මර - Cupid; desire
බාණ - arrow
පන්නග - serpent
විෂ - poison
ව්යාබිද්ධ - pierced; struck through
මුග්ධඃ - deluded
ශේෂඃ - the rest
කාම - desire
විඩංබිතඃ - mocked; made ridiculous
න - not
විෂයාන් - sense objects
භෝක්තුං - to enjoy
න - nor
මෝක්තුං - to release; to renounce
ක්ෂමඃ - capable

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Among the passionate, only Shiva stands out - he who bears half of his beloved's body. Among the dispassionate, none is greater than the one free from attachment to women. The rest of humanity, deluded and pierced by the poison of Cupid's serpent-like arrows, can neither truly enjoy sense objects nor truly renounce them.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse criticizes the "in-between" state: not wholehearted love, not wholehearted freedom. A person who is deeply attached is at least honest about attachment; a person who is truly dispassionate is free. But most people are mocked by desire because they oscillate - they chase, then feel guilty; they renounce, then crave; they enjoy, then fear consequences. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is a common modern pattern: half-commitment in relationships, half-commitment in spiritual life, half-commitment in work. The result is chronic inner friction. The verse invites clarity: either cultivate a mature, ethical love with responsibility, or cultivate inner freedom with discipline - but do not keep living in contradiction. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: choose one axis to become consistent. If you are in a relationship, bring honesty, boundaries, and commitment. If you are stepping back, do it without bitterness and with a clear practice (study, meditation, service). Consistency is what turns both love and renunciation into strength instead of confusion.

අජානංදාහාත්ම්යං පතතු ශලභස්තීව්රදහනේ
ස මීනෝऽප්යජ්ඤානාද්බඩිශයුතං අශ්නාතු පිශිතම් ।
විජානංතෝऽප්යේතේ වයං ඉහ වියජ්ජාලජටිලාන්
න මුංචාමඃ කානාං අහහ ගහනෝ මෝහමහිමා ॥ 3.18 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අජානන් - not knowing
ආහාත්ම්යං - nature; real character
පතතු - may fall
ශලභඃ - moth
තීව්ර - fierce
දහනඃ - fire
තීව්රදහනේ - in fierce fire
ස - that
මීනඃ - fish
අපි - even
අජ්ඤානාත් - from ignorance
බඩිශ - hook
යුතං - attached; joined
පිශිතං - flesh; bait
අශ්නාතු - may eat
විජානංතඃ - knowing; understanding
අපි - even
ඒතේ - these
වයං - we
ඉහ - here (in this life)
වියත් - sky
ජාල - net
ජටිලාන් - tangled; net-like entanglements
න මුංචාමඃ - we do not release; we do not let go
කානාං - (as written) of what is desired/attractive (often read as "of desires")
අහහ - alas!
ගහනඃ - deep; hard to escape
මෝහ - delusion
මහිමා - power; greatness
මෝහමහිමා - the power of delusion

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Not knowing the fire's true nature, a moth falls into the fierce flame; and a fish, through ignorance, swallows bait with a hook attached. But we, even knowing, do not let go of these tangled nets of attraction - alas, deep is the power of delusion.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse distinguishes ignorance from weakness of will. The moth and fish are trapped because they do not know; we are trapped even after knowing. That is why මෝහ (delusion) is called deep: it is not only lack of information, it is the mind's ability to override what it knows in the name of immediate relief or pleasure. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In modern life, this is the core of addiction loops: "I know this harms me" and yet the hand reaches. It is also seen in toxic relationships and compulsive scrolling. Krishnamurti would say that mere analysis is not transformation; transformation begins when you see the mechanism in action, without excuses. The verse is asking for that honest observation. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: reduce the distance between knowing and doing. Remove one easy trigger (an app shortcut, a late-night routine, a tempting environment) and replace it with one supportive cue (a book, a walk, a call). Make the right action easier than the wrong one. This is practical වෛරාග්ය: designing life so delusion has less room to operate.

තෘෂා ශුෂ්යත්යාස්යේ පිබති සලිලං ශීතමධුරං
ක්ෂුධාර්තඃ ශාල්යන්නං කවලයති මාංසාදිකලිතම් ।
ප්රදීප්තේ කාමාග්නෞ සුදෘඪතරං ආලිංගති වධූං
ප්රතීකාරං ව්යාධඃ සුඛං ඉති විපර්යස්යති ජනඃ ॥ 3.19 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
තෘෂා - thirst
ශුෂ්යති - dries up
ආස්යේ - in the mouth
පිබති - drinks
සලිලං - water
ශීත - cool
මධුරං - sweet
ක්ෂුධා - hunger
අර්තඃ - afflicted
ක්ෂුධාර්තඃ - one afflicted by hunger
ශාලි - rice
අන්නං - food
කවලයති - eats; swallows
මාංස - meat
ආදි - and so on
කලිතං - mixed with; combined with
ප්රදීප්තේ - when blazing
කාම - desire
අග්නිඃ - fire
කාමාග්නිඃ - the fire of desire
සුදෘඪතරං - very tightly
ආලිංගති - embraces
වධූං - a woman; bride
ප්රතීකාරං - remedy; countermeasure
ව්යාධඃ - disease
සුඛං - pleasure; happiness
ඉති - thus
විපර්යස්යති - mistakes; reverses; misconstrues
ජනඃ - people

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When thirst dries the mouth one drinks cool sweet water; when hunger bites one eats rice and meat; when the fire of desire blazes one clings tightly to a woman - people mistake the "remedy" for a disease as pleasure.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse says: hunger and thirst have true remedies that restore balance, but desire tricks the mind into treating indulgence itself as the cure. What is actually a disease-pattern is labeled as happiness. This is the difference between need and addiction: needs end when met; addictions grow when fed. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In everyday life, this confusion is everywhere: retail therapy for emptiness, pornography for loneliness, overwork for insecurity, alcohol for stress. Schopenhauer's analysis of desire fits: the will seeks relief, but the relief is temporary and the dissatisfaction returns stronger. The verse invites විවේක to ask, "Is this a cure, or a cycle?"

Practice: when a desire spikes, do not immediately obey it. First try a true remedy for the underlying state: rest, food, water, movement, honest conversation, prayer. If desire remains after balance is restored, choose deliberately rather than compulsively. This one step breaks the confusion between relief and freedom.

තුංගං වේශ්ම සුතාඃ සතාං අභිමතාඃ සංඛ්යාතිගාඃ සංපදඃ
කල්යාණී දයිතා වයශ්ච නවං ඉත්යජ්ඤානමූඪෝ ජනඃ ।
මත්වා විශ්වං අනශ්වරං නිවිශතේ සංසාරකාරාගෘහේ
සංදෘශ්ය ක්ෂණභංගුරං තදඛිලං ධන්යස්තු සන්න්යස්යති ॥ 3.20 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
තුංගං - lofty; high
වේශ්ම - house; mansion
සුතාඃ - children
සතාං - of good people
අභිමතාඃ - approved; esteemed
සංඛ්යාතිගාඃ - beyond counting; countless
සංපදඃ - wealth; prosperity
කල්යාණී - virtuous; auspicious
දයිතා - beloved; wife
වයඃ - age
ච - and
නවං - new; youthful
ඉති - thus
අජ්ඤාන - ignorance
මූඪඃ - deluded person
ජනඃ - person
මත්වා - thinking; believing
විශ්වං - the world
අනශ්වරං - permanent; not perishing
නිවිශතේ - enters; settles in
සංසාර - worldly life
කාරාගෘහං - prison-house
සංදෘශ්ය - having seen clearly
ක්ෂණ - moment
භංගුරං - fragile; perishable
තදඛිලං - all that
ධන්යඃ - blessed
තු - but
සන්න්යස්යති - renounces; lays down

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Thinking, "I have a lofty house, children, esteem among the good, countless wealth, a virtuous beloved, and youth," the ignorant person believes the world permanent and settles into the prison-house of worldly life. The blessed one, seeing all this to be momentary, renounces.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse diagnoses the root mistake: අනශ්වර (thinking things are permanent) when they are actually ක්ෂණභංගුර (momentary). From that mistake comes the prison of සංසාර: clinging, fear, and endless maintenance. The "blessed" person is not someone who hates life; it is someone who sees impermanence clearly and therefore does not build identity on what will inevitably change.

In modern life, this shows up as assuming a role, a relationship, or youth will last and then collapsing when it changes. This is why වෛරාග්ය is a kindness to yourself: it prepares you. Many Upanishadic teachings point to this shift from the transient to the real; the change begins when you stop expecting permanence from what is not designed to be permanent.

Practice: do a short daily contemplation of impermanence: "This too will pass." Let it not become depression; let it become gratitude and priority. Spend more time on what deepens you (character, love, knowledge, service) and less time on what only decorates you. When you live from that clarity, the prison-door opens.

දීනා දීනමුඛෛඃ සදෛව ශිශුකෛරාකෘෂ්ටජීර්ණාංබරා
ක්රෝශද්භිඃ ක්ෂුධිතෛර්නිරන්නවිධුරා දෘශ්යා න චේද්ගේහිනී ।
යාච්ඤාභංගභයේන ගද්ගදගලත්රුට්යද්විලීනාක්ෂරං
කෝ දේහීති වදේත්ස්වදග්ධජඨරස්යාර්ථේ මනස්වී පුමාන් ॥ 3.21 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
දීනා - distressed; miserable; wretched (f.)
දීන - poor; pitiable
මුඛ - face
දීනමුඛෛඃ - with pitiable faces
සදෛව - always
ශිශුකෛඃ - by little children
ආකර්ශිත - pulled; tugged (in verse: ආකෘෂ්ට)
ජීර්ණ - worn-out; old
අංබරං - cloth; garment
ආකෘෂ්ටජීර්ණාංබරා - whose worn garments are tugged at (compound)
ක්රෝශද්භිඃ - by those crying aloud
ක්ෂුධිත - hungry (in verse: ක්ෂුධිතෛඃ)
නිරන්න - without food
විධුරා - afflicted; distressed
දෘශ්යා - seen; visible
න චේත් - if not / if (she is not) (i.e., if such a sight is not seen)
ගේහිනී - housewife; wife
යාච්ඤා - begging; petition (as in යාච්ඤා)
භංගඃ - breaking; refusal (of a request)
භයේන - out of fear
ගද්ගද - choked; stammering
ගලත් - slipping; faltering
ත්රුට්ය(ත්) - breaking; cracking (in verse: ත්රුට්යද්)
විලීන - dissolved; lost
අක්ෂරං - syllable/letter (here: speech)
කඃ - who?
දේහී - give!
ඉති - thus
වදේත් - would say
ස්ව - one's own
දග්ධ - burned; scorched
ජඨරඃ - belly; stomach (hunger)
අර්ථේ - for the sake of
මනස්වී - high-minded; self-respecting
පුමාන් - man; person

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
If one's wife must be seen in utter distress - her worn clothes tugged by hungry, crying children - then who with self-respect would, merely for his own burning hunger, beg "Give (me)" in a choking, faltering voice, afraid his request will be refused?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is not trying to glorify suffering; it is trying to expose the hidden cost of dependency. When a household is driven into begging, the shame is not confined to the one who asks; it spills onto the spouse and children - their hunger, their tears, their dignity. Bhartruhari calls a truly strong person මනස්වී (high-minded, self-respecting) because he refuses to let his life's choices push his family into that state. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In everyday situations, this shows up as living beyond means and then paying for it with small humiliations: borrowing repeatedly from friends, flattering a toxic boss because the budget has no slack, or staying stuck in a harmful situation because there is no cushion. The verse is not a condemnation of seeking help in genuine crisis; it is a warning against building a life where one's desires create helplessness. The deeper point is විවේක (discernment): reduce avoidable wants early, so you never have to trade dignity for survival later.

Practice: simplify one recurring expense and build a small buffer, even if it is slow. Pair that with one skill-building effort that increases your independence. If you ever must ask for help, do it honestly and with a plan for recovery - without melodrama, without manipulation. Cultivate සංතෝෂ (contentment) so hunger does not become a moral trap.

අභිමතමහාමානග්රංථිප්රභේදපටීයසී
ගුරුතරගුණග්රාමාභෝජස්ඵුටෝජ්ජ්වලචංද්රිකා ।
විපුලවිලල්ලජ්ජාවල්ලීවිතානකුඨාරිකා
ජඨරපිඨරී දුස්පුරේයං කරෝති විඩංබනම් ॥ 3.22 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 22 + 22 + 21 + 20 මාත්රාඃ (total 85); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අභිමත - cherished; held dear
මහාමානඃ - great pride/self-respect
ග්රංථිඃ - knot
ප්රභේදඃ - cutting; breaking open
පටීයසී - very skilful; adept
අභිමතමහාමානග්රංථිප්රභේදපටීයසී - highly skilled in cutting the knot of cherished pride (compound)
ගුරුතර - very great; weighty
ගුණ - virtue; good quality
ග්රාමඃ - group; collection
අංභෝජං - lotus
ස්ඵුට - opened; blossomed
උජ්ජ්වල - bright
චංද්රිකා - moonlight
ගුරුතරගුණග්රාමාභෝජස්ඵුටෝජ්ජ්වලචංද්රිකා - like bright moonlight that opens the lotus of many great virtues (compound)
විපුල - abundant; luxuriant
විලසත් - spreading; shining
ලජ්ජා - modesty; shame
වල්ලී - creeper
විතානං - canopy; lattice; spread
කුඨාරිකා - small axe; hatchet
විපුලවිලල්ලජ්ජාවල්ලීවිතානකුඨාරිකා - like a hatchet that cuts down the luxuriant lattice of modesty (compound)
ජඨරඃ - belly; stomach
පිඨරී - pit; cavity
දුස්පුරා - hard to fill
ඉයං - this
කරෝති - makes; causes
විඩංබනං - mockery; humiliation; parody

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
This hard-to-fill pit of the stomach makes a mockery: it is expert at cutting the knot of cherished pride, it shines like moonlight that makes virtues bloom, and it acts like an axe that fells even luxuriant modesty.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Hunger is described as a ruthless teacher. When the ජඨර (belly) demands, the mind drops its social masks: pride loosens, shame fades, and even virtues can suddenly appear - not always because the heart became noble, but because survival forced simplicity. The verse is a warning about how quickly "principles" can change when we have not built inner strength. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

We can see this around financial stress and insecurity: people who were polished become harsh; people who were generous become calculating; people who were modest become desperate for attention. It is also why we should be cautious about judging others: many compromises are made under the pressure of scarcity. Bhartruhari's point is to cultivate a life where basic needs are steady, so your ethics and dignity are not held hostage by circumstance. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: build one layer of steadiness - a small savings buffer, a simpler diet, or a lower-cost lifestyle - so that panic does not drive choices. At the same time, keep compassion alive: support අන්න-දාන (food-giving) and speak respectfully to those who serve you. Let hunger teach humility, not bitterness.

පුණ්යේ ග්රාමේ වනේ වා මහති සිතපටච්ඡන්නපාලී කපාලිං
හ්යාදාය න්යායගර්භද්විජහුතහුතභුග්ධූමධූම්රෝපකංඨේ ।
ද්වාරං ද්වාරං ප්රවිෂ්ටෝ වරං උදරදරීපූරණාය ක්ෂුධාර්තෝ
මානී ප්රාණෛඃ සනාථෝ න පුනරනුදිනං තුල්යකුල්යේසු දීනඃ ॥ 3.23 ॥

ඡංදඃ (ස්රග්ධරා): This is in ස්රග්ධරා (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 21 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `GGGGLGG LLLLLLG GLGGLGG`; යති (pause) is after the 7th and 14th syllables in each පාද.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පුණ්යේ - in a holy place
ග්රාමේ - in a village
වනේ - in a forest
වා - or
මහති - vast; great
සිත - white
පටඃ - cloth
ච්ඡන්න - covered
පාලී - covering/wrapper (as written)
කපාලිං - a beggar's bowl
ආදාය - taking (in hand)
න්යාය - proper rite; rule
ගර්භඃ - filled with; containing
ද්විජඃ - Brahmin
හුතං - offering; sacrifice
හුතභුග් - fire ("eater" of offerings)
ධූම - smoke
ධූම්ර - smoke-grey
උපකංඨේ - on the outskirts
ද්වාරං ද්වාරං - door to door
ප්රවිෂ්ටඃ - having entered
වරං - better
උදරං - belly
දරී - cave; hollow
පූරණාය - for filling
ක්ෂුධාර්තඃ - afflicted by hunger
මානී - self-respecting
ප්රාණෛඃ - with (only) one's life-breath
සනාථඃ - supported; having refuge
න පුනර් - not again
අනුදිනං - day after day
තුල්ය - equal; peer
කුල්යේශු - among kinsmen/companions (as written)
දීනඃ - wretched; humbled

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Better, when hungry, to take the begging bowl covered with a white cloth and go door to door in a holy village or in a great forest whose outskirts are grey with sacrificial smoke, simply to fill the cave of the belly - than to be day after day a miserable dependent among one's peers and kinsmen.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse draws a sharp line between simple need and corrosive dependence. A renunciant's alms are asked openly, with minimal expectation, and without entanglement; but dependence among peers often comes with silent bargaining, shame, and resentment. Bhartruhari is saying: do not live in a way that turns everyday relationships into a place of hidden begging. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In contemporary life, this could mean refusing to build a lifestyle that requires constant favors: repeated borrowing, leaning on connections to escape consequences, or staying in unhealthy arrangements because "someone will handle it." Paradoxically, taking up humble honest work - even if it feels socially "lower" - often preserves more dignity than living on subtle manipulation. This is a practical face of වෛරාග්ය (dispassion): choosing freedom over appearance.

Practice: identify one dependency that makes you lose self-respect - financial, emotional, or social. Replace it with one concrete step toward self-reliance: a new income skill, a boundary, or a simpler budget. Keep gratitude for anyone who helps you, but do not build your identity on being carried.

ගංගාතරංගකණශීකරශීතලානි
විද්යාධරාධ්යුෂිතචාරුශිලාතලානි ।
ස්ථානානි කිං හිමවතඃ ප්රලයං ගතානි
යත්සාවමානපරපිංඩරතා මනුෂ්යාඃ ॥ 3.24 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ගංගා - the river Ganga
තරංගඃ - wave
කණඃ - drop; particle
ශීකරඃ - spray; fine mist
ශීතලානි - cool; soothing (n. pl.)
විද්යාධර - celestial being (a class of beings)
අධ්යුෂිත - inhabited by
චාරු - beautiful
ශිලාතලානි - rocky plateaus
ස්ථානානි - places; haunts
කිම් - whether?
හිමවතඃ - of the Himalaya
ප්රලයං - dissolution; destruction
ගතානි - gone; perished
යත් - because
සාවමාන - with contempt; with insult
පර - another's
පිංඩඃ - morsel; food
රතාඃ - attached to; delighting in
මනුෂ්යාඃ - people

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Have the cool Himalayan retreats - chilled by the Ganga's spray and graced by lovely rock-ledges - vanished into destruction, that people choose to live on others' morsels even while accepting insult?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse uses exaggeration as a mirror: nature has not disappeared, but our imagination of "comfort" makes us forget simple sufficiency. Instead of seeking a clean, simple life, people accept humiliation for food - flattering the powerful, tolerating abuse, and surrendering freedom. Bhartruhari is asking: if the world offers even a little independence, why trade it for contempt? Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In current terms, this can look like enduring a degrading workplace only to fund status consumption, or staying trapped in a social circle where you must constantly perform for access. The verse is not prescribing that everyone must run to the Himalayas; it is pointing to an inner Himalaya: the ability to live with less so your dignity is not for sale. When desires are reduced, choices expand. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: reduce one status-driven expense and redirect that energy to a life-giving alternative - health, learning, time in nature, or service. Notice how quickly self-respect returns when you stop buying approval. Cultivate අපරිග්රහ (non-hoarding) as a practical way to protect your freedom.

කිං කංදාඃ කංදරේභ්යඃ ප්රලයං උපගතා නිර්ඣරා වා ගිරිභ්යඃ
ප්රධ්වස්තා වා තරුභ්යඃ සරසගලභෘතෝ වල්කලින්යශ්ච ශාඛාඃ ।
වීක්ෂ්යංතේ යන්මුඛානි ප්රසභං අපගතප්රශ්රයාණාං ඛලානාං
දුඃඛාප්තස්වල්පවිත්තස්මයපවනවශානර්තිතභ්රූලතානි ॥ 3.25 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
කිම් - have/has (it happened that...?)
කංදාඃ - roots; tubers
කංදරේභ්යඃ - from caves
ප්රලයං උපගතාඃ - perished; gone to destruction
නිර්ඣරාඃ - streams; waterfalls
ගිරිභ්යඃ - from mountains
ප්රධ්වස්තාඃ - destroyed
තරුභ්යඃ - from trees
සරසගලභෘතඃ - bearing juicy fruits (compound as written)
වල්කලින්යඃ - having bark (as clothing/cover)
ශාඛාඃ - branches
වීක්ෂ්යංතේ - (they) look at; see
යත් - because; since
මුඛානි - faces
ප්රසභං - forcibly; against one's will
අපගත - gone; lost
ප්රශ්රයඃ - humility; courtesy
ඛලාඃ - rogues; low people
දුඃඛාප්ත - obtained with difficulty
ස්වල්ප - little
විත්තං - wealth
ස්මයඃ - pride; arrogance
පවනඃ - wind
වශඃ - under the control (of)
නර්තිත - made to dance
භ්රූ - eyebrow
ලතානි - creepers (metaphor)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Have cave-roots vanished, have mountain streams dried up, or have trees with juicy fruits and bark-bearing branches been destroyed - that people must, against their will, look upon the faces of insolent rogues who have lost all courtesy, their eyebrow-creepers dancing under the wind of pride from hard-won little wealth?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse mocks the arrogance of small success. A little money earned with difficulty can intoxicate the insecure mind, producing ස්මය (pride) and cruelty. Bhartruhari's sting is that such people are not powerful in any real sense; they are simply loud - and dependence forces others to endure their faces. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

We meet this "petty power" today in many forms: a minor promotion turning into harshness, a gatekeeper mentality in bureaucracy, or someone who finally gets a little leverage and uses it to humiliate others. The verse again points to the same remedy: reduce dependence and cultivate inner dignity. It also reminds us to watch our own behavior when we get small wins - do we become more humble, or more arrogant? This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: choose one concrete step that reduces your need to appease arrogant people - diversify income, build savings, or set boundaries with a toxic authority. And in your own sphere, treat those with less power with respect. Let මාන (self-respect) express itself as courtesy, not contempt.

පුණ්යෛර්මූලඵලෛස්තථා ප්රණයිනීං වෘත්තිං කුරුෂ්වාධුනා
භූශය්යාං නවපල්ලවෛරකෘපණෛරුත්තිෂ්ඨ යාවෝ වනම් ।
ක්ෂුද්රාණාං අවිවේකමූඪමනසාං යත්රේශ්වරාණාං සදා
විත්තව්යාධිවිකාරවිහ්වලගිරාං නාමාපි න ශ්රූයතේ ॥ 3.26 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පුණ්යෛඃ - with sacred; auspicious
මූල - roots
ඵ්හලෛර් - with fruits (in verse: පලෛස්තථා)
තථා - and thus
ප්රණයිනීං - loving; dear (f.)
වෘත්තිං - livelihood; mode of living
කුරුෂ්ව - do; adopt
අධුනා - now
භූ - earth
ශය්යාං - bed
නව - fresh; new
පල්ලවෛඃ - with tender leaves
අකෘපණෛඃ - not miserly; not mean
උත්තිෂ්ඨ - rise up
යාවෝ - let us go
වනං - to the forest
ක්ෂුද්රාණාං - of petty people
අවිවේක - lack of discernment
මූඪ - deluded
මනසාං - minds
යත්ර - where
ඊශ්වරාණාං - of the powerful/wealthy
සදා - always
විත්ත - wealth
ව්යාධි - disease
විකාර - disturbance; disorder
විහ්වල - agitated; distressed
ගිරාං - speech; talk
නාම - name
අපි - even
න ශ්රූයතේ - is not heard

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Now make your livelihood lovingly with sacred roots and fruits, make the earth your bed with fresh tender leaves, and rise - let us go to the forest, where the very names of petty people with deluded minds, who forever chatter anxiously about wealth and power, are not even heard.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Here renunciation is described as a change of environment and a change of attention. The "forest" stands for a life where basic needs are simple and the mind is not constantly stirred by the gossip of acquisition. Bhartruhari calls the obsessions of the wealthy a විත්ත-ව්යාධි (disease of wealth): even after gaining, the mind remains agitated by fear, comparison, and maintenance. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

Most people do not move to literal forests, but the same medicine is available: reduce exposure to endless financial noise and status talk. If your mind is fed all day with "who has what" and "what could go wrong", your inner peace will be permanently taxed. Advaita texts repeatedly point out that freedom is not produced by possessions; it is revealed when attachment loosens and attention returns inward. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: create a small daily "forest" window - no news, no social comparison, no shopping. Eat simply, walk, study, and sit quietly. If you cannot change your outer life immediately, change your inputs and your pace. Over time, you will see that fewer wants create more space for clarity.

ඵලං ස්වේච්ඡාලභ්යං ප්රතිවනං අඛේදං ක්ෂිතිරුහාං
පයඃ ස්ථානේ ස්ථානේ ශිශිරමධුරං පුණ්යසරිතාම් ।
මෘදුස්පර්ශා ශය්යා සුලලිතලතාපල්ලවමයී
සහංතේ සංතාපං තදපි ධනිනාං ද්වාරි කෘපණාඃ ॥ 3.27 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ඵලං - fruit
ස්ව - one's own
ඉච්ඡා - wish; desire
ස්වේච්ඡාලභ්යං - obtainable at will
ප්රතිවනං - in every forest
අඛේදං - without trouble; effortlessly
ක්ෂිතිරුහාං - of trees
පයඃ - water
ස්ථානේ ස්ථානේ - in every place
ශිශිර - cool
මධුරං - sweet
පුණ්ය - sacred; holy
සරිතාං - of rivers
මෘදු - soft
ස්පර්ශා - to the touch
ශය්යා - bed
සු - very; well
ලලිත - tender; delicate
ලතා - creeper
පල්ලව - fresh leaves
මයී - made of
සහංතේ - endure
සංතාපං - heat; distress
තද් අපි - even then
ධනිනාං - of the wealthy
ද්වාරි - at the door
කෘපණාඃ - wretched; miserly-minded

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Fruits can be had at will in every forest, cool sweet water is found everywhere from holy rivers, and a soft bed can be made from tender leafy creepers - and yet these wretched people still endure suffering at the doors of the rich.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse points out a strange tragedy: even when simple sustenance is available, the mind chases the glitter of wealth and ends up begging for access. The real poverty is not shortage of resources; it is shortage of contentment. When desire becomes comparison, the person forgets what is enough and accepts needless humiliation. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is visible in lifestyle inflation: basic needs are met, but standards keep rising because of social pressure. People then tolerate unreasonable conditions - at work, in relationships, in social circles - just to maintain a certain image. The verse is a reminder that freedom often begins by lowering the "required" level of comfort and recovering the joy of sufficiency. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: run a deliberate experiment in sufficiency. For one week, choose simple food, fewer purchases, and less social display, and notice what happens to your mood. Use the saved time for rest, learning, or service. Each time you choose "enough", you strengthen වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) and reduce the need to knock on the rich person's door.

යේ වර්තංතේ ධනපතිපුරඃ ප්රාර්ථනාදුඃඛභාජෝ
යේ චාල්පත්වං දධති විෂයාක්ෂේපපර්යාප්තබුද්ධේඃ ।
තේෂාං අංතඃස්ඵුරිතහසිතං වාසරාණි ස්මරේයං
ධ්යානච්ඡේදේ ශිඛරිකුහරග්රාවශය්යානිෂණ්ණඃ ॥ 3.28 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මංදාක්රාංතා): This is in මංදාක්රාංතා (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 17 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `GGGG LLLLLG GLGGLGG`; යති (pause) is after the 4th and 10th syllables in each පාද.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
යේ - those who
වර්තංතේ - live; exist
ධන - wealth
පති - lord; master
පුරඃ - in front of
ප්රාර්ථනා - begging; request
දුඃඛ - sorrow
භාජඃ - partakers; those who suffer
යේ - those who
ච - and
අල්පත්වං - meanness; littleness
දධති - assume; take on
විෂය - sense-objects
ආක්ෂේපඃ - distraction; throwing about
පර්යාප්ත - satisfied; content with
බුද්ධේඃ - minds/understanding
තේෂාං - of them
අංතඃ - within
ස්ඵුරිත - arising; flashing
හසිතං - laughter; smile
වාසරාණි - days
ස්මරේයං - may I remember
ධ්යාන - meditation
ච්ඡේදඃ - break; pause
ශිඛරි - mountain peak
කුහරඃ - cave
ග්රාව - stone
ශය්යා - bed
නිෂණ්ණඃ - seated; resting

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
May I remember, with an inward smile, the days of those who suffer begging before the wealthy, and of those who embrace meanness with minds content only with sensory distraction, while I lie on a stone-bed in a mountain cave during pauses in meditation.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse captures a quiet joy that comes after stepping away from the race. When you are no longer chasing approval or distraction, the old compulsions look almost comic - not because others are "bad", but because you see how the mind once ran after things that never truly satisfied. That inward smile is a sign of freedom: you are no longer hypnotized by what hypnotizes the crowd. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

Many people experience a smaller version of this after a retreat, a period of solitude, or a serious life event: you look back at the anxiety over status, the endless bargaining with bosses or audiences, and you realize how much energy was spent to protect an image. Krishnamurti often points out that living in images is bondage; when the image drops, there is simplicity. This verse encourages that drop. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: take one deliberate pause each day that is free from performance - no posting, no checking, no proving. Sit quietly and observe the mind's urge to "be someone". Over weeks, you will naturally begin to smile at old patterns, and that gentle amusement becomes a stable form of වෛරාග්ය.

යේ සංතෝෂනිරංතරප්රමුදිතස්තේෂාං න භින්නා මුදෝ
යේ ත්වන්යේ ධනලුබ්ධසංකලධියස්තේසාං න තෘෂ්ණාහතා ।
ඉත්ථං කස්ය කෘතේ කුතඃ ස විධිනා කීදෘක්පදං සංපදාං
ස්වාත්මන්යේව සමාප්තහේමමහිමා මේරුර්න මේ රෝචතේ ॥ 3.29 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
යේ - those who
සංතෝෂ - contentment
නිරංතර - uninterrupted; continual
ප්රමුදිතඃ - joyful
තේෂාං - of them
න - not
භ්හින්නා - broken; interrupted
මුදා - joy
යේ - those who
තු - but
අන්යේ - others
ධන - wealth
ලුබ්ධඃ - greedy
සංකල - confused; mixed up
ධියඃ - minds/understanding
තේෂාං - of them
න - not
තෘෂ්ණා - craving
හතා - destroyed; killed
ඉත්ථං - thus
කස්ය - for whom?
කෘතේ - for the sake of
කුතඃ - why? whence?
සඃ - that
විධිනා - by the Creator
කීදෘක් - what kind of?
පදං - state; position
සංපදාං - of riches; wealth
ස්වාත්මනි - in itself
ඒව - indeed
සමාප්ත - complete; ending in
හේම - gold
මහිමා - glory
මේරුඃ - Mount Meru
න - not
මේ - to me
රෝචතේ - pleases; appeals

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Those whose joy is continually rooted in contentment never have their happiness broken; but those greedy for wealth, with confused minds, never have their craving destroyed. So why did the Creator fashion the mountain Meru, whose golden glory is complete in itself? It does not attract me.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse contrasts two inner states: සංතෝෂ (contentment) produces stable joy, while greed produces endless thirst. Even if a "Meru" of riches exists, it cannot help a mind trained to want more. Bhartruhari is not denying the usefulness of wealth; he is rejecting the fantasy that wealth can finish the heart's restlessness. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is the modern "hedonic treadmill": income rises, expenses rise, and satisfaction remains flat. Schopenhauer's critique of desire applies here: the will chases, briefly rests, and then suffers again. When the craving mechanism is not addressed, even a mountain of gold becomes a new source of anxiety and comparison. Contentment, by contrast, is a skill - a way of relating to life. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: define "enough" for one category (income, possessions, recognition) and set a cap. Each month, redirect one portion of surplus to දාන (generosity) or to experiences that deepen you rather than inflate you. Train the mind to enjoy simplicity; then even without Meru, you will feel rich.

භික්ෂාහාරං අදෛන්යං අප්රතිසුඛං භීතිච්ඡිදං සර්වතෝ
දුර්මාත්සර්යමදාභිමානමථනං දුඃඛෞඝවිධ්වංසනම් ।
සර්වත්රාන්වහං අප්රයත්නසුලභං සාධුප්රියං පාවනං
ශංභෝඃ සත්රං අවායං අක්ෂයනිධිං ශංසංති යෝගීශ්වරාඃ ॥ 3.30 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භික්ෂා - alms; begging (as a discipline)
ආහාරඃ - food; sustenance
අදෛන්යං - without wretchedness; not degrading
අ - not
ප්රති - dependent (on)
සුඛං - joy
අප්රතිසුඛං - joy that is not dependent on others' favor
භීතිච්ඡිද් - fear-destroying
සර්වතඃ - from all sides; altogether
දුර්මාත්සර්ය - wicked envy
මදඃ - intoxication; arrogance
අභිමානඃ - pride; self-conceit
මථනං - churning; crushing; destroying
දුඃඛ - sorrow
ඕඝඃ - flood; stream
විධ්වංසනං - destruction
සර්වත්ර - everywhere
අන්වහං - day by day; always
අප්රයත්න - without great effort
සුලභං - easily obtainable
සාධු - holy person; good person
ප්රියං - dear; beloved
පාවනං - purifying
ශංභෝඃ - of Shiva
සත්රං - feeding hall; charity kitchen
අයං - this (in verse: අවායං)
අක්ෂය - inexhaustible
නිධිඃ - treasure
ශංසංති - praise; describe
යෝගීශ්වරාඃ - great yogis

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Food obtained as alms is not degrading; it gives a joy that does not depend on pleasing others, and it is free from fear. It crushes envy, arrogance, and pride, destroys the flood of suffering, is available everywhere day after day with little effort, dear to the holy and purifying. The perfected yogis praise it as Shiva's inexhaustible charity kitchen, always accessible.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse re-frames alms as a discipline rather than a humiliation. When taken in the right spirit, භික්ෂා breaks ego - envy, pride, and the subtle belief that "I must control everything." It also removes fear, because the person learns to live with fewer demands. Calling it Shiva's සත්ර (feeding hall) suggests a sacred trust: the world provides enough for the one who is simple.

For householders, the inner lesson is larger than literal begging. Any time you reduce dependency on approval, you gain fearlessness: you can speak honestly, you can walk away from manipulative systems, and you can live within your means. The verse also quietly urges compassion: if alms are sacred, then feeding others and supporting those in transition is a form of worship. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: keep one "simple day" each week: eat plain food, spend minimally, and reduce entertainment. Use the saved time or money for සේව (service) - feeding someone, donating, or volunteering. This trains the mind to find joy in simplicity and gives you the confidence that life can be lived without constant bargaining.

භෝගේ රෝගභයං කුලේ ච්යුතිභයං විත්තේ නෘපාලාද්භයං
මානේ දෛන්යභයං බලේ රිපුභයං රූපේ ජරායා භයම් ।
ශාස්ත්රේ වාදිභයං ගුණේ ඛලභයං කායේ කෘතාංතාද්භයං
සර්වං වස්තු භයාන්විතං භුවි නෘණාං වෛරාග්යමේවාභයම් ॥ 3.31 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භෝගඃ - enjoyment; sense-pleasure (in verse: භෝගේ = "in enjoyment")
රෝගඃ - disease
භයං - fear
කුලං - family; lineage (in verse: කුලේ)
ච්යුතිඃ - fall; loss of status
විත්තං - wealth; money (in verse: විත්තේ)
නෘපාලඃ - ruler; king (in verse: නෘපාලාත්)
මානඃ - honor; esteem (in verse: මානේ)
දෛන්යං - humiliation; wretchedness
බලං - strength; power (in verse: බලේ)
රිපුඃ - enemy (in verse: රිපු)
රූපං - beauty; appearance (in verse: රූපේ)
ජරා - old age; decay
ශාස්ත්රං - learning; scripture (in verse: ශාස්ත්රේ)
වාදී - disputant; challenger
ගුණඃ - virtue; good quality (in verse: ගුණේ)
ඛ්හලඃ - wicked person; scoundrel
කායඃ - body (in verse: කායේ)
කෘතාංතඃ - death; the "end" (in verse: කෘතාංතාත්)
සර්වං - all; everything
වස්තු - thing; object
භයාන්විතං - pervaded by fear
භුවි - on earth
නෘණාං - of humans
වෛරාග්යං - dispassion; non-clinging
ඒව - alone
අභයං - fearlessness

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In pleasure there is fear of illness; in family, fear of decline; in wealth, fear of rulers; in honor, fear of humiliation; in strength, fear of enemies; in beauty, fear of old age; in learning, fear of challengers; in virtue, fear of the wicked; in the body, fear of death. Everything people hold in the world is mixed with fear; only dispassion is without fear.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse makes a blunt psychological claim: fear is woven into attachment. Whatever you "have" can be lost; whatever you identify with can be threatened. The list is not pessimism for its own sake - it is meant to show that the mind cannot reach lasting safety by rearranging externals. When වෛරාග්ය (non-clinging) grows, fear reduces because there is less to defend and less to lose. Notice the chain Bhartruhari is pointing at: රාග (attachment) quietly breeds භය (fear), because whatever you cling to becomes something you must protect; වෛරාග්ය breaks that chain.

This aligns neatly with an අද්වෛත insight: ද්විතීයාද්වෛ භයං භවති - fear arises from "a second" (from duality, from seeing something as other-than-me). As long as we build our self on possessions, status, or roles, we must stay anxious. The movement toward inner freedom is the movement toward අභය (fearlessness), which the Upanishads praise as the nature of the Real.

Practice: list three recurring fears (health, money, reputation, relationships) and ask which attachment fuels each one. Reduce one attachment intentionally: simplify one possession, lower one status-demand, or loosen one compulsion to control outcomes. Pair that with a short daily meditation on what does not change - steady awareness itself. Fear loosens when the inner anchor becomes stronger than the outer circumstances.

ආක්රාංතං මරණේන ජන්ම ජරසා චාත්යුජ්ජ්වලං යෞවනං
සංතෝෂෝ ධනලිප්සයා ශමසුඛං ප්රෞඪාංගනාවිභ්රමෛඃ ।
ලෝකෛර්මත්සරිභිර්ගුණා වනභුවෝ ව්යාලෛර්නෘපා දුර්ජනෛර්
අස්ථෛර්යේණ විභූතයෝऽප්යපහතා ග්රස්තං න කිං කේන වා ॥ 3.32 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආක්රාංතං - overrun; seized
මරණං - death (in verse: මරණේන = by death)
ජන්ම - birth
ජරා - old age
අති - very
උජ්ජ්වලං - bright; radiant
යෞවනං - youth
සංතෝෂඃ - contentment
ධන - wealth
ලිප්සා - greedy longing
ශම - calmness; peace
සුඛං - happiness
ශමසුඛං - the happiness of peace
ප්රෞඪා - mature; full-grown
අංගනා - woman
විභ්රමෛඃ - by charms; by wiles
ලෝකෛඃ - by people
මත්සරිභිඃ - envious
ගුණාඃ - virtues; good qualities
වන - forest
භුවඃ - tracts/lands
ව්යාලෛඃ - wild beasts; dangerous creatures
නෘපාඃ - kings; rulers
දුර්ජනෛඃ - wicked people
අස්ථෛර්යේණ - by instability; by inconstancy
විභූතයඃ - fortunes; prosperities
අපි - even
අපහතාඃ - struck down; destroyed
ග්රස්තං - swallowed; seized
න කිං - what is not?
කේන වා - by whom indeed?

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Birth is seized by death, bright youth by old age; contentment by greed for wealth, and the happiness of peace by the charms of passion. Virtues are attacked by envy, forest-lands by beasts, kings by the wicked, and even prosperity by instability. What, then, is not afflicted by something or other?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse dismantles the fantasy of a "safe" worldly arrangement. Every domain has its predator: health has illness, power has enemies, virtue has jealousy, wealth has calamity. The point is not to become paranoid; it is to stop building your identity on what is inherently vulnerable. When you see this clearly, dispassion becomes natural rather than forced. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In daily life this shows up as the constant background hum of risk-management: protecting reputation, guarding assets, scanning for threats, keeping up appearances. None of this is wrong in moderation, but when it becomes the center of life it produces chronic tension. The verse is urging a shift from external security to inner stability - from constantly "fixing" life to understanding life. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: simplify one fragile dependency. Reduce what you must protect: fewer commitments, fewer unnecessary possessions, fewer ego-roles. Use the freed energy to build inner steadiness through study and meditation. The more your peace depends on your own mind, the less you are shaken by the inevitable "predators" of circumstance.

ආධිව්යාධිශතෛර්ජනස්ය විවිධෛරාරෝග්යං උන්මූල්යතේ
ලක්ෂ්මීර්යත්ර පතංති තත්ර විවෘතද්වාරා ඉව ව්යාපදඃ ।
ජාතං ජාතං අවශ්යං ආශු විවශං මෘත්යුඃ කරෝත්යාත්මසාත්
තත්කිං තේන නිරංකුශේන විධිනා යන්නිර්මිතං සුස්ථිරම් ॥ 3.33 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආධි - mental affliction; worry
ව්යාධි - physical disease
ශතෛඃ - by hundreds
ජනස්ය - of people
විවිධෛඃ - of various kinds
ආරෝග්යං - health
උන්මූල්යතේ - is uprooted; destroyed
ලක්ෂ්මීඃ - fortune; wealth
යත්ර - where
පතංති - falls; arrives
තත්ර - there
විවෘත - opened
ද්වාරාඃ - doors
ඉව - like
ව්යාපදඃ - calamities; adversities
ජාතං ජාතං - whatever is born, again and again
අවශ්යං - certainly
ආශු - quickly
විවශං - helpless
මෘත්යුඃ - death
කරෝති - makes
ආත්මසාත් - its own; "absorbs" into itself
තත්කිම් - then what?
තේන - by that
නිරංකුශේන - uncontrolled; without a goad
විධිනා - by the Creator
යත් - what (that which)
නිර්මිතං - made; created
සුස්ථිරං - truly stable

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Hundreds of varied ailments uproot people's health. Wherever fortune settles, misfortunes arrive as if through doors flung wide open. Whatever is born, death quickly makes helpless and claims again and again. What, then, has this uncontrolled Creator made that can be called truly stable?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse presses the same point with sharper images. Wealth is not only unstable; it attracts new anxieties - protection, comparison, loss, and conflict. Health is fragile. And death is not negotiable. Bhartruhari calls the Creator නිරංකුශ (without a goad) to emphasize that the world is not designed to conform to our demand for permanence. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is why clinging hurts: we expect stability where the system offers change. Modern life adds new layers - insurance, forecasts, analytics - but the basic truth remains: nothing external is finally controllable. The verse does not ask you to become careless; it asks you to stop treating external management as the source of peace. That peace must come from a deeper ground. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: keep your responsibilities, but loosen inner expectation. Do one short daily reflection: "What I can control is my action and attitude, not outcomes." Then invest in the stable: character, learning, and inner practice. When your center shifts, even illness or loss becomes less psychologically catastrophic.

භෝගාස්තුංගතරංගභංගතරලාඃ ප්රාණාඃ ක්ෂණධ්වංසිනඃ
ස්තෝකාන්යේව දිනානි යෞවනසුඛං ස්ඵූර්තිඃ ප්රියාසු ස්ථිතා ।
තත්සංසාරං අසාරං ඒව නිඛිලං බුද්ධ්වා බුධා බෝධකා
ලෝකානුග්රහපේශලේන මනසා යත්නඃ සමාධීයතාම් ॥ 3.34 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භෝගාඃ - pleasures; enjoyments
තුංග - high
තරංගඃ - wave
භ්හංගඃ - breaking; crash
තරලාඃ - fickle; unstable
ප්රාණාඃ - life-breaths; life
ක්ෂණ - moment
ධ්වංසිනඃ - perishing; being destroyed
ස්තෝකානි - a few; small in number
දිනානි - days
යෞවන - youth
සුඛං - happiness/pleasure
ස්ඵූර්තිඃ - thrill; zest
ප්රියාසු - in beloveds
ස්ථිතා - situated; resting
තත්සංසාරං - that worldly life
අසාරං - without essence
ඒව - indeed
නිඛිලං - entire; all
බුද්ධ්වා - having understood
බුධාඃ - wise people
බෝධකාඃ - teachers; awakeners
ලෝක - people/world
අනුග්රහඃ - welfare; compassion
පේශල - tender; gentle
මනසා - with the mind
යත්නඃ - effort
සමාධීයතාං - should be applied/placed (toward සමාධි)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Pleasures are fickle like the crash of tall waves; life can be destroyed in a moment; the days of youthful happiness are few, and passion's thrill rests in the beloved. Knowing this whole cycle of worldly life to be without substance, let the wise teachers, with a mind softened by compassion for the world, strive for inner absorption.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is important because it refuses escapism. Bhartruhari sees impermanence clearly, but he does not turn it into cynicism; he turns it into සමාධි (inner steadiness) and ලෝකානුග්රහ (care for others). When your own mind becomes stable, you naturally become more useful to the world: less reactive, less self-centered, more grounded.

In practical terms, the mind wastes enormous energy chasing waves: short-lived highs, short-lived relationships, short-lived thrills. That chase produces burnout and fragmentation. The verse suggests a better use of energy: invest in depth. Even a small daily contemplative practice produces a kind of stability that makes you kinder and more effective - at home, at work, and in service. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: keep one fixed daily time for inner work - meditation, prayer, or study - even if it is brief. Pair it with one act of අනුකංපා (compassion): help someone quietly, without display. The combination of inner depth and outer kindness is the verse's prescription for living wisely in an impermanent world.

භෝගා මේඝවිතානමධ්යවිලසත්සෞදාමිනීචංචලා
ආයුර්වායුවිඝට්ටිතාබ්ජපටලීලීනාංබුවද්භංගුරම් ।
ලීලා යෞවනලාලසාස්තනුභෘතාං ඉත්යාකලය්ය ද්රුතං
යෝගේ ධෛර්යසමාධිසිද්ධිසුලභේ බුද්ධිං විදධ්වං බුධාඃ ॥ 3.35 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භෝගාඃ - pleasures; enjoyments
මේඝ - cloud
විතානං - canopy
මධ්යේ - in the middle
විලසත් - flashing; shining
සෞදාමිනී - lightning
චංචලා - fickle; unsteady
ආයුඃ - lifespan
වායුඃ - wind
විඝට්ටිත - shaken; struck
අබ්ජ - lotus
පටලී - cluster; mass
ලීන - merged; settled
අංබු - water-drop
භංගුරං - fragile; perishable
ලෝලා - wavering; fickle
යෞවන - youth
ලාලසා - longing; craving
තනුභෘතාං - of embodied beings
ඉති - thus
ආකලය්ය - having considered
ද්රුතං - quickly
යෝගේ - in yoga; disciplined practice
ධෛර්ය - steadiness; courage
සමාධි - absorption
සිද්ධි - attainment; success
සුලභේ - easily obtainable
බුද්ධිං - mind; understanding
විදධ්වං - place; establish
බුධාඃ - wise ones

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Pleasures are fickle like lightning flashing in cloud-canopies. Life is as fragile as a drop resting on a lotus petal, shaken by the wind. Youthful longings waver like a game. Seeing this clearly, wise people quickly steady the mind in disciplined practice that yields courage, inner absorption, and real attainment.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a call to urgency without panic. The images are meant to break procrastination: if life can change in a moment, then postponing inner work is foolish. Bhartruhari is not anti-joy; he is anti-delusion. Enjoy what is appropriate, but do not expect it to be stable, and do not delay the cultivation of what actually stabilizes the mind. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

Today this applies to how quickly conditions shift - health scares, job changes, relationship turns, even global events. Many people respond by doubling down on distraction. The verse recommends the opposite: build ධෛර්ය (steadiness) and සමාධි (collected attention) so you can meet change without being shattered by it.

Practice: commit to a small, non-negotiable daily discipline: 10 minutes of meditation, or 30 minutes of focused study, or a fixed prayer routine. Let the practice be simple and repeatable; intensity is less important than continuity. Over time, your mind becomes less lightning-like and more lamp-like.

ආයුඃ කල්ලෝලලෝලං කතිපයදිවසස්ථායිනී යෞවනශ්රීඃ
අර්ථාඃ සංකල්පකල්පා ඝනසමයතඩිද්විභ්රමා භෝගපූගාඃ ।
කංඨාශ්ලේෂෝපගූඪං තදපි ච න චිරං යත්ප්රියාභිඃ ප්රණීතං
බ්රහ්මණ්යාසක්තචිත්තා භවත භවභයාංභෝධිපාරං තරීතුම් ॥ 3.36 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආයුඃ - lifespan; life
කල්ලෝලඃ - wave
ලෝලං - wavering; restless
කතිපය - a few; some
දිවසාඃ - days
ස්ථායිනී - lasting; staying
යෞවන - youth
ශ්රීඃ - splendor; prosperity
අර්ථාඃ - wealth; possessions
සංකල්පඃ - thought; imagination
කල්පාඃ - like; comparable to
ඝන - dense; clouded
සමයඃ - time; season
තඩිත් - lightning
විභ්රමාඃ - fleeting displays; illusions (in verse: විභ්රමා)
භෝග - enjoyment
පූගාඃ - heaps; clusters
කංඨඃ - neck
ආශ්ලේෂඃ - embrace
උපගූඪං - closely hugged
තද් අපි - even that
න චිරං - not long
යත් - which
ප්රියාභිඃ - by beloveds
ප්රණීතං - bestowed; brought about
බ්රහ්මණි - in the Absolute (in verse: බ්රහ්මණ්ය්)
ආසක්ත - attached; devoted
චිත්තාඃ - minds
භවත - become; be
භව - worldly existence; becoming
භය - fear
අංබෝධිඃ - ocean
පාරං - farther shore
තරීතුං - to cross

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Life wavers like waves; the splendor of youth lasts only a few days. Wealth is as fleeting as a thought, and heaps of pleasures are like lightning in stormy seasons. Even a beloved's close embrace does not last long. So fix your mind on the Absolute, if you want to cross the ocean of fear that belongs to worldly existence.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is a complete argument in four lines: everything external is unstable, so place love and attention on what is stable. Bhartruhari is not saying "do not love"; he is saying "do not pretend the changing can give the unchanging." When affection, wealth, and pleasure are seen as temporary, the mind stops demanding eternity from them. Notice the chain Bhartruhari is pointing at: රාග (attachment) quietly breeds භය (fear), because whatever you cling to becomes something you must protect; වෛරාග්ය breaks that chain.

Many modern anxieties come from the mismatch between expectation and reality: expecting permanent youth, permanent romance, permanent security. When life inevitably changes, the mind feels betrayed. The verse suggests a wiser strategy: let externals be enjoyed as gifts, and let the inner anchor be භ්රහ්ම (the Absolute, pure consciousness). Then change is not a catastrophe; it is simply the nature of the world.

Practice: once a day, name one change you are resisting and consciously soften your grip. Replace one minute of worry with one minute of remembrance: "What is unchanging is awareness itself." If the mind keeps returning to demands, return it gently to steady practice. Dispassion is not dryness; it is the freedom to love without fear.

කෘච්ඡ්රේණාමේධ්යමධ්යේ නියමිතතනුභිඃ ස්ථීයතේ ගර්භවාසේ
කාංතාවිශ්ලේෂදුඃඛව්යතිකරවිෂමෝ යෞවනේ චෝපභෝගඃ ।
වාමාක්ෂීණාං අවජ්ඤාවිහසිතවසතිර්වෘද්ධභාවෝऽන්යසාධුඃ
සංසාරේ රේ මනුෂ්යා වදත යදි සුඛං ස්වල්පං අප්යස්ති කිංචිථ් ॥ 3.37 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
කෘච්ඡ්රේණ - with difficulty; painfully
අමේධ්ය - impure; filthy
මධ්යේ - in the midst
නියමිත - restrained; confined
තනුභිඃ - with the body/limbs
ස්ථීයතේ - one stays; one is made to remain
ගර්භවාසඃ - dwelling in the womb
කාංතා - beloved
විශ්ලේෂඃ - separation
දුඃඛං - sorrow
ව්යතිකරඃ - mixture; interweaving
විෂමඃ - painful; harsh
යෞවනේ - in youth
ච - and
උපභෝගඃ - enjoyment
වාමාක්ෂීණාං - of beautiful-eyed women
අවජ්ඤා - contempt
විහසිත - laughed at
වසතිඃ - dwelling; state
වෘද්ධභවඃ - old age
අන්ය - otherwise; further
අසාධුඃ - not good; unpleasant
සංසාරේ - in worldly life
රේ - O!
මනුෂ්යාඃ - people
වදත - tell (me)
යදි - whether/if
සුඛං - happiness
ස්වල්පං අපි - even a little
අස්ති - exists
කිංචිත් - any

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In the womb one stays confined in filth and discomfort; in youth even enjoyment is bitter, tangled with the pain of separation from the beloved; in old age one lives amid contempt and laughter. O people, tell me - in such worldly life, does even a little real happiness exist?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse forces a question we usually avoid: if we look honestly, where is the stable happiness in this cycle? Every stage has its shadow. Bhartruhari is not denying that pleasant moments exist; he is denying that they can be relied upon as the foundation of life. The purpose of this stark inventory is to redirect the seeker toward a deeper joy that does not depend on conditions. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern terms, we can translate the stages: early life has constraint and dependence; adulthood has anxiety, ambition, and relational turbulence; later life has decline and social invisibility. If the mind tries to extract lasting fulfillment from these changing frames, it will keep oscillating between hope and disappointment. The verse invites a more mature relationship with pleasure - appreciation without dependence. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: stop postponing inner depth to a "later" time. Begin now with small daily contemplations and one stabilizing habit (meditation, prayer, service). Let pleasures come and go, but let your identity shift toward what is steady: awareness, character, and truth. When the center changes, life stages lose their power to define your happiness.

ව්යාඝ්රීව තිෂ්ඨති ජරා පරිතර්ජයංතී
රෝගාශ්ච ශත්රව ඉව ප්රහරංති දේහම් ।
ආයුඃ පරිස්රවංති භින්නඝටාදිවාංභෝ
ලෝකස්තථාප්යහිතං ආචරතීති චිත්රම් ॥ 3.38 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 18 + 17 + 18 + 18 මාත්රාඃ (total 71); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ව්යාඝ්රී - tigress
ඉව - like
තිෂ්ඨති - stands
ජරා - old age
පරිතර්ජයංතී - threatening; terrifying
රෝගාඃ - diseases
ච - and
ශත්රවඃ - enemies
ඉව - like
ප්රහරංති - strike; attack
දේහං - the body
ආයුඃ - life-span
පරිස්රවංති - leaks away; flows out
භින්න - broken; cracked
ඝටා - pot
අදි - like, etc. (in verse: ඝටාදිව)
අංභෝ - water
ලෝකඃ - the world/people
තථාපි - even so
අහිතං - harmful; not beneficial
ආචරති - practices; does
ඉති - thus
චිත්රං - strange; wonder

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Old age stands like a tigress, threatening; diseases attack the body like enemies; the life-span leaks away like water from a cracked pot. Yet people still act in ways that harm them - how strange.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is astonished at human self-sabotage. With decline and death so obvious, why do we keep choosing what increases suffering - greed, addiction, cruelty, and distraction? The images are meant to wake up ප්රමාද (carelessness): old age and illness are not theoretical; they are already approaching, and life is already leaking. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

We see the same contradiction today: people know what harms them - lack of sleep, constant anger, compulsive consumption - and still repeat it. Krishnamurti would say that we live mechanically, driven by habit and image, not by understanding. Bhartruhari's "citraM" (how strange) is a nudge to break the spell of routine. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: pick one harmful pattern you already recognize and replace it with one nourishing pattern that is equally easy to do. If scrolling is easy, make reading easy. If late-night snacking is easy, make a walk easy. The mind changes when the alternative becomes practical. This is not moralism; it is intelligent self-care in the face of time.

භෝගා භංගුරවෘත්තයෝ බහුවිධාස්තෛරේව චායං භවස්තත්
කස්යේහ කෘතේ පරිභ්රමත රේ ලෝකාඃ කෘතං චේෂ්ටතෛඃ ।
ආශාපාශශතාපශාංතිවිශදං චේතඃසමාධීයතාං
කාමෝත්පත්තිවශාත්ස්වධාමනි යදි ශ්රද්දේයං අස්මද්වචඃ ॥ 3.39 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භෝගාඃ - pleasures; enjoyments
භංගුර - fragile; perishing
වෘත්තයඃ - forms; patterns; ways
බහුවිධාඃ - of many kinds
තෛඃ ඒව - by them alone
ච - and
අයං - this
භවඃ - worldly existence; becoming
තත් - thus
කස්ය - for whose sake? for what purpose?
ඉහ - here
කෘතේ - for the sake of
පරිභ්රමත - do you wander about
රේ - O!
ලෝකාඃ - people
චේෂ්ටිතෛඃ - by efforts; by exertions
ආශා - hope
පාශඃ - noose; rope
ශත - hundred
ආපාශ - (as in verse) nooses (compound)
ශාංති - pacification; calming
විශදං - clear; bright
චේතඃ - mind
සමාධීයතාං - let it be placed/collected (into සමාධි)
කාම - desire
උත්පත්තිඃ - arising
වශාත් - by force of; due to
ස්වධාමනි - in one's own true abode (the Supreme)
යදි - if
ශ්රද්දේයං - worthy of trust
අස්මත් - our
වචඃ - words

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
This worldly life is made only of many kinds of fragile pleasures. For whose sake, and to what end, do you keep roaming here in constant exertion? Let the mind be gathered into clear absorption by quieting the hundred nooses of hope that arise from desire - if my words are worth trusting.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse diagnoses the engine of restlessness: ආශා (hope/expectation) multiplied into hundreds of ropes, each tied to a desire. The mind runs not because life demands it, but because hope keeps promising a future completion. Bhartruhari's remedy is not pessimism; it is චිත්ත-සමාධි - the mind becoming collected, clear, and present.

This lands directly on modern overwork and over-stimulation. Many people are exhausted not by necessity but by mental roaming: one more goal, one more upgrade, one more recognition. When hope becomes addiction, life becomes a treadmill. The verse suggests a radical move: stop roaming and return to your "own abode" - the inner ground of awareness, where the mind can finally rest. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: write down the top five hopes driving your week (approval, money, control, pleasure, recognition). For one day, pause each time one of these hopes pulls you, and do one breath of awareness before acting. Then choose either a necessary action or a deliberate renunciation. Over time, those hundred ropes become thinner, and the mind becomes visibly clearer.

සඛේ ධන්යාඃ කේචිත්ත්රුටිතභවබංධව්යතිකරා
වනාංතේ චිත්තාංතර්විෂං අවිෂයාශීත්විෂගතාඃ ।
ශරච්චංද්රජ්යෝත්ස්නාධවලගගනාභෝගසුභගාං
නයංතේ යේ රාත්රිං සුකෘතචයචිංතෛකශරණාඃ ॥ 3.39.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
සඛේ - O friend
ධන්යාඃ - blessed; fortunate
කේචිත් - some
ත්රුටිත - broken; snapped
භව - worldly existence; becoming
බංධඃ - bondage
ව්යතිකරඃ - entanglement; tangle (in verse: ව්යතිකරා)
වනාංතේ - in the depths of the forest
චිත්ත - mind
අංතර - within
විෂං - poison (inner poison of agitation)
අවිෂය - without sense-objects; non-object
ආශීත් - cooled; became cold (in verse compound)
විෂ - poison
ගාතාඃ - gone/attained (as written: ගතාඃ)
ශරත් - autumn
චංද්ර - moon
ජ්යෝත්ස්නා - moonlight
ධවල - white; pure
ගගන - sky
ආභෝගඃ - expanse
සුභගාං - beautiful; auspicious
නයංතේ - spend; lead
යේ - those who
රාත්රිං - the night
සුකෘත - merit; good deeds
චයඃ - accumulation; store
චිංතා - contemplation
ඒක - only
ශරණාඃ - refuge; shelter

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
O friend, blessed are those few who have snapped the tangle of worldly bondage. In the forest they reach an objectless coolness that pacifies the mind's inner poison; under the beautiful expanse of an autumn-moonlit sky, they pass the night taking refuge only in contemplation of their store of virtue.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse celebrates the quiet happiness of solitude after detachment. The "inner poison" is the agitation of craving, comparison, and resentment; when sense-objects stop dominating attention, that poison cools. The autumn moonlight image suggests clarity: the mind becomes spacious, luminous, and simple - not because life became perfect, but because the mind stopped being pulled in a hundred directions. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

For many people today, the forest is symbolic: a space without constant inputs. When notifications stop, when entertainment is absent, when you are alone with your mind, you begin to see the toxins you were avoiding. Those few "blessed" ones are not special by birth; they are special by choice - they choose depth over distraction. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: create a small "forest night" once a week. Turn off screens, go for a quiet walk, look at the sky, and let the mind settle. Use the time for ස්වාධ්යාය (self-study) and for remembering your own good intentions. Slowly, the inner poison cools, and clarity becomes your natural refuge.

බ්රහ්මේංද්රාදිමරුද්ගණාංස්තෘණකණාන්යත්ර ස්ථිතෝ මන්යතේ
යත්ස්වාදාද්විරසා භවංති විභවාස්ත්රෛලෝක්යරාජ්යාදයඃ ।
භෝගඃ කෝऽපි ස ඒව ඒක පරමෝ නිත්යෝදිතෝ ජෘංභතේ
භෝඃ සාධෝ ක්ෂණභංගුරේ තදිතරේ භෝගේ රතිං මා කෘථාඃ ॥ 3.40 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
බ්රහ්ම - Brahma
ඉංද්ර - Indra
ආදි - etc.
මරුත් - Maruts (a class of gods)
ගණාඃ - groups/hosts
තෘණ - grass
කණානි - particles; blades
අත්ර - here (in that state)
ස්ථිතහ් - one who is established (in verse: ස්ථිතෝ)
මන්යතේ - considers
යත් - whose
ස්වාදඃ - taste; relish
විරසාඃ - tasteless
භවංති - become
විභවාඃ - riches; powers
ත්රෛලෝක්ය - the three worlds
රාජ්යං - sovereignty; kingdom
ආදයඃ - and the like
භෝගඃ - enjoyment
කෝऽපි - some unique; a certain
සඃ ඒව - that alone
ඒකඃ - one
පරමඃ - supreme
නිත්ය - eternal
උදිතඃ - risen; shining
ජෘංභතේ - blossoms; expands
භෝඃ - O!
සාධෝ - O good one; seeker
ක්ෂණ - moment
භංගුර - perishing; brittle
තදිතර - other than that
භෝගඃ - pleasure
රතිඃ - attachment; delight
මා කෘථාඃ - do not do; do not make

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
For one established there, Brahma, Indra, and the other hosts of gods seem like mere blades of grass; and even the greatest riches - like sovereignty over the three worlds - become tasteless. There is one supreme enjoyment that shines eternally. O seeker, do not cling to other pleasures that break in a moment.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse describes "taste-shift". When a deeper joy is tasted, lesser joys lose their tyranny. It is not that the world becomes ugly; it becomes proportionate. Even "divine" powers and statuses look small compared to the quiet fullness of the Real. Bhartruhari is pointing to a single enduring delight: the joy of abiding in truth. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In real life, you may glimpse this after genuine meditation, after deep love, or after a near-miss that resets priorities: suddenly, things you once chased feel like grass. That shift is precious because it breaks addiction. The Upanishads call the Absolute රස (deep savor); when that savor is known, the mind does not beg from fragile pleasures.

Practice: do not only "fight" desires; replace their taste. Build one daily source of deeper joy - meditation, meaningful service, study, or silence. Then watch how cravings lose intensity naturally. Dispassion becomes effortless when the mind has found a higher satisfaction.

සා රම්යා නගරී මහාන්ස නෘපතිඃ සාමංතචක්රං ච තත්
පාර්ශ්වේ තස්ය ච සා විදග්ධපරිෂත්තාශ්චංද්රබිංබානනාඃ ।
උද්වෘත්තඃ ස රාජපුත්රනිවහස්තේ වංදිනස්තාඃ කථාඃ
සර්වං යස්ය වශාදගාත්ස්මෘතිපථං කාලාය තස්මෛ නමඃ ॥ 3.41 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 24 + 25 + 22 + 24 මාත්රාඃ (total 95); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
සා - that
රම්යා - charming; delightful
නගරී - city
මහාන් - great
ස - that
නෘපතිඃ - king; ruler
සාමංත - vassal; chief
චක්රං - circle; surrounding group
ච - and
තත් - that
පාර්ශ්වේ - at the side; nearby
තස්ය - of him
විදග්ධ - clever; refined
පරිෂත් - assembly; court
තාඃ - those (f. pl.)
චංද්ර - moon
බිංබං - disk; orb
ආනනාඃ - faces
උද්වෘත්තඃ - arrogant; headstrong
රාජපුත්ර - prince
නිවහඃ - multitude; crowd
තේ - those
වංදිනඃ - panegyrists; bards
තාඃ - those
කථාඃ - stories; tales
සර්වං - all
යස්ය - whose
වශාත් - under whose power
අගාත් - went
ස්ම්ऱ්ති - memory
පථං - path
කාලාය - to Time
තස්මෛ - to him
නමඃ - salutations

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
That delightful city, that great king and his circle of vassals, that cultured court of moon-faced beauties, that headstrong crowd of princes, those bards, those tales - all of it has gone down the road of memory under the power of Time. Salutations to Time.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a bow to කාල (Time) because Time humbles every human arrangement. Cities, courts, fame, and pleasure all feel solid while we are inside them; later they become stories. Bhartruhari is not merely lamenting; he is sharpening විවේක (discernment) by reminding us that even the most impressive "world" eventually becomes a memory in someone else's mind.

This is directly relevant to how we chase status today. Titles change, platforms fade, circles dissolve, and the very things we anxiously curate become footnotes. ආදි ශංකරාචාර්ය compresses the same truth in භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම්: කාලඃ ක්රීඩති ගච්චති ආයුඃ - time plays, and life moves on. When we remember this, we stop investing our entire identity into what Time will certainly recycle.

Practice: once a week, imagine your current worries as a future story. Ask: "What would I want to have valued if this all becomes memory?" Then act accordingly - deepen character, relationships, and inner practice. A life aligned with what lasts is the best way to honor Time.

යත්රානේකඃ ක්වචිදපි ගෘහේ තත්ර තිෂ්ඨත්යථෛකෝ
යත්රාප්යේකස්තදනු බහවස්තත්ර නෛකෝऽපි චාංතේ ।
ඉත්ථං නේයෞ රජනිදිවසෞ ලෝලයංද්වාවිවාක්ෂෞ
කාලඃ කල්යෝ භුවනඵලකේ ක්රීඩති ප්රාණිශාරෛඃ ॥ 3.42 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
යත්ර - where
අනේකඃ - many
ක්වචිද් අපි - in some place
ගෘහේ - in a home
තත්ර - there
තිෂ්ඨති - remains
අථ - then
ඒකඃ - one
යත්ර අපි - where also
ඒකඃ - one
තද් අනු - thereafter
බහවඃ - many
තත්ර - there
න ඒකඃ අපි - not even one
ච - and
අංතේ - in the end
ඉත්ථං - thus
නේයෞ - "to be cast" (as dice); two (night/day) used like dice
රජනි - night
දිවසෞ - days
ලෝලයන් - rolling; throwing
ද්වෞ - two
ඉව - like
අක්ෂෞ - dice
කාලඃ - Time
කල්යඃ - clever; skilful
භුවන - world
පලකං - board (as of a game)
ක්රීඩති - plays
ප්රාණි - living beings
ශාරෛහ් - as pieces/counters (as written: ශාරෛඃ)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In some house there were many, and later only one remains; where there was one, later there are many; and in the end not even one is left. Thus Time, the clever player, plays on the world-board, rolling night and day like two dice, moving living beings as the pieces.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse makes impermanence intimate: it is not only kingdoms that vanish, but households. The "game" image is not to mock suffering; it is to show that change is built into life. Friends come, family disperses, roles shift, and finally everyone exits. Seeing this truth is the beginning of වෛරාග්ය (dispassion): you stop clinging and start valuing what is meaningful while it is present. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This can transform how we live in communities today. Instead of assuming relationships are permanent and neglecting them, we become more attentive and grateful. Instead of building identity only on being "needed" by a certain group, we build inner stability, so transitions do not destroy us. Time will move the pieces; wisdom is learning how to play without losing peace. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: reach out to one person you have taken for granted and express simple appreciation. Also, loosen one identity-role you are over-attached to. When you can love without clinging, Time's moves hurt less and teach more.

ආදිත්යස්ය ගතාගතෛරහරහඃ සංක්ෂීයතේ ජීවිතං
ව්යාපාරෛර්බහුකාර්යභාරගුරුභිඃ කාලෝऽපි න ජ්ඤායතේ ।
දෘෂ්ට්වා ජන්මජරාවිපත්තිමරණං ත්රාසශ්ච නෝත්පද්යතේ
පීත්වා මෝහමයීං ප්රමාදමදිරාං උන්මත්තභූතං ජගථ් ॥ 3.43 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආදිත්යඃ - the sun (in verse: ආදිත්යස්ය)
ගත - going
ආගත - coming
අහරහඃ - day after day
සංක්ෂීයතේ - is diminished; is worn away
ජීවිතං - life
ව්යාපාරෛඃ - by activities; by busyness
බහු - many
කාර්ය - tasks
භාරඃ - burden
ගුරුභිඃ - heavy
කාලඃ - time
අපි - even
න ජ්ඤායතේ - is not known/recognized
දෘෂ්ට්වා - seeing
ජන්ම - birth
ජරා - old age
විපත්තිඃ - misfortune; adversity (in verse: විපත්ති)
මරණං - death
ත්රාසඃ - fear
ච - and
න උත්පද්යතේ - does not arise
පීත්වා - having drunk
මෝහ - delusion
මයීං - made of
ප්රමාදඃ - heedlessness; carelessness
මදිරා - intoxicating wine
උන්මත්ත - maddened
භූතං - become
ජගත් - the world

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
With the sun's daily rising and setting, life keeps shrinking; and under the heavy burden of countless tasks, even time itself is not noticed. Though birth, aging, misfortune, and death are seen, fear does not arise, because the world has become intoxicated by the wine of delusion called heedlessness.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse points at the strangest human blindness: we watch time pass, and yet live as if it were infinite. Busyness becomes a drug. The poet calls it ප්රමාද (heedlessness) - a drunken state where urgency is lost and the mind keeps postponing what matters. Even the obvious facts of mortality do not wake us because the intoxication is comforting. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In our era, this intoxication often takes the form of constant activity: meetings, feeds, entertainment, and endless "productive" motion. But when the mind never pauses, it cannot see. Upanishadic teaching begins with waking up: උත්තිෂ්ඨත ජාග්රත (arise, awake). This verse is a similar wake-up call, asking us to become sober about time.

Practice: create a daily pause that breaks the intoxication - 5 minutes of silence at sunrise or sunset. Use it to remember three facts: life is finite, relationships are precious, and the mind can be trained. That small sobriety changes how you use the rest of the day.

රාත්රිඃ සෛව පුනඃ ස ඒව දිවසෝ මත්වා මුධා ජංතවෝ
ධාවංත්යුද්යමිනස්තථෛව නිභෘතප්රාරබ්ධතත්තත්ක්රියාඃ ।
ව්යාපාරෛඃ පුනර්උක්තභූතවිෂයෛරිත්ථං විධේනාමුනා
සංසාරේණ කදර්ථිතා වයං අහෝ මෝහාන්න ලජ්ජාමහේ ॥ 3.44 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
රාත්රිඃ - night
සා ඒව - that same
පුනඃ - again
සඃ ඒව - that same
දිවසඃ - day
මත්වා - thinking
මුධා - vainly; uselessly
ජංතවඃ - creatures
ධාවංති - run about
උද්යමිනඃ - industrious; busy
තථා ඒව - just the same
නිභෘත - hidden; fixed (as written)
ප්රාරබ්ධ - destined; begun (karma)
තත්-තත්-ක්රියාඃ - those actions, each of them
ව්යාපාරෛඃ - by activities
පුනරුක්ත - repeated
භූත - become
විෂයෛඃ - by sense-objects
ඉත්ථං - thus
විධේන - by this arrangement/method
අමුනා - by this
සංසාරේණ - by worldly life
කදර්ථිතාඃ - abused; degraded
වයං - we
අහෝ - alas
මෝහාත් - from delusion
න ලජ්ජාමහේ - we are not ashamed

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Night is the same again, and the day is the same again; yet creatures, thinking vainly, keep running in busyness, repeating their destined actions. With activities and sense-pursuits endlessly repeated, we are degraded by this cycle of worldly life - and, alas, through delusion we feel no shame.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is about life on autopilot. The repetition of day and night mirrors the repetition of our habits: the same worries, the same cravings, the same distractions. Bhartruhari says the tragedy is not only that we repeat, but that we do not even feel the "alarm" of shame that would make us change. Delusion normalizes the waste. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is why routines can be dangerous: they create the illusion of progress while the inner person remains unchanged. Many people work hard, consume hard, and distract hard, yet never ask: "What am I becoming?" When that question is absent, the cycle continues. The verse invites a conscious break in the loop. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: change one daily loop deliberately. Break one automatic behavior (a habitual scroll, a habitual complaint, a habitual indulgence) and replace it with a conscious act (a walk, a prayer, a page of study). Small breaks are how the wheel of සංසාර begins to slow.

න ධ්යානං පදං ඊශ්වරස්ය විධිවත්සංසාරවිච්ඡිත්තයේ
ස්වර්ගද්වාරකපාටපාටනපටුර්ධර්මෝऽපි නෝපාර්ජිතඃ ।
නාරීපීනපයෝධරෝරුයුගලං ස්වප්නේऽපි නාලිංගිතං
මාතුඃ කේවලං ඒව යෞවනවනච්ඡේදේ කුඨාරා වයම් ॥ 3.45 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
න - not
ධ්යානං - meditation
පදං - feet; abode (in verse: පදං)
ඊශ්වරස්ය - of the Lord
විධිවත් - properly
සංසාර - worldly cycle
විච්ඡිත්තයේ - for cutting; for severing
ස්වර්ග - heaven
ද්වාර - gate
කපාටං - door; shutter
පාටන - breaking open
පටුඃ - skilled
ධර්මඃ - merit; virtue
අපි - even
න උපාර්ජිතඃ - not acquired
නාරී - woman
පීන - full; firm
පයෝධර - breast
ඌරු - thigh
යුගලං - pair
ස්වප්නේ අපි - even in a dream
න ආලිංගිතං - not embraced
මාතුඃ - of mother
කේවලං ඒව - only indeed
යෞවන - youth
වනං - forest (metaphor: a flourishing thicket)
ච්ඡේදඃ - cutting
කුඨාරාඃ - axes
වයං - we

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We have not properly meditated on the Lord's feet to cut the bondage of worldly life. We have not earned even the merit skilled enough to break open heaven's gate. We have not even in dreams embraced a woman's full breasts and thighs. We were born only to become axes that cut down our mother's forest of youth.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is self-criticism meant to shock the lazy mind. The poet says: we did not pursue the highest (liberation), nor even the common human enjoyments in a meaningful way; we simply passed time. And the only clear "result" of our birth was that our mother aged - her youth was cut down, as if by an axe. The verse is not anti-motherhood; it is pro-gratitude and pro-purpose. The word සංසාර (worldly churn of repeated becoming) is central: when විවේක (discernment) is clear, වෛරාග්ය arises and the churn loses its grip.

Many people feel a modern version of this when they look back and realize they spent their best years in distraction and indecision. It is easy to consume entertainment and call it living. The verse asks for honesty: what did your life actually cultivate? In සනාතන ධර්ම, gratitude to parents is sacred - මාතෘ දේවෝ භව (let the mother be a deity). Wasting life without honoring that sacrifice is a deep loss.

Practice: do one concrete act of service for your parents or elders - time, care, respect, or support. Then choose one clear direction for your own life: either deepen spiritual practice, or deepen ethical worldly life - but do not drift. Purpose is the real repayment.

නාභ්යස්තා ප්රතිවාදිවෘංදදමනී විද්යා විනීතෝචිතා
ඛඩ්ගාග්රෛඃ කරිකුංභපීඨදලනෛර්නාකං න නීතං යශඃ ।
කාංතාකෞම්අලපල්ලවාධරරසඃ පීතෝ න චංද්රෝදයේ
තාරුණ්යං ගතං ඒව නිෂ්ඵලං අහෝ ශූන්යාලයේ දීපවථ් ॥ 3.46 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 27 + 25 + 28 + 26 මාත්රාඃ (total 106); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
න - not
අභ්යස්තා - practiced; mastered
ප්රති - against
වාදී - debater
වෘංදං - group
දමනි - subduing (f.)
විද්යා - knowledge
විනීත - disciplined; trained
උචිතා - fitting; appropriate
ඛඩ්ගඃ - sword
අග්රඃ - edge; tip (in verse: ඛඩ්ගාග්රෛඃ)
කරි - elephant
කුංභඃ - temple of the head
පීඨං - base/seat
දලනං - splitting; crushing
යශඃ - fame
නාකං - heaven
න නීතං - not taken/reached
කාංතා - beloved
කෞම්අල - tender (as written)
පල්ලව - fresh sprout
අධරඃ - lip
රසඃ - nectar/taste
පීතඃ - drunk; tasted
න - not
චංද්රෝදයේ - at moonrise
තාරුණ්යං - youth
ගතං - gone
ඒව - indeed
නිෂ්ඵලං - fruitless
අහෝ - alas
ශූන්යාලයේ - in an empty house
දීප - lamp
වත් - like (in verse: දීපවථ්)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We have not mastered the disciplined knowledge that subdues the crowd of debaters. We have not carried fame to heaven, as if crushing an elephant's temple with a sword-point. We have not tasted at moonrise the nectar of a beloved's tender sprout-like lips. Youth has passed away fruitlessly - like a lamp in an empty house.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse again attacks waste. A lamp is valuable when it illumines a home; in an empty house it burns without benefit. Bhartruhari uses that image for youth: if it is not used for learning, love with responsibility, or inner growth, it is simply consumed by time. The poet is not demanding a specific life-script; he is demanding intentionality. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

Many people feel this after years of drifting between distractions: the mind was busy, but life did not become deeper. The remedy is not regret; it is immediate clarity. Youth may be physical, but "youth" also means energy, attention, and opportunity. Even later in life, that lamp can be turned toward what matters. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: choose one domain to grow this month - knowledge, health, relationships, or spiritual practice - and take a concrete step daily. Reduce one time-waster that drains attention. If you do this consistently, the lamp of your life begins to illumine something real.

විද්යා නාධිගතා කලංකරහිතා විත්තං ච නෝපාර්ජිතං
ශුශ්රූෂාපි සමාහිතේන මනසා පිත්රෝර්න සංපාදිතා ।
ආලෝලායතලෝචනාඃ ප්රියතමාඃ ස්වප්නේऽපි නාලිංගිතාඃ
කාලෝऽයං පරපිංඩලෝලුපතයා කාකෛරිව ප්රේර්යතේ ॥ 3.47 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
විද්යා - knowledge
න අධිගතා - not attained
කලංක - stain; blemish
රහිතා - without
විත්තං - wealth
ච - and
න උපාර්ජිතං - not earned
ශුශ්රූෂා - devoted service
අපි - even
සමාහිතේන - with a collected (focused) mind
මනසා - with the mind
පිත්රෝඃ - for the parents
න සංපාදිතා - not accomplished
ආලෝලායත - dancing; swaying
ලෝචනාඃ - eyes
ප්රියතමාඃ - beloveds
ස්වප්නේ අපි - even in dreams
න ආලිංගිතාඃ - not embraced
කාලඃ - time
අයං - this
පර - others'
පිංඩඃ - morsel; food
ලෝලුපතා - greed
කාකෛඃ - by crows
ඉව - like
ප්රේර්යතේ - is driven; is pushed

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We have not gained blemishless knowledge, nor earned wealth; we have not even served our parents with a collected mind. We have not embraced, even in dreams, our beloveds with dancing eyes. Time drives us on, like crows pushed by greed for another's morsel.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse adds a moral dimension: not only was life wasted, it was spent in dependence and neglect. The crow image is sharp: crows live by picking leftovers; similarly, a person who lives without inner strength ends up living on others - approval, resources, status, or opportunities. Bhartruhari is saying: do not let time push you like that. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern settings, this can look like living on borrowed attention: chasing likes, copying trends, and avoiding the slow work of building character and skill. It can also look like neglecting parents and elders while being busy with trivial pursuits. The verse is a reminder that a meaningful life includes learning, responsibility, and gratitude. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: do one daily act of ශුශ්රූෂා (devoted service) - toward parents, elders, or anyone who supported you. Also, build one piece of independent competence (a skill, a habit, a discipline). When you become less crow-like, time becomes less of a whip and more of a teacher.

වයං යේභ්යෝ ජාතාශ්චිරපරිගතා ඒව ඛලු තේ
සමං යෛඃ සංවෘද්ධාඃ ස්මෘතිවිෂයතාං තේऽපි ගමිතාඃ ।
ඉදානීං ඒතේ ස්මඃ ප්රතිදිවසං ආසන්නපතනා
ගතාස්තුල්යාවස්ථාං සිකතිලනදීතීරතරුභිඃ ॥ 3.48 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
වයං - we
යේභ්යඃ - from whom
ජාතාඃ - born
චිරපරිගතාඃ - long since departed
ඒව - indeed
ඛලු - truly
තේ - they
සමං - together
යෛඃ - with whom
සංවෘද්ධාඃ - grown up
ස්ම්ऱ්ති - memory
විෂයතාං - into an object (of)
තේ අපි - they too
ගමිතාඃ - taken; made to go
ඉදානීං - now
ඒතේ ස්මඃ - we are these (i.e., in this state)
ප්රතිදිවසං - day by day
ආසන්න - near; approaching
පතනා - falling
ගතාඃ - gone; become
තුල්ය - similar
අවස්ථාං - condition/state
සිකතිල - sandy
නදී - river
තීර - bank
තරුභිඃ - with trees

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Those who gave birth to us have long since departed. Those with whom we grew up have also been made only objects of memory. Now, day by day, we are approaching the same condition - like trees standing on the sandy bank of a river, near to falling.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a meditation on the thinning of life. Parents go, friends go, and soon we too stand "near to falling." The river-bank tree image is exact: it stands upright, but the ground under it is eroding. Bhartruhari is not trying to frighten; he is trying to make us honest about the direction of time. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is relevant when we live as if relationships and opportunities are permanent. We postpone calls, postpone apologies, postpone gratitude, and assume we can do it "later." The verse says: later is not guaranteed. When impermanence is remembered, love becomes more immediate and priorities become clearer. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: do one act of reconciliation or appreciation today. Also, stop postponing one meaningful project that your heart knows matters. If you live as a river-bank tree, you will cling; if you live with awareness of erosion, you will use time wisely.

ආයුර්වර්ෂශතං නෘණාං පරිමිතං රාත්රෞ තද්අර්ධං ගතං
තස්යාර්ධස්ය පරස්ය චාර්ධං අපරං බාලත්වවෘද්ධත්වයෝඃ ।
ශේෂං ව්යාධිවියෝගදුඃඛසහිතං සේවාදිභිර්නීයතේ
ජීවේ වාරිතරංගචංචලතරේ සෞඛ්යං කුතඃ ප්රාණිනාම් ॥ 3.49 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආයුඃ - lifespan
වර්ෂ - years
ශතං - hundred
නෘණාං - of humans
පරිමිතං - limited; measured
රාත්රෞ - in night(s)
තත් - that
අර්ධං - half
ගතං - gone
තස්ය - of that
අර්ධස්ය - of half
පරස්ය - of the remaining
ච - and
අර්ධං - half
අපරං - another
බාලත්ව - childhood
වෘද්ධත්ව - old age
යෝඃ - in the two
ශේෂං - the remainder
ව්යාධි - illness
වියෝග - separation; loss
දුඃඛ - sorrow
සහිතං - together with
සේවා - service
ආදිභිඃ - and the like
නීයතේ - is carried away/spent
ජීවේ - in life (loc.)
වාරි - water
තරංග - wave
චංචල - fickle
තරේ - very (comparative)
සෞඛ්යං - happiness
කුතඃ - where/from what source?
ප්රාණිනාං - for living beings

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Human life is limited to a hundred years; half of it is spent in nights. Of the remaining half, another half is lost to childhood and old age. The rest is spent amid illness, separation, sorrow, and service to others. In a life more fickle than water-waves, where is lasting happiness for living beings?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is a time-accounting verse. When you subtract sleep, dependency, decline, sickness, and obligations, very little remains as "free life." Bhartruhari is not trying to make you despair; he is trying to make you stop wasting what remains. The problem is not that life is short; the problem is that we spend it chasing what cannot satisfy. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

The categories remain recognizably the same today: sleep, school, work, maintenance, stress, and loss. Many people then try to squeeze "happiness" out of scraps through binge consumption. The verse suggests the opposite: if time is scarce, invest it in what has depth. Inner freedom gives a happiness that does not require perfect external conditions. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: audit one week of time and remove one low-value habit. Use that recovered time for something that strengthens you: health, relationships, learning, or contemplation. If you treat time as sacred, the quality of life rises even if the quantity is limited.

ක්ෂණං බාලෝ භූත්වා ක්ෂණං අපි යුවා කාමරසිකඃ
ක්ෂණං විත්තෛර්හීනඃ ක්ෂණං අපි ච සංපූර්ණවිභවඃ ।
ජරාජීර්ණෛරංගෛර්නට ඉව බලීමංඩිතතනූර්
නරඃ සංසාරාංතේ විශති යමධානීයවනිකාම් ॥ 3.50 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 23 + 20 + 23 + 23 මාත්රාඃ (total 89); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ක්ෂණං - a moment
බාලඃ - a child
භූත්වා - having become
ක්ෂණං අපි - and in another moment
යුවා - a youth
කාම - desire
රසිකඃ - one who relishes; a sensualist
ක්ෂණං - a moment
විත්තෛඃ - with wealth
හීනඃ - deprived
ක්ෂණං අපි - in another moment
සංපූර්ණ - complete
විභවඃ - prosperity
ජරා - old age
ජීර්ණ - worn-out
අංගෛඃ - with limbs
නටඃ - an actor
ඉව - like
වලී - wrinkles
මංඩිත - adorned/marked
තනුඃ - body
නරඃ - man; person
සංසාර - worldly life
අංතේ - at the end
විශති - enters
යම - Yama (Lord of Death)
ධානීය - belonging to; the abode (as written)
වනිකාං - stage/curtain (as written)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
For a moment one is a child, for another moment a desire-driven youth; for a moment poor, for another moment wealthy. At the end, the body worn out by age and marked by wrinkles, a person enters Death's dwelling like an actor leaving the stage.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a teaching on roles. We keep changing masks: student, lover, parent, worker, leader, retiree. Each role feels absolute while we inhabit it, but it is temporary. Bhartruhari's actor image is meant to loosen identification: you are not the costume. When the final curtain comes, the performance ends. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is where අද්වෛත becomes practical. If you identify with roles, every role-change feels like death: promotions inflate, demotions crush, relationships define self-worth. But if you learn to rest as the witness - awareness that watches all roles - you gain stability. Roles can then be played sincerely, without being mistaken for the Self.

Practice: at the end of the day, recall the roles you played and consciously put them down for a minute. Say: "Role is role; I am the one who knows." This small daily de-identification makes the mind less dramatic and more free. Then, when roles change in life, you can respond with dignity rather than panic.

ත්වං රාජා වයං අප්යුපාසිතගුරුප්රජ්ඤාභිමානෝන්නතාඃ
ඛ්යාතස්ත්වං විභවෛර්යශාංසි කවයෝ දික්ෂු ප්රතන්වංති නඃ ।
ඉත්ථං මානධනාතිදූරං උභයෝරප්යාවයෝරංතරං
යද්යස්මාසු පරාඞ්මුඛෝऽසි වයං අප්යේකාංතතෝ නිඃස්පෘහා ॥ 3.51 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ත්වං - you
රාජා - king
වයං - we
අපි - also
උපාසිත - served; attended upon
ගුරුඃ - teacher
ප්රජ්ඤා - wisdom
අභිමානඃ - self-respect; pride (here: confidence in wisdom)
උන්නතාඃ - uplifted; elevated
ඛ්යාතඃ - famous
විභවෛඃ - by riches; by prosperity
යශඃ - fame (in verse: යශාංසි = fame/glories)
කවයඃ - poets
දික්ෂු - in all directions
ප්රතන්වංති - spread; extend
නඃ - our
ඉත්ථං - thus
මාන - honor; regard
ධන - wealth
අතිදූරං - far apart
උභයෝඃ - of both
ආවයෝඃ - of us two
අංතරං - difference
යදි - if
අස්මාසු - toward us
පරාඞ්මුඛඃ - turned away
අසි - you are
ඒකාංතතඃ - completely
නිඃස්පෘහාඃ - desireless; indifferent

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
You are a king; we too, through service to our teacher, stand uplifted by confidence in wisdom. You are famed by wealth; poets spread our fame in all directions. Thus the distance between us in honor and wealth is very great. If you turn away from us, we too are entirely without desire for you.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse opens a dialogue where the ascetic refuses psychological dependency on power. The king has outer authority; the ascetic claims inner authority through training under the teacher. The point is not arrogance; it is ස්වාතංත්ර්ය (inner freedom): the seeker does not beg for royal regard because his self-worth is not purchased by status. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern life, power takes many forms: titles, money, platforms, networks. It is easy to become a "courtier" of these - to shape speech and values for approval. Bhartruhari's stance is a reminder that dignity comes from inner cultivation. When you build competence and clarity, you can respect power without flattering it. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: notice one place where you soften your principles to gain approval. Replace that with one act of honest speech or clean boundaries. Cultivate one inner asset that cannot be taken away - skill, discipline, or steady practice. Then even if someone powerful turns away, you remain whole.

අර්ථානාං ඊශිෂේ ත්වං වයං අපි ච ගිරාං ඊශ්මහේ යාවදර්ථං
ශූරස්ත්වං වාදිදර්පව්යුපශමනවිධාවක්ෂයං පාටවං නඃ ।
සේවංතේ ත්වාං ධනාඪ්යා මතිමලහතයේ මාං අපි ශ්රෝතුකාමාඃ ।
මය්යප්යාස්ථා න තේ චේත්ත්වයි මම නිතරාං ඒව රාජන්නනාස්ථා ॥ 3.52 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අර්ථඃ - wealth; valuables (in verse: අර්ථානාං = of wealth/things)
ඊශිෂේ - you rule; you are lord of
ගිරාඃ - words; speech (in verse: ගිරාං)
ඊශ්මහේ - we rule; we are masters of
යාවදර්ථං - as far as meaning/purpose goes; rightly
ශූරඃ - brave
වාදී - disputant; debater
දර්පඃ - pride
ව්යුපශමන - pacifying; subduing
විධෞ - in the method/act of
අක්ෂයං - inexhaustible; unfailing
පාටවං - skill; capacity
නඃ - our
සේවංතේ - serve
ත්වාං - you
ධනාඪ්යාඃ - the wealthy
මති - mind; understanding
මලඃ - impurity; stain
හතිඃ - removal
මතිමලහතයේ - for removing mental impurity
මාං - me
අපි - also
ශ්රෝතුකාමාඃ - wishing to hear (teachings)
මයි අපි - toward me also
ආස්ථා - regard; trust
න - not
තේ - to you
චේත් - if
ත්වයි - in you / toward you
මම - my
නිතරාං ඒව - entirely indeed
අනාස්ථා - lack of regard; indifference
රාජන් - O king!

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
You are master of wealth; we too are masters of speech, in its true sense. You are brave; we have unfailing skill in subduing the pride of debaters. The rich serve you; and those who wish to cleanse their minds by listening come to me as well. If you have no regard for me, then, O king, I have none for you either.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse contrasts outer power with inner power. Wealth gathers servants; clarity gathers sincere listeners. The ascetic is not insulting the king; he is saying that spiritual life cannot be measured by royal favor. When knowledge is real, it stands on its own feet, and the seeker does not barter dignity for patronage. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is valuable in modern professional life. Many institutions reward flattery; many leaders unconsciously expect it. The verse encourages a different posture: respect without servility. If your worth depends on proximity to power, you will live in anxiety. If your worth depends on integrity and competence, you can cooperate without losing yourself. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: speak with respect, but do not distort truth for approval. Build one form of inner authority - deep knowledge, consistent practice, or ethical steadiness - so your confidence is not borrowed. Then you can engage with hierarchy without becoming its hostage.

වයං ඉහ පරිතුෂ්ටා වල්කලෛස්ත්වං දුකූලෛඃ
සම ඉහ පරිතෝෂෝ නිර්විශේෂෝ විශේෂඃ ।
ස තු භවතු දරිද්රෝ යස්ය තෘෂ්ණා විශාලා
මනසි ච පරිතුෂ්ටේ කෝऽර්ථවාන්කෝ දරිද්රඃ ॥ 3.53 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 19 + 20 + 19 + 19 මාත්රාඃ (total 77); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
වයං - we
ඉහ - here
පරිතුෂ්ටාඃ - content; satisfied
වල්කලෛඃ - with tree-barks (as clothing)
ත්වං - you
දුකූලෛඃ - with fine garments
සමඃ - equal; alike
පරිතෝශඃ - contentment
නිර්විශේෂඃ - without distinction; uniform
විශේෂඃ - difference; distinction
ස තු - that indeed
භවතු - let him be
දරිද්රඃ - poor
යස්ය - whose
තෘෂ්ණා - craving; thirst
විශාලා - vast; great
මනසි - in the mind
පරිතුෂ්ටේ - when content
කඃ - who?
අර්ථවාන් - rich; possessing wealth
දරිද්රඃ - poor

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We are content here with tree-barks; you with fine garments - yet contentment is the same, and the difference is insignificant. Let him be the truly poor one whose craving is vast. When the mind is content, who is rich and who is poor?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is one of Bhartruhari's clearest definitions of wealth: inner satisfaction. Outer possessions can differ wildly, but the inner state can be identical. The verse flips the usual labels: the truly "poor" person is the one with endless තෘෂ්ණා (craving), because craving is a permanent sense of lack. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is highly relevant in a consumer economy. Two people can earn the same salary, yet one lives calmly and the other lives in chronic anxiety because of lifestyle inflation. The verse points to a practical truth: contentment is not the result of getting more, it is the skill of needing less. When that skill is present, dignity and peace do not depend on external comparisons. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: define one "enough" boundary this month (clothes, gadgets, entertainment, spending) and stick to it. Replace one purchase with one act that grows inner wealth: learning, health, service, or silence. As සංතෝෂ (contentment) strengthens, the mind feels rich regardless of outer differences.

ඵලං අලං අශනාය ස්වාදු පානාය තෝයං
ක්ෂිතිරපි ශයනාර්ථං වාසසේ වල්කලං ච ।
නවධනමධුපානභ්රාංතසර්වේංද්රියාණාං
අවිනයං අනුමංතුං නෝත්සහේ දුර්ජනානාම් ॥ 3.54 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාලිනී): This is in මාලිනී (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 15 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `LLLLLLGG GLGGLGG`; යති (pause) is after the 8th syllable in each පාද.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ඵලං - fruit
අලං - enough
අශනාය - for eating; for food
ස්වාදු - sweet; pleasant
පානාය - for drinking
තෝයං - water
ක්ෂිතිඃ - earth
අපි - also
ශයනාර්ථං - for the purpose of sleeping; for a bed
වාසසේ - for clothing
වල්කලං - tree-bark
ච - and
නව - new
ධන - wealth
මධු - honey/sweetness (here: "wine" metaphor)
පාන - drinking
භ්රාංත - bewildered; intoxicated
සර්ව - all
ඉංද්රියාණාං - of the senses
අවිනයං - lack of discipline; insolence
අනුමංතුං - to approve/tolerate
න උත්සහේ - I do not dare; I will not
දුර්ජනානාං - of wicked people

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Fruit is enough to eat, sweet water is enough to drink, earth is enough for a bed, and tree-bark is enough for clothing. I do not have the heart to tolerate the insolence of wicked people whose senses are bewildered by the intoxicating drink of newly gained wealth.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse ties simplicity to dignity. When needs are minimal, you do not have to submit to the rude and the corrupt. Bhartruhari points out a common moral decay: new wealth can intoxicate, making the senses and judgment wander, and producing අවිනය (insolence, lack of discipline). The ascetic says: I would rather live simply than pay the price of enduring that. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is a powerful modern lesson. Many people tolerate toxic environments because their lifestyle is expensive. When your basics are simple, you can say no to disrespect. The verse is not romanticizing poverty; it is highlighting a freedom that comes from reducing wants. It also reminds us to watch our own behavior when we gain money - does it make us kinder, or more arrogant? This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: reduce one "need" that is actually a luxury, and use that freedom to set a boundary with one disrespectful dynamic. Also, if your income increases, consciously practice humility: give more, speak gently, and stay grounded. Wealth becomes safe when it is governed by විනය (discipline and humility).

අශ්නීමහි වයං භික්ෂාං ආශාවාසෝ වසීමහි ।
ශයීමහි මහීපෘෂ්ඨේ කුර්වීමහි කිං ඊශ්වරෛඃ ॥ 3.55 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අශ්නීමහි - we eat
වයං - we
භික්ෂාං - alms; begged food
ආශාවාසඃ - having the sky as clothing (i.e., the sky as "garment")
වසීමහි - we wear/dwell (i.e., we will live with that)
ශයීමහි - we sleep
මහී - earth
පෘෂ්ඨේ - on the surface
කුර්වීමහි - shall we do
කිං - what?
ඊශ්වරෛඃ - with rulers/lords

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We will eat alms, wear the open sky as our clothing, and sleep on the earth. What do we need with rulers?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse states a radical kind of independence: if your needs are simple, power loses its leverage over you. The ascetic is not being disrespectful to rulers; he is refusing to become dependent on them. When livelihood and dignity do not rely on patronage, the mind becomes fearless. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This has a clear modern parallel. Many compromises are made not because people are evil, but because they are over-leveraged - financially, socially, emotionally. When your lifestyle is expensive, you become easy to control. Bhartruhari is pointing to the freedom that comes from reducing needs and strengthening inner resources. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: simplify one area where you feel controlled - debt, consumption, social approval. Build a buffer and a plan so you do not have to flatter for survival. Even a small move toward simplicity creates disproportionate freedom.

න නටා නා විටා න ගායකා න ච සභ්යේතරවාදචුංචවඃ ।
නෘපං ඊක්ෂිතුං අත්ර කේ වයං ස්තනභාරානමිතා න යෝෂිතඃ ॥ 3.56 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 28 + 27 මාත්රාඃ (total 55); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
න - not
නටාඃ - actors
න - not
විටාඃ - jesters; buffoons
න - not
ගායකාඃ - singers
න ච - nor
සභ්ය - of the court/assembly
ඒතර - other; outside (as in සභ්යේතර)
වාදී - debater
චුංචවඃ - professional talkers/chatterers (as written)
නෘපං - the king
ඊක්ෂිතුං - to see
අත්ර - here
කේ - who?
වයං - we
ස්තන - breast
භාරඃ - weight
ආනමිත - bent down
න - not
යෝෂිතඃ - women

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We are not actors, not jesters, not singers, nor professional court-debaters; and we are not women bent by the weight of their breasts. Then who are we, here, to go and look at the king?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is humorous, but the point is serious: court-life runs on performance. People go to rulers to entertain, to argue, to flatter, to seek favors, or to trade allure for advantage. The ascetic says: we are not in that business, so we have no reason to go. This is වෛරාග්ය expressed as freedom from needless social orbiting. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In modern terms, this is freedom from chasing attention. Many people spend emotional energy trying to be seen by "important" people - bosses, influencers, gatekeepers - without any real purpose except ego. The verse invites a dignified question: is this visit necessary, or is it just a need to be validated? Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: reduce one kind of attention-seeking. Stop one unnecessary meeting, one status event, or one routine of checking whether you were noticed. Use that time for something that strengthens you - skill, health, study, or silence. When you stop performing, you start living.

විපුලහෘදයෛරීශෛරේතජ්ජගජ්ජනිතං පුරා
විධෘතං අපරෛර්දත්තං චාන්යෛර්විජිත්ය තෘණං යථා ।
ඉහ හි භුවනාන්යන්යෛර්ධීරාශ්චතුර්දශ භුංජතේ
කතිපයපුරස්වාම්යේ පුංසාං ක ඒෂ මදජ්වරඃ ॥ 3.57 ॥

ඡංදඃ (හරිණී): This is in හරිණී (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 17 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `LLLLLG GGGG LGLLGLG`; යති (pause) is after the 6th and 10th syllables in each පාද.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
විපුල - broad; generous
හෘදය - heart
ඊශෛඃ - by rulers/kings
ඒතත් - this
ජගත් - world
ජනිතං - produced; created
පුරා - formerly
විධෘතං - held up; sustained
අපරෛඃ - by others
දත්තං - given away
ච - and
අන්යෛඃ - by others
විජිත්ය - having conquered
තෘණං - straw
යථා - like
ඉහ හි - here indeed
භුවනානි - worlds
අන්යෛඃ - by others
ධීරාඃ - courageous ones; wise heroes
චතුර්දශ - fourteen
භුංජතේ - enjoy
කතිපය - a few
පුර - towns/cities
ස්වාම්යේ - in lordship; in rulership
පුංසාං - of men
කඃ - what?
ඒෂ - this
මද - pride
ජ්වරඃ - fever

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In earlier times this world was built up by generous kings, ruled by others, and conquered and thrown away like straw by still others. Even now, some heroes enjoy the fourteen worlds. So what is this fever of pride in people over being lord of just a few towns?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse mocks the intoxication of small power. Kingdoms have changed hands endlessly; even the greatest empires become footnotes. Against that vast horizon, pride over a tiny territory is a kind of delusion. Bhartruhari calls it මද-ජ්වර (the fever of pride): a sickness that makes the mind forget scale and forget mortality. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This applies cleanly to modern "turf wars" - over titles, headcount, visibility, or being in charge of a small domain. People spend years fighting for a corner of an organization, only to realize it was never truly theirs. The verse suggests a healthier posture: treat authority as stewardship, not as identity, and do not sacrifice character to win a small throne. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: if you have responsibility, use it for ලෝකානුග්රහ (welfare of others), not self-glorification. If you seek power, examine why. Reduce the need to be "above" others and increase the desire to be useful. Pride-fever cools when service becomes the motive.

අභුක්තායාං යස්යාං ක්ෂණං අපි න යාතං නෘපශතෛර්
ධුවස්තස්යා ලාභේ ක ඉව බහුමානඃ ක්ෂිතිභෘතාම් ।
තද්අංශස්යාප්යංශේ තද්අවයලේශේऽපි පතයෝ
විෂාදේ කර්තව්යේ විදධති ජඩාඃ ප්රත්යුත මුදම් ॥ 3.58 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 22 + 22 + 21 + 21 මාත්රාඃ (total 86); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අභුක්තා - not enjoyed; not left unused (f.)
යස්යාං - in which (f.)
ක්ෂණං අපි - even a moment
න යාතං - has not passed (without being used/enjoyed)
නෘප - king
ශතෛඃ - by hundreds
ධ්රුවඃ - fixed/certain (in verse: ධුවස්)
තස්යාඃ - of that (earth)
ලාභේ - in acquisition/gain
කඃ ඉව - what indeed?
බහුමානඃ - great honor; esteem
ක්ෂිති - earth
භෘතාං - of those who bear (i.e., kings)
තද් - that
අංශඃ - share; portion
අස්ය අපි අංශේ - even in a fraction of it
තද් - that
අවය - limb/part
ලේශේ - in a tiny fragment
අපි - even
පතයඃ - lords; rulers
විෂාදේ - in sorrow
කර්තව්යේ - when it ought to be done
විදධති - do; show
ජඩාඃ - dull-witted; fools
ප්රත්යුත - rather; instead
මුදං - joy

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
The earth is such that it has not been left un-enjoyed even for a moment by hundreds of kings. What great honor can there be for rulers in acquiring it? Yet fools, even when they get only a fraction - even a tiny fragment - feel joy when sorrow would be more appropriate.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Bhartruhari exposes the irrational pride around possession. Land and power have been held, lost, and held again countless times. So why should acquisition inflate the ego? The verse says the correct response is not intoxicated celebration, but sober reflection - because what you gained will also be lost, and the craving to own is itself a chain. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

We can see this even outside politics. People gain a small title, a small advantage, a small possession, and immediately feel "I am someone." That joy is fragile because it rests on comparison and fear of loss. The verse invites a deeper joy that comes from inner growth, not from grabbing a tiny piece of the world. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: when you achieve something, pause before celebrating. Ask: does this make me kinder, wiser, freer - or just louder? Celebrate growth of character more than growth of control. Pride shrinks when you measure success by depth rather than by territory.

මෘත්පිංඩෝ ජලරේඛයා වලයිතඃ සර්වෝऽප්යයං නන්වණුඃ
ස්වාංශීකෘත්ය ස ඒව සංගරශතෛ රාජ්ඤාං ගණා භුංජතේ ।
යේ දද්යුර්දදතෝऽථවා කිං අපරං ක්ෂුද්රා දරිද්රං භෘශං
ධිග්ධික්තාන්පුරුෂාධමාංධනකණාන්වාංඡංති තේභ්යෝऽපි යේ ॥ 3.59 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මෘත් - earth/clay
පිංඩඃ - lump; clod
ජලරේඛයා - by a line of water (i.e., the surrounding ocean)
වලයිතඃ - encircled
සර්වඃ - all
අපි - even
අයං - this
නනු - indeed
අණුඃ - atom; tiny
ස්වාංශීකෘත්ය - having made (it) one's own
ස ඒව - that very (same earth)
සංගර - battle
ශතෛඃ - by hundreds
රාජ්ඤාං - of kings
ගණාඃ - groups
භුංජතේ - enjoy; consume
තේ - they
දද්යුඃ - may give
අදදතඃ - may not give
අථවා - or
කිං අපරං - what else?
ක්ෂුද්රාඃ - petty; small-minded
දරිද්රං - poor; miserly
භෘශං - greatly
ධිග්ධික් - shame! fie!
තාන් - those
පුරුෂාධමාන් - lowest of men
ධන - wealth
කණාන් - particles; tiny bits (small coins)
වාංඡංති - desire
තේභ්යඃ අපි - even from them
යේ - who

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
This entire earth is only a clod of clay, ringed by a line of water - and even then it is but a tiny atom. Groups of kings claim and enjoy it after hundreds of battles. Whether they give or do not give, what else can be expected from such petty, spiritually poor people? Shame on those lowest of men who still desire even small coins from them.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse attacks two kinds of pettiness: fighting for a "clod" and begging for crumbs from the fighters. Bhartruhari shrinks the earth to its true scale to puncture pride. When you see that possession is temporary and small, the ego's hunger looks absurd. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern life, this can look like sacrificing integrity for small perks: a little power, a small bonus, a minor advantage. People flatter toxic authorities for scraps, and in doing so they lose their inner wealth. The verse invites a stronger dignity: earn your living cleanly and keep your self-respect intact. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: identify one place where you compromise for something small. Stop the bargain. Replace it with one act of self-reliance: skill-building, saving, or simplifying your needs. When you stop begging for crumbs, your mind becomes naturally more fearless.

ස ජාතඃ කෝऽප්යාසීන්මදනරිපුණා මූර්ධ්නි ධවලං
කපාලං යස්යෝච්චෛර්විනිහිතං අලංකාරවිධයේ ।
නෘභිඃ ප්රාණත්රාණප්රවණමතිභිඃ කෛශ්චිදධුනා
නමද්භිඃ කඃ පුංසාං අයං අතුලදර්පජ්වරභරඃ ॥ 3.60 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ස - he
ජාතඃ - born
කෝऽපි - someone indeed
ආසීත් - was
මදන - Cupid (desire)
රිපුඃ - enemy (i.e., Shiva) (in verse: මදනරිපුණා)
මූර්ධ්නි - on the head
ධවලං - white
කපාලං - skull
යස්ය - whose
උච්චෛඃ - high; aloft
විනිහිතං - placed; set
අලංකාරඃ - ornament
විධිඃ - purpose; method (in verse: විධයේ = for the purpose of)
නෘභිඃ - by men
ප්රාණ - life-breath; life
ත්රාණ - protection; saving
ප්රවණ - inclined toward
මතිභිඃ - by minds
කෛශ්චිත් - by some people
අධුනා - now
නමද්භිඃ - by those bowing
කඃ - what?
පුංසාං - of people
අයං - this
අතුල - incomparable
දර්පඃ - pride
ජ්වරඃ - fever
භරඃ - burden

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Truly someone was born whose white skull, after death, is placed high on Shiva's head as an ornament. But today, with minds bent on saving their own lives, some people bow down (to the proud). What is this unbearable burden of pride-fever among men?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse contrasts two kinds of "life-preservation". One person lives so fearlessly and meaningfully that even death becomes a mark of honor - symbolized by the skull being an ornament for Shiva, the destroyer of desire. Others, frightened about protecting their lives, end up bowing to arrogant people and feeding their pride. Bhartruhari calls it දර්ප-ජ්වර - a fever of pride that spreads through social fear. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

This is visible wherever fear drives flattery: tolerating abuse to keep a job, praising the unethical to stay safe, shrinking truth to avoid conflict. The verse is not asking for reckless rebellion; it is asking for inner courage. When the mind has වෛරාග්ය (non-clinging), it can act with integrity because it is not hypnotized by loss.

Practice: identify one place where fear makes you flatter or hide truth. Take one small step toward honesty with safety: set a boundary, speak factually, or step away from a degrading dynamic. Build inner strength through steady practice, so your dignity is not hostage to external power.

පරේෂාං චේතාංසි ප්රතිදිවසං ආරාධ්ය බහුධා
ප්රසාදං කිං නේතුං විශසි හෘදය ක්ලේශකලිතම් ।
ප්රසන්නේ ත්වය්යංතඃසවයමුදිතචිංතාමණිගණෝ
විවික්තඃ සංකල්පඃ කිං අභිලෂිතං පුෂ්යති න තේ ॥ 3.61 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 24 + 20 + 21 + 18 මාත්රාඃ (total 83); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පර - others'
චේතඃ - mind/heart (in verse: චේතාංසි = minds)
ප්රතිදිවසං - day by day
ආරාධ්ය - pleasing; propitiating
බහුධා - in many ways
ප්රසාදං - favor; satisfaction
කිම් - why?
නේතුං - to bring about
විශසි - you enter
හෘදය - O heart/mind
ක්ලේශ - distress; misery
කලිතං - filled with
ප්රසන්නේ - when calm/clear
ත්වයි - in you
අංතඃ - within
ස්වයං - of itself; naturally
උදිත - arisen
චිංතාමණි - wish-fulfilling gem
ගණඃ - group; collection
විවික්තඃ - secluded; solitary
සංකල්පඃ - intention; resolve
කිම් - what?
අභිලෂිතං - desired
පුෂ්යති - nourishes; brings about
න - not
තේ - for you

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
O mind, why do you enter into distress day after day, in so many ways, just to win the favor of other people's minds? When you are calm within, a whole cluster of wish-fulfilling gems arises of itself; with a clear solitary resolve, what desired thing will you not obtain?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is a direct critique of people-pleasing. Trying to manage others' minds every day is endless labor and endless anxiety. Bhartruhari points to a different source of power: inner clarity. When the mind is ප්රසන්න (clear and serene), good ideas, right timing, and right resolve arise naturally - like චිංතාමණි (wish-fulfilling gems) within.

In modern life, much burnout comes from social management: keeping everyone happy, curating an image, seeking approval, negotiating status. The verse suggests that true effectiveness comes from inward steadiness, not outward appeasement. When you stop trying to control everyone else's perception, you recover energy for what you can actually shape: your actions and your attention. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: choose one relationship or context where you habitually appease. For a week, replace one act of appeasement with one act of clean communication. Spend the saved mental energy on quiet focus - study, meditation, or skill. The mind becomes powerful when it is not scattered across other people's approval.

සත්යාං ඒව ත්රිලෝකීසරිති හරශිරශ්චුංබිනීවච්ඡටායාං
සද්වෘත්තිං කල්පයංත්යාං බටවිටපභවෛර්වල්කලෛඃ සත්ඵලෛශ්ච ।
කෝऽයං විද්වාන්විපත්තිජ්වරජනිතරුජාතීවදුඃඛාසිකානාං
වක්ත්රං වීක්ෂේත දුඃස්ථේ යදි හි න විභෘයාත්ස්වේ කුටුංබේऽනුකංපාම් ॥ 3.61.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
සත්යාං - when present; while it exists
ඒව - indeed
ත්රිලෝකී - the three worlds
සරිත් - river
ත්රිලෝකීසරිති - in the river of the three worlds (Ganga)
හරඃ - Shiva
ශිරඃ - head
චුංබිනී - kissing; touching
වත් - as if
ච්ඡටා - spray; stream; cascade
ච්ඡටායාං - in the spray/stream (loc.)
සත් - good; virtuous
වෘත්තිඃ - livelihood; way of living
සද්වෘත්තිං - a good (simple/virtuous) livelihood
කල්පයංත්යාං - while providing; while arranging
වට - banyan tree
විටපඃ - tree; branch
ප්රභවෛඃ - arising from; produced by
වල්කලෛඃ - with bark-cloths
සත්ඵ්හලෛඃ - with good fruits
ච - and
කඃ - who?
අයං - this
විද්වාන් - wise person
විපත්ති - calamity; misfortune
ජ්වරඃ - fever
ජනිත - produced by
රුජා - pain; illness
අතීව - exceedingly
දුඃකාසිකානාං - of those who "cough" grief (sorrowful, miserly faces)
වක්ත්රං - face
වීක්ෂේත - would look at
දුඃස්ථේ - when in distress
යදි - if
හි - indeed
න - not
විභෘයාත් - would bear; would carry
ස්වේ - in one's own
කුටුංබේ - family
අනුකංපාං - compassion

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When the sacred river of the three worlds is present, its spray touching Shiva's head, and when a good livelihood can be arranged from tree-bark and good fruits, what wise person would, in distress, look at the miserable faces of those who "cough" grief as if stricken by the fever of misfortune - unless he had compassion for his own family?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse sits close to the earlier themes about begging and dignity. It points out that nature provides a sufficient, even sacred, way of living: water, fruit, bark, and simplicity. So why endure the humiliation of appealing to people whose faces become pained and resentful when asked to give? The only excuse offered is අනුකංපා (compassion) for one's family - a recognition that duty can sometimes force hard choices. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

The modern application is not "run to the forest", but "reduce dependence". When your needs are inflated, you must endure miserable transactions: pleading, flattering, and dealing with resentment. When your needs are simpler, you can keep dignity and choose relationships freely. The verse also reminds us to be on the other side: do we become a දුඃකාසිකා (one who coughs grief) when asked to help, or do we give with grace?

Practice: simplify one need that forces you into degrading interactions. Also, practice giving: support someone quietly, without making them feel small. Compassion should not only be for one's own family; it should expand into a culture of dignified mutual support.

පරිභ්රමසි කිං මුධා ක්වචන චිත්ත විශ්රාම්යතාං
ස්වයං භවති යද්යථා භවති තත්තථා නාන්යථා ।
අතීතං අනනුස්මරන්නපි ච භාව්යසංකල්පයන්නතර්කිත
සමාගමානුභවාමි භෝගනාහම් ॥ 3.62 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 20 + 21 + 23 + 17 මාත්රාඃ (total 81); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පරිභ්රමසි - you wander about; you roam
කිම් - why?
මුධා - in vain; uselessly
ක්වචන - somewhere; anywhere
චිත්ත - O mind
විශ්රාම්යතාං - let (it) rest; rest
ස්වයං - by itself; of its own accord
යද්යථා - as (it is); in whatever way
භවති - happens; becomes
තත්තථා - just so; accordingly
න - not
අන්යථා - otherwise (in verse: නාන්යථා)
අතීතං - the past
අනනුස්මරන් - not recalling; not brooding on
අපි - even (in verse: අනනුස්මරන්නපි)
ච - and
භාව්යං - the future
සංකල්පයන් - imagining; planning; projecting
අතර්කිත - unplanned; unexpected; not reasoned out
සමාගමාන් - arrivals; events as they come
අනුභවාමි - I experience
භෝගාන් - enjoyments; experiences (in verse: භෝගනාහං = භෝගාන් අහං)
අහං - I

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Mind, why wander pointlessly? Rest somewhere. Whatever happens, happens of its own accord; it cannot be otherwise. Not replaying the past and not scripting the future, I taste the enjoyments that arrive unplanned.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is not laziness; it is release from useless mental roaming. The mind runs because it assumes, "If I think enough, I can control the flow." Bhartruhari says: events arise as they arise; your freedom lies not in controlling everything, but in not being dragged around by memory and projection. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

A lot of suffering today is "time-travel in thought": replaying what should have been said, and rehearsing what might go wrong. The verse points to a calmer skill: accept the present fact, respond to it, and stop paying interest on imaginary futures. This is close to the Gita's යද්ऱ්ච්චාලාභසංතුෂ්ටඃ (content with what comes unasked): not passive, but unneurotic.

Practice: when you notice worry spiraling, name the direction: "past" or "future". Then return to one simple present action (one email, one apology, one walk, one page of study). If you can do something, do it; if you cannot, drop the fantasy of control. Over time, this trains උපේක්ෂා (steady equanimity) without becoming indifferent.

ඒතස්මාද්විරමේංද්රියාර්ථගහනාදායාසකාදාශ්රයශ්රේයෝ
මාර්ගං අශේෂදුඃඛශමනව්යාපාරදක්ෂං ක්ෂණාත් ।
ස්වාත්මීභාවං උපෛහි සංත්යජ නිජාං කල්ලෝලලෝලං ගතිං
මා භූයෝ භජ භංගුරාං භවරතිං චේතඃ ප්රසීදාධුනා ॥ 3.63 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ඒතස්මාත් - therefore; from this
විරම - stop; turn away (imperative)
ඉංද්රිය - senses
අර්ථඃ - objects; aims
ඉංද්රියාර්ථඃ - sense-objects
ගහනාත් - from the thicket/maze; from the dense tangle
ආයාසකාත් - from the exhausting labor
ආශ්රය - take refuge in; rely on
ශ්රේයඃ - highest good; welfare
මාර්ගං - path
ශ්රේයෝමාර්ගං - the path of highest good
අශේෂ - all; without remainder
දුඃඛ - sorrow; suffering
ශමන - pacifying; removing
ව්යාපාර - activity; work
දක්ෂං - capable; skillful
ක්ෂණාත් - in a moment; instantly
ස්වාත්මීභාවං - the state of one's own Self
උපෛහි - approach; attain (imperative)
සංත්යජ - abandon; give up (imperative)
නිජාං - your own
කල්ලෝල - wave
ලෝලාං - restless; unsteady
ගතිං - movement; course
මා - do not
භූයඃ - again
භජ - resort to; cling to; pursue
භංගුරාං - fragile; transient
භව - worldly existence
රතිං - delight; attachment
භවරතිං - delight in worldly existence
චේතඃ - O mind
ප්රසීද - be calm; be clear (in verse: ප්රසීදාධුනා)
අධුනා - now

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Turn away from this exhausting tangle of sense-objects and take refuge in the path of true welfare, which can remove all sorrow in a moment. Attain your own deepest nature; abandon your wave-like restless course. Do not cling again to the fragile pleasures of worldly life. Be calm now, O mind.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is a reset button. Sense-objects are called a "thicket" because they are not one problem but a maze: each want spawns ten new wants, each comfort demands maintenance, each thrill needs escalation. Bhartruhari recommends a different refuge: the path that quiets suffering at the root by returning attention to the Self, not by decorating the prison. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

If your mind feels constantly "in motion", it is often because your inputs are endless: notifications, comparisons, appetites, debates. The teaching here is not repression; it is විවේක (discernment): noticing what costs peace, and refusing to pay that price. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් warns, මූඪ ජහි ධන-ආගම-තෘෂ්ණාං - "O deluded one, give up the thirst for wealth" - because thirst multiplies, while contentment simplifies.

Practice: pick one sense-loop that dominates you (scrolling, snacking, gossip, impulsive shopping). For seven days, reduce it by a clear rule, and fill the freed time with one inward anchor: meditation, study, or quiet walking. The mind becomes ප්රසන්න (clear and settled) not by force, but by removing the fuel that keeps it agitated.

මෝහං මාර්ජය තාං උපාර්ජය රතිං චංද්රාර්ධචූඩාමණෞ
චේතඃ ස්වර්ගතරංගිණීතටභුවාං ආසංගං අංගීකුරු ।
කෝ වා වීචිෂු බුද්බුදේෂු ච තඩිල්ලේඛාසු ච ශ්රීෂු ච
ජ්වාලාග්රේෂු ච පන්නගේෂු සරිද්වේගේෂු ච චප්රත්යයඃ ॥ 3.64 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මෝහං - delusion; confusion
මාර්ජය - cleanse; wipe away (imperative)
තාං - it; that
උපාර්ජය - acquire; cultivate (imperative)
රතිං - delight; love; devotion
චංද්ර - moon
අර්ධ - half
චූඩාමණි - crest-jewel; crown-ornament
චංද්රාර්ධචූඩාමණෞ - in the moon-crowned Lord (locative)
චේතඃ - O mind
ස්වර්ග - heaven
තරංගිණී - river
තට - bank; shore
භුවඃ - places; grounds (in verse: භුවාං)
ස්වර්ගතරංගිණීතටභුවාං - on the banks/grounds of the heavenly river
ආසංගං - attachment; association
අංගීකුරු - accept; adopt (imperative)
කඃ - who?
වා - indeed; or
වීචිෂු - in waves
බුද්බුදේෂු - in bubbles
තඩිල් - lightning
ලේඛාසු - in streaks/lines
තඩිල්ලේඛාසු - in streaks of lightning
ශ්රීෂු - in fortune; wealth; prosperity
ජ්වාලා - flame
අග්ර - tip; point
ජ්වාලාග්රේෂු - in flame-tips
පන්නගේෂු - in serpents
සරිත් - river
වේගඃ - rush; current
සරිද්වේගේෂු - in rushing currents of rivers
ච - and (in verse end: චප්රත්යයඃ = ච ප්රත්යයඃ)
ප්රත්යයඃ - trust; reliability; confidence

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Wipe away delusion and cultivate love for the moon-crowned Lord. O mind, choose to stay by the bank of the heavenly river. For what trust can there be in waves and bubbles, streaks of lightning, fortune, flame-tips, serpents, or rushing river-currents?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The list here is a training in perspective. Waves, bubbles, lightning, and flame-tips are not "bad"; they are simply unstable. Bhartruhari says: do not build your sense of safety on what is structurally flickering. Instead, cultivate devotion to what is steady - symbolized by the moon-crowned Shiva and the sacred river-bank, images of calm, continuity, and purification. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This hits a common mistake: expecting permanent security from things that are, by nature, volatile - market moods, public opinion, the "high" of praise, or the thrill of novelty. When the mind keeps betting on the next surge, it lives in anxiety. The verse encourages an inner relocation: make your base in something stable - values, discipline, prayer, study - so the inevitable fluctuations do not shake you. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: list three things you currently treat as "reliable" but that behave like waves or lightning (a trend, a person's approval, a fragile routine). Then choose one steady anchor to strengthen daily: a fixed meditation time, consistent sleep, or honest self-inquiry. වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) grows when dependence on the unstable decreases.

චේතශ්චිංතය මා රමාං සකෘදිමාං අස්ථායිනීං ආස්ථයා
භූපාලභ්රුකුටීකුටීවිහරණව්යාපාරපණ්යාංගනාම් ।
කංථාකංචුකිනඃ ප්රවිශ්ය භවනද්වාරාණි වාරාණසීරථ්යා
පංක්තිෂු පාණිපාත්රපතිතාං භික්ෂාං අපේක්ෂාමහේ ॥ 3.65 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
චේතඃ - O mind
චිංතය - reflect on; think (imperative)
මා - do not
රමාං - Lakshmi; fortune; prosperity
සකෘත් - even once
ඉමාං - this
අස්ථායිනීං - unstable; not staying
ආස්ථයා - with dependence; with "taking refuge" in (from ආස්ථා)
භූපාල - king
භ්රුකුටී - eyebrow
කුටී - wrinkle; frown
භ්රුකුටීකුටී - the wrinkle/frown of the eyebrow
විහරණ - movement; play
ව්යාපාර - business; activity
පණ්යාංගනාං - a courtesan; "woman for sale"
කංථා - patched cloak; rag
කංචුකිනඃ - wearing a cloak/jacket
ප්රවිශ්ය - entering
භවන - house
ද්වාරාණි - doors
වාරාණසී - Varanasi
රථ්යා - streets
පංක්තිෂු - in lines/rows
පාණි - hand
පාත්ර - bowl; vessel
පාණිපාත්ර - the hand as a bowl
පතිතාං - fallen into; placed into
භික්ෂාං - alms
අපේක්ෂාමහේ - we look for; we seek

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Mind, do not rely even once on fickle fortune, which behaves like a courtesan at the business of a king's eyebrow-frown. Wearing rags and entering house-doors along the streets of Varanasi, let us seek the alms that fall into the hand used as a bowl.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Fortune is personified as unstable and easily redirected: she goes where power gestures. The verse is a harsh way of saying: do not build your dignity and peace on wealth that depends on politics, moods, and the whims of others. If you must live simply - even by begging - let it be without self-deception: better a plain life with freedom than a "successful" life held hostage by constant insecurity. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In everyday terms, this is about not designing a life that collapses if income dips or approval fades. Some people live as if their entire self-worth is tied to a salary, a title, or a social circle. When the "king" frowns - a boss changes, a market turns, a trend shifts - the mind panics. The verse pushes toward a stronger base: live below your ego, and your ego becomes less fragile. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: build one layer of independence. Reduce one unnecessary expense, or create an emergency buffer, or learn one skill that makes you employable anywhere. Pair that with inner discipline: remind yourself daily that your worth is not your net worth. This is how වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) becomes practical stability.

අග්රේ ගීතං සරසකවයඃ පාර්ශ්වයෝර්දාක්ෂිණාත්යාඃ
පශ්චාල්ලීලාවලයරණිතං චාමරග්රාහිණීනාම් ।
යද්යස්ත්යේවං කුරු භවරසාස්වාදනේ ලංපටත්වං
නෝ චේච්චේතඃ ප්රවිශ සහසා නිර්විකල්පේ සමාධෞ ॥ 3.66 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අග්රේ - in front; before
ගීතං - song; music
සරස - tasteful; delightful
කවයඃ - poets
පාර්ශ්වයෝඃ - on both sides
දාක්ෂිණාත්යාඃ - southerners (here: skilled performers)
පශ්චාත් - behind
ලීලා - playful
වලය - bangles
රණිතං - jingling; ringing
චාමර - yak-tail fan
ග්රාහිණීනාං - of those holding (women attendants)
යදි - if
අස්ති - exists
ඒවං - thus
කුරු - do (imperative)
භව - worldly existence
රසඃ - taste; flavor
ආස්වාදනේ - in tasting/enjoying
ලංපටත්වං - greed; indulgence; lust
නෝ - if not (no)
චේතඃ - O mind
ප්රවිශ - enter (imperative)
සහසා - at once; quickly
නිර්විකල්පේ - without mental constructions; thought-free
සමාධෞ - in samadhi; deep absorption

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
If before you there is music, skilled poets at your sides, and behind you the playful jingling of bangles of women holding fans, then go ahead and indulge in tasting worldly pleasures. If not, O mind, enter at once into thought-free absorption.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse has a deliberate edge: it exposes how conditional our "enjoyment" really is. Most pleasures require an entire stage: performers, attendants, status, and constant arranging. Bhartruhari is saying: if you truly want to play that game, do it honestly. But notice how quickly the conditions collapse - and then choose the higher option. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In real life this resembles lifestyle-chasing: the dream of perfect ambiance, perfect company, perfect attention. When reality does not provide the full set, people feel deprived and resentful. The verse suggests a better move: stop bargaining with conditions. Either accept a simple joy, or turn inward where peace does not depend on external choreography. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: notice one pleasure you keep postponing until "everything is right" - the right weekend, the right money, the right people. Try a simpler version now. Then also practice the inward option: take ten minutes daily of silent sitting with no goals. When the mind learns that it can be content without a stage, වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) becomes natural.

ප්රාප්තාඃ ශ්රියඃ සකලකාමදුධාස්තතඃ කිං
න්යස්තං පදං ශිරසි විද්විෂතාං තතඃ කිම් ।
සංපාදිතාඃ ප්රණයිනෝ විභවෛස්තතඃ කිං
කල්පං ස්ථිතාස්තනුභෘතාං තනවස්තතඃ කිම් ॥ 3.67 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ප්රාප්තාඃ - obtained; attained
ශ්රියඃ - prosperity; wealth; success
සකල - all
කාම - desires
දුහාඃ - yielding like a milch-cow (in verse: දුධාඃ)
සකලකාමදුධාඃ - yielding all desires (as if wish-giving)
තතඃ - then; after that
කිම් - what? so what?
න්යස්තං - placed; set down
පදං - foot
ශිරසි - on the head
විද්විෂතාං - of enemies
සංපාදිතාඃ - obtained; secured
ප්රණයිනඃ - lovers; affectionate ones
විභවෛඃ - through riches; by prosperity
කල්පං - for an aeon; for ages
ස්ථිතාඃ - remaining; lasting
තනුභෘතාං - of embodied beings
තනවඃ - bodies; physical frames

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
So what if you gain prosperity that seems to grant every desire? So what if enemies place a foot on your head? So what if lovers are obtained by wealth? So what if bodies could last for ages? What does it finally change?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Bhartruhari piles up extreme scenarios to expose a quiet truth: none of them ends dissatisfaction. Pleasure and pain, honor and humiliation, success and failure - they keep changing, and the mind keeps reacting. The verse invites you to stop treating outer outcomes as the final cure. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is a powerful tool against both arrogance and anxiety. When you win, ask, "Did this actually remove restlessness, or did it just distract it for a while?" When you lose, ask, "Was I making this the basis of my peace?" The Upanishads point in the same direction: න විත්තේන තර්පණීයෝ මනුෂ්යඃ - "a person is not truly satisfied by wealth." Lasting contentment comes from loosening the need for constant external confirmation.

Practice: pick one goal you are currently treating as a "final fix". Write down the emotional need behind it (safety, love, respect). Start cultivating that need directly through habits and relationships, not only through achievement. This turns success into a bonus rather than a dependency - a concrete movement toward වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

භක්තිර්භවේ මරණජන්මභයං හෘදිස්ථං
ස්නේහෝ න බංධුෂු න මන්මථජා විකාරාඃ ।
සංසර්ජ දෝෂරහිතා විජයා වනාංතා
වෛරාග්යං අස්ති කිං ඉතඃ පරමර්ථනීයම් ॥ 3.68 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භක්තිඃ - devotion; heartfelt orientation
භවේ - may it be; let it be
මරණ - death
ජන්ම - birth
භයං - fear
හෘදි - in the heart
ස්ථං - abiding; situated
ස්නේහඃ - attachment; clinging affection
න - not
බංධුෂු - among relatives
න - not
මන්මථ - Cupid; lust
ජාඃ - born of
විකාරාඃ - disturbances; modifications
සංසර්ජ - social mixing/association (in verse reading: සංසර්ජ)
දෝෂ - faults; defects
රහිතා - free from
විජයා - victorious; prevailing
වනාංතාඃ - forest-solitudes; ends of the forest
වෛරාග්යං - dispassion; renunciation
අස්ති - is
කිම් - what?
ඉතඃ පරම් - beyond this
අර්ථනීයං - worth seeking; desirable

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Let there be devotion, and let the awareness of birth and death sit in the heart; let there be no clinging to relatives, and no passion-born disturbances. Let solitary forest-life, free from the defects of social entanglement, prevail. What dispassion beyond this is worth seeking?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse describes the inner conditions that make freedom possible. Mortality-awareness breaks casual indulgence, devotion gives the heart direction, and reduced attachment prevents the mind from being pulled into endless emotional drama. The "forest" here is also symbolic: a setting where inputs are simple and the mind is not constantly provoked. Notice the chain Bhartruhari is pointing at: රාග (attachment) quietly breeds භය (fear), because whatever you cling to becomes something you must protect; වෛරාග්ය breaks that chain.

Most people will not - and need not - abandon all relationships. The point is to loosen compulsive dependence: love without clinging, serve without being owned, and keep the mind from being enslaved by desire. This is exactly why Advaita emphasizes සාධනචතුෂ්ටය (the fourfold disciplines): විවේක (discernment), වෛරාග්ය (dispassion), inner steadiness, and මුමුක්ෂුත්ව (the longing for liberation). Without some detachment, even spiritual life becomes another form of craving.

Practice: create "inner forest" time daily - a small window with no social inputs, no performance, no gossip. Use it for study, contemplation, or prayer. Also, in one relationship where attachment shows up as control, replace one controlling act with one respectful boundary. This is how renunciation becomes a living purification, not a fantasy of escape.

තස්මාදනංතං අජරං පරමං විකාසි
තද්බ්රහ්ම චිංතය කිං ඒභිරසද්විකල්පෛඃ ।
යස්යානුෂංගිණ ඉමේ භුවනාධිපත්යභෝගාදයඃ
කෘපණලෝකමතා භවංති ॥ 3.69 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 16 + 16 + 23 + 12 මාත්රාඃ (total 67); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
තස්මාත් - therefore
අනංතං - endless; infinite
අජරං - unaging; undecaying
පරමං - supreme
විකාසි - expansive; ever-unfolding
තද් - that
බ්රහ්ම - the Supreme Reality
චිංතය - contemplate (imperative)
කිම් - why?
ඒභිඃ - with these
අසත් - unreal; insubstantial
විකල්පෛඃ - imaginations; mental constructions
යස්ය - for whom; of whom
අනුෂංගිණඃ - attendant; following along
ඉමේ - these
භුවන - world
අධිපත්ය - sovereignty; lordship
භෝගාදයඃ - pleasures and the like
කෘපණ - petty; miserly; small-minded
ලෝක - people; world
මතාඃ - considered; regarded
භවංති - become

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Therefore contemplate the infinite, ageless, supremely expansive Reality - why occupy yourself with insubstantial mental fancies? For one centered in that, even sovereignty over worlds and all pleasures are regarded as trifles by ordinary people.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse names the true replacement for craving: not a new object, but a new center. When the mind tastes something deeper than pleasure - clarity, freedom, the sense of the unconditioned - the old prizes naturally shrink. That is why Bhartruhari calls worldly fantasies අසත් (not solid): they are loud, but they do not deliver lasting fullness. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is psychologically visible too. When inner meaning is absent, external domination and entertainment feel necessary; when inner meaning is present, you may still act in the world, but the hunger for status fades. Schopenhauer notes that desire keeps the will in perpetual dissatisfaction; Advaita goes further by pointing to the Self as already whole. The well-known summary බ්රහ්ම සත්යං ජගන්මිථ්යා is not a rejection of life; it is a refusal to mistake appearances for the final refuge.

Practice: set one daily reminder that reorients the mind before it spirals into comparison. It can be a short reading, a mantra, or a silent pause. Then, notice one recurring fantasy (power, recognition, revenge) and ask: "If I got this, would restlessness end?" Let that question weaken the spell. This is how විවේක (discernment) matures into steady වෛරාග්ය.

පාතාලං ආවිශසි යාසි නභෝ විලංඝ්ය
දිඞ්මංඩලං භ්රමසි මානස චාපලේන ।
භ්රාංත්යාපි ජාතු විමලං කථං ආත්මනීනං
න බ්රහ්ම සංසරසි නිර්වෘතිං ඒෂි යේන ॥ 3.70 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 19 + 17 + 19 + 17 මාත්රාඃ (total 72); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පාතාලං - the netherworld
ආවිශසි - you enter
යාසි - you go
නභඃ - sky; space (in verse: නභෝ)
විලංඝ්ය - leaping across; crossing over
දිඞ් - directions
මංඩලං - circle; sphere
දිඞ්මංඩලං - the horizon; the sphere of directions
භ්රමසි - you roam; you wander
මානස - O mind
චාපලේන - with fickleness; restlessly
භ්රාංති - error; delusion
අපි - even (in verse: භ්රාංත්යාපි)
ජාතු - ever; at any time
විමලං - pure; stainless
කථං - how?
ආත්මනීනං - belonging to the Self; inward
න - not
බ්රහ්ම - the Supreme Reality
සංසරසි - you roam about; you wander
නිර්වෘතිං - peace; release; cessation of suffering
ඒෂි - you would attain; you would go to
යේන - by which

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
You dive into the depths, leap into the sky, and roam the horizon with restless fickleness. Even while wandering this way, how do you not turn to the pure inner Reality by which you would attain true peace?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a portrait of distraction as "spiritual travel". The mind can roam endlessly - places, ideas, arguments, ambitions - and still avoid the one direction that matters: inward. Bhartruhari calls the goal විමල (stainless) and ආත්මනීන (belonging to the Self): it is not somewhere else, it is the clarity that is closest.

This also applies to knowledge-seeking that never becomes self-knowledge. You can read hundreds of books, scroll endless opinions, or chase novelty, and yet remain restless because the center has not been addressed. Krishnamurti often points out that the observer must be understood; without that, every outer search becomes another escape. The verse asks: are you using movement to avoid stillness? The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: once a day, replace one "search" with one "return". Instead of looking for the next argument or the next plan, sit quietly for ten minutes and watch the restlessness itself. Name it as චාපල (fickleness) and let it be seen. Over time, the mind learns the taste of නිර්වෘති (quiet release) that no travel can give.

කිං වේදෛඃ ස්මෘතිභිඃ පුරාණපඨනෛඃ ශාස්ත්රෛර්මහාවිස්තරෛඃ
ස්වර්ගග්රාමකුටීනිවාසඵලදෛඃ කර්මක්රියාවිභ්රමෛඃ ।
මුක්ත්වෛකං භවදුඃඛභාරරචනාවිධ්වංසකාලානලං
ස්වාත්මානංදපදප්රවේශකලනං ශේසෛර්වාණිග්වෘත්තිභිඃ ॥ 3.71 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
කිම් - what? what use?
වේදෛඃ - with the Vedas
ස්මෘතිභිඃ - with the SmRtis
පුරාණ - the PurANas
පඨනෛඃ - by reciting/reading
ශාස්ත්රෛඃ - with treatises; scriptures
මහාවිස්තරෛඃ - with great elaborations
ස්වර්ග - heaven
ග්රාම - region; "settlement" (here: heavenly realms)
කුටී - hut; cottage
නිවාසඃ - residence; dwelling
ඵල - fruit; result
දෛඃ - giving (instrumental plural)
ස්වර්ගග්රාමකුටීනිවාසඵලදෛඃ - promising fruits like living in heavenly dwellings
කර්ම - ritual action
ක්රියා - prescribed practices
විභ්රමෛඃ - with bewildering bustle; with ritual "whirl"
මුක්ත්වා - leaving aside; except for
ඒකං - the one
භව - worldly existence
දුඃඛ - suffering
භාර - burden
රචනා - construction; arrangement
විධ්වංස - destruction
කාල - time
අනලං - fire
කාලානලං - the "time-fire" (total destroyer)
භවදුඃඛභාරරචනාවිධ්වංසකාලානලං - the time-fire that destroys the burden-structure of worldly suffering
ස්වාත්ම - one's own Self
ආනංද - bliss
පද - state; abode
ප්රවේශ - entry
කලනං - bringing about; enabling
ශේශෛඃ - with the rest
වාණිග්වෘත්තිභිඃ - speech used as trade/livelihood

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
What use are the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas, vast treatises, and the dizzying rituals that promise heavenly enjoyments, if they do not deliver the one thing: the fire that destroys the burden of worldly suffering and opens entry into the bliss of the Self? Everything else is just speech made into a trade.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is not an insult to scripture; it is a demand for its real purpose. Bhartruhari says: do not confuse means with the end. If study and ritual do not reduce bondage - the weight of fear, craving, and sorrow - then they have become decoration. The one "result" worth insisting on is inner freedom that burns the root of suffering. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

The same mistake is common today in a different form: collecting information instead of being transformed by it. You can read endlessly about meditation, philosophy, and psychology, yet remain unchanged in anger, attachment, and anxiety. Advaita calls this difference පරෝක්ෂ (indirect knowledge) versus අපරෝක්ෂ (direct, lived knowing). Texts point, but the seeing must happen in you.

Practice: reduce spiritual shopping. Pick one small daily discipline that directly weakens craving and strengthens clarity - self-inquiry, meditation, honest reflection, or service. Measure progress by inner signs: less reactivity, fewer compulsions, more steadiness. Let books and rituals support that fire, not replace it.

නායං තේ සමයෝ රහස්යං අධුනා නිද්රාති නාථෝ යදි
ස්ථිත්වා ද්රක්ෂ්යති කුප්යති ප්රභුරිති ද්වාරේෂු යේෂාං වචඃ ।
චේතස්තානපහාය යාහි භවනං දේවස්ය විශ්වේශිතුර්
නිර්දෞවාරිකනිර්දයෝක්ත්ය්අපරුෂං නිඃසෞම්අශර්මප්රදම් ॥ 3.71.1 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 26 + 24 + 25 + 24 මාත්රාඃ (total 99); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
න - not
අයං - this
තේ - for you
සමයඃ - time; occasion (in verse: සමයෝ)
රහස්යං - secret
අධුනා - now
නිද්රාති - sleeps
නාථඃ - the Lord; master
යදි - if
ස්ථිත්වා - having waited; having stood
ද්රක්ෂ්යති - will see
කුප්යති - will become angry
ප්රභුඃ - the master
ඉති - thus
ද්වාරේෂු - at the doors
යේෂාං - of whom
වචඃ - words
චේතඃ - O mind
තාන් - those
අපහාය - leaving aside
යාහි - go (imperative)
භවනං - abode; house
දේවස්ය - of the Lord
විශ්වේශිතුඃ - of the Lord of the universe (විශ්වේශ්වර)
නිර් - without
දෞවාරික - doorkeeper; gatekeeper
නිර්දෞවාරිකං - without gatekeepers
නිර්දය - merciless; heartless
උක්ති - speech; words
නිර්දයෝක්ත්යා - by merciless words (in verse: නිර්දයෝක්ත්ය්)
අපරුෂං - not harsh; gentle
සෞම්ය - gentle; soothing (in verse: සෞම්අ)
ශර්ම - refuge; comfort
ප්රදං - granting; giving

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
This is not your time, and it is no secret: "If the Lord is sleeping now, he will wake, see you, and get angry," say those who stand at the doors. O mind, leave them and go to the Lord of the universe, whose house has no gatekeepers, no harsh words, and gives gentle refuge.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse mocks gatekeeping in devotion. Some people build an entire business of "access": they decide when you may approach, how you must behave, and they keep you anxious with threats. Bhartruhari says: do not let your mind be bullied. Go to the true source - the විශ්වේශ්වර (Lord of all) - where there is no cruelty, only refuge. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This applies far beyond temples. Many goals in life have "door-people": social circles, bureaucracies, inner critics, and even family voices that say, "Not now, you will be punished." Sometimes these warnings are practical; often they are just control. The verse recommends courage: do not hand over your direction to those who thrive on your hesitation. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: identify one gatekeeper voice in you - a fear that keeps you from prayer, study, or a needed life change. Write it down. Then take one small direct step that does not require anyone's permission: a sincere prayer, a ten-minute sit, an honest conversation, a job application. අනුසංධාන becomes real when you stop waiting at the wrong doors.

යතෝ මේරුඃ ශ්රීමාන්නිපතති යුගාංතාග්නිවලිතඃ
සමුද්රාඃ ශුෂ්යංති ප්රචුරමකරග්රාහනිලයාඃ ।
ධරා ගච්ඡත්යංතං ධරණිධරපාදෛරපි ධෘතා
ශරීරේ කා වාර්තා කරිකලභකර්ණාග්රචපලේ ॥ 3.72 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
යතඃ - when; since
මේරුඃ - Mount Meru
ශ්රීමාන් - glorious; splendid
නිපතති - falls
යුග - age; world-cycle
අංත - end
අග්නි - fire
යුගාංතාග්නිවලිතඃ - surrounded by the end-of-age fire
සමුද්රාඃ - oceans
ශුෂ්යංති - dry up
ප්රචුර - abundant; full of
මකර - crocodiles (aquatic monsters)
ග්රාහ - sharks; sea-creatures
නිලයාඃ - abodes; homes
ප්රචුරමකරග්රාහනිලයාඃ - whose homes are full of crocodiles and sharks
ධරා - the earth
ගච්ඡති - goes
අංතං - to the end
ධරණි - earth
ධර - mountain; "holder"
පාදෛඃ - by the feet
අපි - even
ධෘතා - held up
ශරීරේ - in/for the body
කා - what?
වාර්තා - news; story; certainty
කරි - elephant
කලභ - baby elephant
කර්ණ - ear
අග්ර - tip
චපල - unsteady; fickle
කරිකලභකර්ණාග්රචපලේ - fickle like the tip of a baby elephant's ear

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When even the glorious Meru falls at the end of an age, when oceans dry up despite being homes to countless sea-creatures, and when the earth itself reaches its end though supported by mountains - what certainty can there be about this body, fickle as the tip of a baby elephant's ear?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Bhartruhari uses cosmic imagery to make one point unavoidable: impermanence is not an exception; it is the rule. If the grandest structures dissolve, then the body - delicate, aging, easily injured - cannot be treated as a permanent refuge. The verse is meant to loosen the instinct to cling. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

This does not mean neglecting health; it means right-sizing it. Much anxiety comes from treating the body as identity and the world as a guarantee. The verse encourages a wiser investment: care for the body as an instrument, but place your deepest trust in what is not destroyed by time - clarity, character, and inner freedom. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: do one action that respects the body (sleep, food, movement) and one action that prepares for its impermanence (forgiveness, simplification, spiritual practice). Keep a short daily reminder: "Everything changes; what will I build that remains?" This is the seed of වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) without despair.

ගාත්රං සංකුචිතං ගතිර්විගලිතා භ්රෂ්ටා ච දංතාවලිර්
දෘෂ්ටිර්නක්ෂ්යති වර්ධතේ බධිරතා වක්ත්රං ච ලාලායතේ ।
වාක්යං නාද්රියතේ ච බාංධවජනෝ භාර්යා න ශුශ්රූෂතේ
හා කෂ්ටං පුරුෂස්ය ජීර්ණවයසඃ පුත්රෝऽප්යමිත්රායතේ ॥ 3.73 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ගාත්රං - limbs; body
සංකුචිතං - contracted; shriveled
ගතිඃ - gait; movement
විගලිතා - slipped; weakened; faltering
භ්රෂ්ටා - fallen; broken down
ච - and
දංතාවලිඃ - row of teeth (in verse-sandhi: දංතාවලිර්)
දෘෂ්ටිඃ - eyesight (in verse-sandhi: දෘෂ්ටිර්)
නක්ෂ්යති - will decay; will be lost
වර්ධතේ - increases
බධිරතා - deafness
වක්ත්රං - mouth
ච - and
ලාලායතේ - drools
වාක්යං - speech; words
න - not (in verse: නාද්රියතේ = න ආද්රියතේ)
ආද්රියතේ - is respected; is valued
බාංධව - relative; kinsman
ජනඃ - people (in verse: බාංධවජනෝ)
භාර්යා - wife
න - not
ශුශ්රූෂතේ - serves; attends
හා - alas!
කෂ්ටං - misery; hard condition
පුරුෂස්ය - of a man
ජීර්ණ - old; worn out
වයසඃ - of age
පුත්රඃ - son (in verse-sandhi: පුත්රෝ)
අපි - even (in verse: ऽප්ය්)
අමිත්රායතේ - becomes hostile; turns into an enemy

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
The limbs shrink, the gait falters, the teeth fail; eyesight decays, deafness grows, and the mouth drools. One's words are ignored, relatives do not value you, the wife does not attend - alas, in old age even the son can turn hostile.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is intentionally blunt so that we stop fantasizing about permanence. It shows old age not only as physical decline, but as social loneliness: the world that once depended on you can easily forget you, and relationships can become strained when roles reverse. Bhartruhari is not shaming the old; he is warning the young. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

For daily life, the lesson is preparation and humility. Do not build your identity on being useful, admired, or feared, because those supports can vanish quickly. Invest early in inner resources: skills, friendships based on character, and spiritual steadiness. Also, treat elders with dignity; today's youth is tomorrow's decline. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: if you are young, begin one discipline now that your future self will thank you for: savings, health, learning, and a daily spiritual anchor. If you care for elders, offer respect without impatience. The deeper practice is to cultivate අනාසක්ති (non-clinging) so that your peace does not depend on how others respond to you.

වර්ණං සිතං ශිරසි වීක්ෂ්ය ශිරෝරුහාණාං
ස්ථානං ජරාපරිභවස්ය තදා පුමාංසම් ।
ආරෝපිතාංස්ථිශතකං පරිහෘත්ය යාංති
චංඩාලකූපං ඉව දූරතරං තරුණ්යඃ ॥ 3.74 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
වර්ණං - color
සිතං - white
ශිරසි - on the head
වීක්ෂ්ය - seeing; having seen
ශිරෝරුහාණාං - of the hairs on the head
ස්ථානං - state; condition
ජරා - old age
පරිභවඃ - humiliation; distressing decline
ජරාපරිභවස්ය - of the humiliation/decline of old age
තදා - then
පුමාංසං - a man
ආරෝපිත - mounted; placed; characterized by
අස්ථි - bone
ශතකං - a hundred
ආරෝපිතාංස්ථිශතකං - "covered with" hundreds of bones
පරිහෘත්ය - abandoning; leaving behind
යාංති - they go
චංඩාලකූපං - an outcaste's well
ඉව - as if; like
දූරතරං - very far
තරුණ්යඃ - young women

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Seeing white hair on a man's head and the onset of the humiliations of old age, young women abandon him and go far away - as if he were an outcaste's well ringed with bones.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is an unsentimental reminder that attraction is often conditional. Youth is drawn to youth; beauty is drawn to beauty. When signs of aging appear, the mind that was once enchanted can become repelled. Bhartruhari uses an extreme image to break romantic illusions and push the seeker toward a more stable source of fulfillment. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

This applies in subtler forms today as well: ageism, status shifts, and changing social attention. If your self-worth is tied to being desired, admired, or socially "in", you will suffer as time moves. The antidote is to build relationships on character and shared values, and to build your inner life on something time cannot take. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: notice where you depend on being seen a certain way. Strengthen one quality that does not age: kindness, integrity, or skill. If you are in relationship, invest in companionship beyond appearance - shared service, shared learning, shared silence. This is how වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) becomes maturity rather than cynicism.

යාවත්ස්වස්ථං ඉදං ශරීරං අරුජං යාවච්ච දූරේ ජරා
යාවච්චේංද්රියශක්තිරප්රතිහතා යාවත්ක්ෂයෝ නායුෂඃ ।
ආත්මශ්රේයසි තාවදේව විදුෂා කාර්යඃ ප්රයත්නෝ මහාන්
සංදීප්තේ භවනේ තු කූපඛනනං ප්රත්යුද්යමඃ කීදෘශඃ ॥ 3.75 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
යාවත් - as long as
ස්වස්ථං - healthy; well
ඉදං - this
ශරීරං - body
අරුජං - free from illness/infirmity
යාවත් - as long as
ච - and
දූරේ - far away
ජරා - old age
යාවත් - as long as
ඉංද්රිය - senses
ශක්තිඃ - strength; capacity
අප්රතිහතා - unobstructed; unimpaired
යාවත් - as long as
ක්ෂයඃ - decline; waning
න - not
ආයුෂඃ - of life
ආත්ම - the Self
ශ්රේයසි - in the highest good
තාවතේව - only until then
විදුෂා - by the wise
කාර්යඃ - should be done
ප්රයත්නඃ - effort
මහාන් - great
සංදීප්තේ - when blazing
භවනේ - in the house
තු - but
කූප - well
ඛනනං - digging
ප්රත්යුද්යමඃ - effort; attempt
කීදෘශඃ - what kind? what use?

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
As long as this body is healthy and free from infirmity, as long as old age is far, as long as the senses are unimpaired and life has not begun to wane - only till then should the wise make great effort toward the highest good. What use is digging a well when the house is on fire?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is urgency with compassion. Bhartruhari says: do the essential work while you still have strength. Waiting for a perfect time is self-deception; crisis arrives suddenly. The "well" symbolizes all last-minute remedies and late spiritual regrets that come when the house is already burning. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In daily life, this applies to health, relationships, and inner freedom. People postpone medical care, honest conversations, and spiritual practice until problems become emergencies. The verse asks for a reversal: treat the present as the right time. In the language of විවේක (discernment), do the highest-priority work first.

Practice: choose one "highest good" action you keep delaying - meditation, study, repairing a relationship, or simplifying life. Do a small version today, not tomorrow. Then schedule it into your week as non-negotiable. වෛරාග්ය grows not from dramatic renunciation, but from consistent priority.

තපස්යංතඃ සංතඃ කිං අධිනිවසාමඃ සුරනදීං
ගුණෝදාරාංදාරානුත පරිචරාමඃ සවිනයම් ।
පිබාමඃ ශාස්ත්රෞඝානුතවිවිධකාව්යාමෘතරසාන්
න විද්මඃ කිං කුර්මඃ කතිපයනිමේෂායුෂි ජනේ ॥ 3.76 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
තපස්යංතඃ - practicing austerity; disciplined striving
සංතඃ - good people; seekers
කිම් - what?
අධිනිවසාමඃ - shall we live/dwell?
සුරනදීං - the heavenly river
ගුණ - virtues
උදාරාන් - noble; generous
දාරාන් - wives
උත - or else
පරිචරාමඃ - shall we serve?
සවිනයං - humbly; with respect
පිබාමඃ - shall we drink?
ශාස්ත්ර - scripture
ඕඝඃ - flood; stream; multitude
ශාස්ත්රෞඝ්හාන් - streams/multitude of scriptures
උත - or
විවිද - various
කාව්ය - poetry
අමෘත - nectar
රස - essence; taste
කාව්යාමෘතරසාන් - the nectar-essences of poetry
න - not
විද්මඃ - we know
කිම් - what
කුර්මඃ - shall we do?
කතිපය - a few
නිමේෂ - eye-blink
ආයුෂි - in the lifespan
ජනේ - in life; in this world

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
We ascetics do not know what to do in this life that lasts only a few blinks: should we dwell by the heavenly river, or serve our virtuous wives with humility, or drink the streams of scriptures, or the nectar-essence of various poems?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse captures a very human dilemma: too many worthy options, too little time. One can imagine a life of solitude, a life of devoted household responsibility, a life of study, or a life of refined enjoyment of art. Bhartruhari's sting is in the last line: life is only a few නිමේෂාඃ (eye-blinks). Indecision itself becomes the loss. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is also a modern problem of abundance. With endless content and endless "paths", people keep sampling and never committing. The verse suggests that the right response to short life is not frantic consumption but clear prioritization: choose what actually frees the mind and let other goods support that choice, not replace it. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: pick one primary aim for the next 30 days (spiritual practice, service, study, or health). Commit to a daily minimum. Allow other activities, but only after the minimum is done. This simple ordering transforms scattered effort into තපස් (disciplined heat) that produces real change.

දුරාරාධ්යාශ්චාමී තුරගචලචිත්තාඃ ක්ෂිතිභුජෝ
වයං තු ස්ථූලේච්ඡාඃ සුමහති ඵලේ බද්ධමනසඃ ।
ජරා දේහං මෘත්යුර්හරති දයිතං ජීවිතං ඉදං
සඛේ නාන්යච්ඡ්රේයෝ ජගති විදුෂේऽන්යත්ර තපසඃ ॥ 3.77 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
දුරාරාධ්යාඃ - hard to please; difficult to propitiate
ච - and
අමී - these
තුරග - horse
චල - moving; restless
චිත්තාඃ - minds
ක්ෂිතිභුජාඃ - kings; rulers
වයං - we
තු - however
ස්ථූල - gross; coarse
ඉච්ඡාඃ - desires
සුමහති - very great
ඵලේ - in the result
බද්ධ - bound; tied
මනසඃ - minds
ජරා - old age
දේහං - body
ම්ऱ්ත්යුඃ - death
හරති - takes away
දයිතං - dear; beloved
ජීවිතං - life
ඉදං - this
සඛේ - O friend
න - not
අන්යත් - other
ශ්රේයඃ - good; welfare
ජගති - in the world
විදුෂේ - for the wise
අන්යත්ර - other than; except
තපසඃ - austerity; disciplined practice

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
These rulers are hard to please, their minds as restless as a moving horse; and we, with coarse desires, keep our minds bound to huge results. Old age takes the body, death takes this dear life. Friend, for the wise there is no better good in the world than disciplined striving.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is brutally practical. Chasing the favor of kings (or any powerful person) is exhausting because their minds are restless and their approval is unstable. At the same time, our own desires are "sthUla" (coarse) in the sense that they demand large outcomes. Meanwhile, time is doing its work: old age takes the body, death takes life. So the one reliable investment is තපස් - disciplined practice that builds inner strength and reduces dependence. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In contemporary settings, this often shows up as career and social anxiety: living for performance reviews, networking, and the fickle moods of gatekeepers. The verse does not say "quit life"; it says stop making your dignity depend on approval. When you cultivate discipline, skill, and inner steadiness, you become harder to manipulate and easier to respect - including by yourself. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: identify one place where you flatter, compromise values, or overwork just to be liked. Replace one such action with one act of තපස් (disciplined heat): a boundary, a truthful statement, or consistent practice. Add a daily anchor (study, meditation, exercise) that you do regardless of praise. This trains freedom in the only way it can be trained: by repetition.

මානේ ම්ලායිනි ඛංඩිතේ ච වසුනි ව්යර්ථේ ප්රයාතේऽර්ථිනි
ක්ෂීණේ බංධුජනේ ගතේ පරිජනේ නෂ්ටේ ශනෛර්යෞවනේ ।
යුක්තං කේවලං ඒතදේව සුධියාං යජ්ජහ්නුකන්යාපයඃපූතාග්රාව
ගිරීංද්රකංදරතටීකුංජේ නිවාසඃ ක්වචිථ් ॥ 3.78 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මානේ - when honor/pride
ම්ලායිනි - withers; fades
ඛංඩිතේ - is broken; ruined
ච - and
වසුනි - when wealth
ව්යර්ථේ - becomes useless; is squandered
ප්රයාතේ - has gone
අර්ථිනි - when the seeker/supplicant (flatterer) departs (in verse: ප්රයාතේऽර්ථිනි)
ක්ෂීණේ - dwindled
බංධුජනේ - when friends/kinsmen are diminished
ගතේ - have gone
පරිජනේ - when attendants/dependents have gone
නෂ්ටේ - are lost
ශනෛර් - slowly
යෞවනේ - when youth is lost
යුක්තං - proper; fitting
කේවලං - only
ඒතදේව - just this
සුධියාං - for the wise
යත් - that which
ජහ්නුකන්යා - the Ganga ("daughter of Jahnu")
පයඃ - water
පූත - purified
ග්රාව - rocks
පූතාග්රාව - rocks purified (by that water)
ගිරීංද්ර - king of mountains (Himalayas)
කංදර - cave
තටී - slope; bank; hillside
කුංජේ - in a grove/thicket
නිවාසඃ - dwelling; residence
ක්වචිත් - somewhere

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When honor fades, wealth is ruined, and those who once sought you disappear; when friends diminish, dependents depart, and youth slowly vanishes - the wise have only one fitting course: to live somewhere in a Himalayan cave-grove whose rocks are sanctified by the waters of the Ganga.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse describes the collapse of the usual props of identity: pride, money, admirers, companions, and youth. When these fade, a person is forced to see what was real and what was borrowed. Bhartruhari says the wise do not wait for collapse; they pre-empt it by choosing simplicity and inner anchoring. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

For many people today, this happens as burnout, retirement, or a sudden change in status. When the "crowd" is gone, you discover whether you have a life or only a performance. The Himalaya and Ganga imagery points to an alternative: return to what is pure, quiet, and essential. Even if you cannot relocate physically, you can relocate psychologically by reducing dependence on applause. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: create one simple refuge in your week - a "cave time" with no social validation seeking: nature walk, meditation, study, or quiet service. Also, reduce one status-expense that forces you into exhausting comparison. This is how වෛරාග්ය becomes freedom rather than bitterness.

රම්යාශ්චංද්රමරීචයස්තෘණවතී රම්යා වනාංතස්ථලී
රම්යං සාධුසමාගමාගතසුඛං කාව්යේෂු රම්යාඃ කථාඃ ।
කෝපෝපාහිතබාෂ්පබිංදුතරලං රම්යං ප්රියායා මුඛං
සර්වං රම්යං අනිත්යතාං උපගතේ චිත්තේ න කිංචිත්පුනඃ ॥ 3.79 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
රම්යාඃ - delightful; charming
චංද්ර - moon
මරීචයඃ - rays
තෘණවතී - grassy
වනාංතස්ථලී - forest ground/region
රම්යං - delightful
සාධු - saintly person
සමාගම - meeting; company
ආගත - obtained; arising from
සුඛං - joy
කාව්යේෂු - in poetry
රම්යාඃ - delightful
කථාඃ - stories; narratives
කෝප - indignation; anger
උපාහිත - accompanied by; suffused with
බාෂ්ප - tears
බිංදු - drops
තරලං - shimmering; tremulous
ප්රියායාඃ - of the beloved
මුඛං - face
සර්වං - all
රම්යං - delightful
අනිත්යතාං - impermanence
උපගතේ - when it has been realized; when it has entered
චිත්තේ - in the mind
න - not
කිංචිත් - anything
පුනඃ - again

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Moonbeams on grass are charming; the forest is charming; the joy of meeting the wise is charming; stories in poetry are charming; even a beloved's face shimmering with tear-drops of indignation is charming. But once the mind has truly absorbed impermanence, nothing charms it again in the same way.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse describes a shift of taste. When impermanence is only an idea, the world remains intoxicating. When impermanence becomes a felt recognition, the same things lose their spell. This is not necessarily sadness; it can be sobriety - the mind stops being bribed by surfaces. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

Many people experience this after loss, illness, or deep disappointment: pleasures remain pleasant, but they no longer feel ultimate. The verse warns against clinging to charm as if it were meaning. When the mind matures, it asks for something deeper than aesthetic or emotional stimulation. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: notice one "charm" you chase to escape discomfort - entertainment, romance, gossip, even poetic nostalgia. Enjoy it if appropriate, but do not lean on it as a refuge. Add a daily contemplation of change: remind yourself that every experience passes. Over time, this produces වෛරාග්ය without becoming cold.

රම්යං හර්ම්යතලං න කිං වසතයේ ශ්රව්යං න ගේයාදිකං
කිං වා ප්රාණසමාසමාගමසුඛං නෛවාධිකප්රීතයේ ।
කිංතු භ්රාංතපතංගක්ෂපවනව්යාලෝලදීපාංකුරච්ඡායා
චංචලං ආකලය්ය සකලං සංතෝ වනාංතං ගතාඃ ॥ 3.80 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 22 + 27 + 27 + 21 මාත්රාඃ (total 97); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
රම්යං - pleasant; delightful
හර්ම්ය - mansion; palace
තලං - terrace; floor
න - not
කිම් - what? (as "is it not?")
වසතයේ - for living
ශ්රව්යං - pleasant to hear
ගේය - singable; music
ආදිකං - and so on
කිං වා - or what?
ප්රාණ - life
සමා - equal to
සමාගම - company; meeting
සුඛං - joy
ප්රාණසමාසමාගමසුඛං - the joy of company as dear as life
න - not
ඒව - indeed
අධික - great; excessive
ප්රීතයේ - for pleasure
කිංතු - but
භ්රාංත - delirious; deluded; hovering
පතංග - moth
ක්ෂපා - night
වන - forest
පවන - wind
ක්ෂපවනපවන - the forest-wind of the night (in verse compound)
ව්යාලෝල - shaken; wavering
දීප - lamp
අංකුර - sprout; flame
දීපාංකුර - lamp-flame
ච්ඡායා - shadow
චංචලං - fickle; unsteady
ආකලය්ය - having understood; having realized
සකලං - all
සංතඃ - wise ones
වනාංතං - to the forest
ගතාඃ - went

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Isn't living on a palace-terrace delightful? Isn't music delightful? Isn't the joy of company as dear as life the greatest pleasure? Yet the wise, realizing that all this is as fickle as the shadow of a lamp-flame shaken by a night-forest wind around a hovering moth, have gone to the forest.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse concedes that comfort, music, and intimate company are genuinely pleasant. The problem is not pleasure; the problem is its instability and the dependence it creates. Bhartruhari says the wise leave not because they hate life, but because they have seen how quickly the "palace" mood collapses - like a shadow flickering with every gust in a dark forest night. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In present-day terms, this describes the treadmill of lifestyle upgrades. People build a life that requires constant stimulation and constant income, and then feel trapped by the very comforts they chased. The verse points to another kind of wealth: ස්වාතංත්ර්ය (inner freedom). When needs are simpler, the mind has room to become quiet, and choices become less fear-driven.

Practice: run an experiment in sufficiency. For one week, reduce optional entertainment and spending, and add a daily period of quiet (walk, reading, meditation). Observe whether your nervous system becomes calmer. If it does, you have found the direction of සංතෝෂ (contentment) that the verse is pointing to.

ආ සංසාරාත්ත්රිභුවනං ඉදං චින්වතාං තාත්තාදෘඞ්නෛවාස්මාකං
නයනපදවීං ශ්රෝත්රමාර්ගං ගතෝ වා ।
යෝऽයං ධත්තේ විෂයකරිණෝ ගාඪගූඪාභිමානක්ෂීවස්යාංතඃ
කරණකරිණඃ සංයමාලානලීලාම් ॥ 3.81 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 29 + 18 + 30 + 17 මාත්රාඃ (total 94); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ආ - from; since
සංසාරාත් - from the beginning of worldly existence
ත්රිභුවනං - the three worlds
ඉදං - this
චින්වතාං - of those searching
තාත - dear one; O son (in verse: තාත් within තාත්තාදෘඞ්)
තාදෘඞ් - like that; of that kind
න - not
ඒව - indeed
අස්මාකං - of us; for us
නයන - eyes
පදවීං - range; path
ශ්රෝත්ර - ear
මාර්ගං - path; range
ගතඃ - has gone; has reached
වා - or
යඃ - which
අයං - this (in verse: යෝऽයං)
ධත්තේ - holds; bears; places
විෂය - sense-objects
කරිණී - she-elephant (feminine elephant)
විෂයකරිණී - the she-elephant of sense-objects (metaphor for temptations)
ගාඪ - deep
ගූඪ - hidden
අභිමාන - ego; pride
ක්ෂීව - intoxicated
ගාඪගූඪාභිමානක්ෂීවඃ - intoxicated by deep-hidden ego
අංතඃකරණ - inner instrument; mind
කරි - elephant
අංතඃකරණකරි - the "inner elephant" (the mind)
සංයම - restraint; self-control
ආලාන - an elephant-post/stake (used to tie/control elephants)
ලීලාං - sport; play; function
සංයමාලානලීලාං - the play/function of being a restraint-stake

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
From the beginning of worldly life, searching all three worlds, dear one, we have not seen or heard anything like this: the worship that acts like a restraint-stake for the inner mind, intoxicated by deep-hidden ego and drawn by the she-elephant of sense-objects.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse (traditionally introduced as ශිවාර්චනං, "worship of Shiva") praises devotion as a technology of mind-training. The mind is compared to an elephant: powerful, stubborn, and easily intoxicated by විෂය (sense-objects). The key image is ආලාන - the post that can steady an elephant. Worship, done sincerely, becomes that steadying center.

In everyday life, the mind also needs an ආලාන. Without a center, it runs toward cravings, anxieties, and status games. A stable practice - prayer, meditation, mantra, or disciplined values - creates a "post" that the mind can return to when it is pulled. Advaita does not deny devotion; it refines it: worship becomes a way to purify attention so that self-knowledge can dawn.

Practice: choose one simple daily act of devotion and make it non-negotiable (a short chant, a lamp, a few minutes of meditation). When you feel pulled by temptation or ego, return to that anchor immediately instead of negotiating. Over time, you will notice the elephant-mind becomes less intoxicated and more trainable - which is the practical beginning of වෛරාග්ය.

යදේතත්ස්වච්ඡංදං විහරණං අකාර්පණ්යං අශනං
සහාර්යෛඃ සංවාසඃ ශ්රුතං උපශමෛකව්රතඵලම් ।
මනෝ මංදස්පංදං බහිරපි චිරස්යාපි විමෘශන්න
ජානේ කස්යෛෂා පරිණතිරුදාරස්ය තපසඃ ॥ 3.82 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
යත් - that which
ඒතත් - this
ස්වච්ඡංදං - free-willed; at one's own pleasure
විහරණං - wandering; moving about
අකාර්පණ්යං - without miserliness; without meanness
අශනං - eating
සහ - with
ආර්යෛඃ - noble/saintly people
සංවාසඃ - dwelling together; company
ශ්රුතං - what is heard; sacred teaching; wisdom
උපශම - quieting; cessation of agitation
ඒක - one
ව්රත - vow
ඵලං - fruit; result
උපශමෛකව්රතඵලං - the fruit of the single vow of tranquility
මනඃ - mind
මංදස්පංදං - gently pulsing; with little movement (calm)
බහිඃ - outwardly; externally
අපි - even
චිරස්ය - for a long time
විමෘශන් - reflecting; considering
න - not
ජානේ - I know
කස්ය - whose
ඒෂා - this
පරිණතිඃ - culmination; outcome
උදාරස්ය - of a great one; of lofty austerity
තපසඃ - of austerity

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
This free wandering, this eating without meanness, this company of the noble, and this learning - all yield the single fruit of tranquility. Even after long reflection, I cannot tell whose great austerity has ripened into such an outcome.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse observes that the fruit of a well-ordered life is a calm mind. Freedom of movement, simple generosity in food, good company, and study are not "luxuries"; they are conditions that reduce friction. When the mind is not constantly provoked, උපශම (quieting) becomes natural. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is an important lesson in practice: peace is not only a mystical event; it is also the result of environment and habit. If your days are full of noise, greed, and bad company, meditation will feel like wrestling. If your days are simple, honest, and supported by wise inputs, meditation becomes easier. Spiritual life is not only about willpower; it is about choosing the right conditions. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: redesign one part of your day to favor උපශම. Reduce one noisy input, eat a simpler meal without guilt, and spend time with one "arya" influence (a teacher, a good book, a calm friend). The mind becomes මංදස්පංද (less agitated) when you stop feeding agitation.

ජීර්ණා ඒව මනෝරථාශ්ච හෘදයේ යාතං ච තද්යෞවනං
හංතාංගේෂු ගුණාශ්බංධ්යඵලතාං යාතා ගුණජ්ඤෛර්විනා ।
කිං යුක්තං සහසාභ්යුපෛති බලවාන්කාලඃ කෘතාංතෝऽක්ෂමී
හා ජ්ඤාතං මදනාංතකාංඝ්රියුගලං මුක්ත්වාස්ති නාන්යෝ ගතිඃ ॥ 3.83 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 27 + 26 + 26 + 26 මාත්රාඃ (total 105); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ජීර්ණාඃ - worn out
ඒව - indeed
මනෝරථාඃ - fantasies; longings
ච - and
හෘදයේ - in the heart
යාතං - has gone
ච - and
තත් - that
යෞවනං - youth
හංතා - alas!
අංගේෂු - in the limbs/body
ගුණාඃ - virtues
බංධ්ය - barren
ඵල - fruit
බංධ්යඵලතාං - barrenness/fruitlessness
යාතාඃ - have become
ගුණජ්ඤෛඃ - by those who recognize virtue
විනා - without
කිම් - what?
යුක්තං - proper
සහසා - suddenly; quickly
අභ්යුපෛති - approaches; comes near
බලවාන් - powerful
කාලඃ - time
කෘතාංතඃ - death; the end-maker
අක්ෂමී - unforgiving; relentless
හා - alas!
ජ්ඤාතං - known; realized
මදන - Cupid; desire
අංතක - destroyer
අංඝ්රි - feet
යුගලං - pair
මදනාංතකාංඝ්රියුගලං - the pair of feet of the Destroyer of desire (Shiva)
මුක්ත්වා - leaving aside; except for
අස්ති - there is
න - not
අන්යා - other
ගතිඃ - way; refuge

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Desires have worn out and youth has departed; virtues have become fruitless when there are no people who recognize them. Relentless death approaches quickly - what is the right course? Alas, apart from taking refuge at the feet of the Destroyer of desire, there is no other way.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse describes the pain of late realization: when the body weakens and time accelerates, old longings lose their sweetness. Even "virtue" can feel fruitless if it was secretly done for recognition. Bhartruhari then points to a refuge that does not depend on health, youth, or applause: devotion that turns the mind toward what is beyond change. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is also a warning to not postpone the essential. Time is අක්ෂමී (unforgiving) - it does not negotiate. If you wait for old age to seek depth, you may find the mind too tired and habits too strong. The verse is not fatalistic; it is urgent: begin now, while strength and clarity are available.

Practice: do one act of "recognition-free" virtue this week - help without being seen, speak truth without winning applause. Also, establish a daily refuge practice (chanting, meditation, prayer) so that devotion is not a last-minute emergency. This turns මදනාංතක (the destroyer of desire) into a lived inner principle: desire loses power when the mind has a higher sweetness.

මහේශ්වරේ වා ජගතාං අධීශ්වරේ
ජනාර්දනේ වා ජගද්අංතරාත්මනි ।
න වස්තුභේදප්රතිපත්තිරස්ති මේ
තථාපි භක්තිස්තරුණේංදුශේඛරේ ॥ 3.84 ॥

ඡංදඃ (වංශස්ථ): This is in වංශස්ථ (සම-වෘත්ත) Chandas/Meter: 4 පාදාඃ, 12 අක්ෂරාඃ per පාද; ලඝු/ගුරු pattern (per පාද) is `LGLGGLLGLGLG`.

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මහේශ්වරේ - in Maheshvara (Shiva)
වා - or
ජගතාං - of the worlds
අධීශ්වරේ - in the Lord
ජනාර්දනේ - in Janardana (Vishnu)
වා - or
ජගත් - world
අංතරාත්මනි - in the inner Self
න - not
වස්තු - thing; reality
භේද - difference
ප්රතිපත්තිඃ - cognition; understanding
අස්ති - is
මේ - for me
තථාපි - even so
භක්තිඃ - devotion
තරුණ - young
ඉංදු - moon
ශේකරඃ - crested; crowned
තරුණේංදුශේඛරේ - in the moon-crested Lord (Shiva)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Whether it is Maheshvara, the Lord of worlds, or Janardana, the inner Self of the universe, I perceive no difference of reality. And yet my devotion is to the moon-crested one.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is a beautiful meeting of non-duality and devotion. The speaker says: whether you call the Supreme Maheshvara, Janardana, or the inner Self of the universe, the reality is one - there is no "thing-difference" in truth. Yet devotion still needs a form, and his heart naturally leans to the moon-crested Shiva. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In lived religion, this prevents two common errors: sectarian rigidity and vague universalism. Non-duality does not require you to reject personal devotion; it invites you to see your chosen form as a doorway to the formless. At the same time, it protects you from contempt toward other forms, because the essence is not divided. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: keep one ඉෂ්ටදේවතා (chosen form of devotion) and be steady in practice. Alongside, cultivate the vision that the same Reality shines through different names and symbols. This combination - steadiness in practice and breadth in understanding - matures devotion into wisdom.

ස්ඵුරත්ස්ඵාරජ්යෝත්ස්නාධවලිතතලේ ක්වාපි පුලිනේ
සුඛාසීනාඃ ශාංතධ්වංතිසු රජනීෂු ද්යුසරිතඃ ।
භවාභෝගෝද්විග්නාඃ ශිව ශිව ශිවේත්යුච්චවචසඃ
කදා යාස්යාමෝऽතර්ගතබහුලබාෂ්පාකුලදශාම් ॥ 3.85 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ස්ඵුරත් - shining; flashing
ස්ඵාර - abundant; widespread
ජ්යෝත්ස්නා - moonlight
ධවලිත - whitened; bathed (in light)
තලේ - on the surface/ground
ස්ඵුරත්ස්ඵාරජ්යෝත්ස්නාධවලිතතලේ - on ground whitened by spreading moonlight
ක්වාපි - somewhere
පුලිනේ - on a sandbank/river-bank
සුඛ - comfort; happiness
ආසීනාඃ - sitting
සුඛාසීනාඃ - seated happily
ශාංත - quiet; peaceful
ධ්වනි - sound
ශාංතධ්වංතිසු - when sounds are quiet (in very peaceful nights)
රජනීෂු - in the nights
ද්යු - heaven
සරිත් - river
ද්යුසරිතඃ - of the heavenly river
භව - worldly existence
භෝග - experiences; pleasures
උද්විග්නාඃ - distressed; disillusioned
උච්චාවච - high and low; loud and soft; varied
වචඃ - utterances
ශිව - Shiva (repeated in the verse)
උච්චවචසඃ - uttering in varied tones
කදා - when?
යාස්යාමඃ - shall we reach?
අංතර් - within
ගත - arisen; gone inside
බහුල - abundant; profuse
බාෂ්ප - tears
ආකුල - flooded; agitated
දශාං - state
අංතර්ගතබහුලබාෂ්පාකුලදශාං - the state flooded with abundant inner tears

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When will we, weary of worldly experience, sit happily on some moonlit river-bank in silent nights, repeating "Shiva, Shiva" in varied tones, and reach that inner state flooded with abundant tears?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is the voice of longing, not of complaint. The verse describes a heart that has tasted the world and is no longer satisfied by it, and therefore turns with intensity toward the Divine. The moonlit river-bank and quiet nights are not only scenic; they are symbols of a mind that has become calm enough for devotion to deepen. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

The "abundant tears" are not sentimentality; they are a sign of inner softening. When the ego loosens, the heart becomes capable of gratitude, surrender, and honest feeling. In Advaita, even devotion has a purpose: it purifies the mind so that knowledge can become steady. Tears here mark the melting of resistance. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: create a small, steady devotional setting: a quiet time, a simple chant, and a space with minimal noise. Do not chase emotion; chase sincerity. When the mind is tired of life's noise, let it return to the simple repetition of the name. Over time, this becomes අනුසංධාන (continuous inner recollection), not a passing mood.

මහාදේවෝ දේවඃ සරිදපි ච සෛෂා සුරසරිද්ගුහා
ඒවාගාරං වසනං අපි තා ඒව හරිතඃ ।
සුහෘදා කාලෝऽයං ව්රතං ඉදං අදෛන්යව්රතං ඉදං
කියද්වා වක්ෂ්යාමෝ වටවිටප ඒවාස්තු දයිතා ॥ 3.85.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මහාදේවඃ - Mahadeva (Shiva)
දේවඃ - the deity; the Lord
සරිත් - river
අපි - also
ච - and
සා - that
ඒශා - this
සුරසරිත් - the divine river
ගුහා - cave
ඒව - indeed
ආගාරං - house; home
වසනං - clothing
අපි - also
තා - those
ඒව - indeed
හරිතඃ - green (leaves/trees)
සුහෘදා - as a friend
කාලඃ - time
අයං - this
ව්රතං - vow; discipline
ඉදං - this
අදෛන්ය - without poverty/humiliation; without begging
අදෛන්යව්රතං - the vow of dignified non-begging
කියත් - how much?
වා - else
වක්ෂ්යාමඃ - shall we say?
වට - banyan tree
විටපඃ - tree; branch
ඒව - indeed
අස්තු - let it be
දයිතා - beloved

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Mahadeva is our God, this river is the divine river, the cave itself is our home, and the green leaves and trees themselves are our clothing. Time is our friend; this is our vow of dignified non-begging. What more is there to say? Let the banyan tree itself be our beloved.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse shows renunciation as a change of definition. "Wealth" becomes water, shade, and shelter; "companionship" becomes time and a tree; "security" becomes the absence of dependency. The heart that can speak this way has stepped out of the marketplace of status. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern life, the forms will differ, but the principle is the same: define happiness in terms that do not require constant bargaining. When you reduce needs, you reduce fear. When you stop depending on other people's approval and money's whims, you recover dignity. This is the social side of වෛරාග්ය: less dependence means more freedom.

Practice: choose one dependency that makes you anxious (a luxury, a habit, a social validation). Replace it with one simple support you can sustain anywhere: basic routines, nature, learning, prayer. Then treat time as a friend by using it deliberately. The mind becomes rich when it stops demanding the world to prove its worth.

විතීර්ණේ සර්වස්වේ තරුණකරුණාපූර්ණහෘදයාඃ
ස්මරංතඃ සංසාරේ විගුණපරිණාමාං විධිගතිම් ।
වයං පුණ්යාරණ්යේ පරිණතශරච්චංද්රකිරණාස්
ත්රියාමා නේස්යාමෝ හරචරණචිංතෛකශරණාඃ ॥ 3.86 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
විතීර්ණේ - having distributed; having given away
සර්වස්වේ - all one's possessions
තරුණ - youthful; tender
කරුණා - compassion
පූර්ණ - full
හෘදයාඃ - hearts
ස්මරංතඃ - remembering
සංසාරේ - in worldly life
විගුණ - undesirable; sorrowful
පරිණාමං - outcome; result (in verse: පරිණාමාං)
විධි - fate; the order of things
ගතිං - course; movement
වයං - we
පුණ්ය - holy
ආරණ්යේ - in the forest
පරිණත - matured; ripened
ශරත් - autumn
චංද්ර - moon
කිරණාඃ - rays
පරිණතශරච්චංද්රකිරණාඃ - like mellow autumn moonbeams
ත්රියාමා - night
නේස්යාමඃ - we shall spend
හර - Shiva
චරණ - feet
චිංතා - contemplation
ඒක - only
ශරණාඃ - refuge; shelter

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
After giving away everything, with hearts full of tender compassion, remembering the sorrowful outcomes of worldly life and the course of fate, let us spend the nights in holy forests, mellow like autumn moonbeams, taking refuge only in contemplation of Shiva's feet.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse unites renunciation with compassion. Giving away possessions is not portrayed as anger toward the world, but as release from burden, so that the heart can become කරුණාපූර්ණ (full of compassion). The mature seeker remembers how quickly worldly life turns and chooses a quieter rhythm, where devotion becomes the only shelter. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

It also corrects a misunderstanding: වෛරාග්ය is not dryness. When desire drops, kindness often grows because attention is no longer trapped in self-centered demand. The autumn moon imagery suggests a mind that is cooled, luminous, and steady - not burning with agitation.

Practice: simplify one possession-load (donate, declutter, reduce commitments). Use the freed space to do one compassionate act without display. Then sit for a few minutes in quiet recollection of your chosen refuge. When compassion and devotion move together, renunciation becomes wholesome rather than harsh.

කදා වාරාණස්යාං අමරතටිනීරෝධසි වසන්
වසානඃ කෞපීනං ශිරසි නිදධානෝऽංජලිපුටම් ।
අයේ ගෞරීනාථ ත්රිපුරහර ශංභෝ ත්රිනයන
ප්රසීදේත්යාක්රෝශන්නිමිෂං ඉව නේෂ්යාමි දිවසාන් ॥ 3.87 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
කදා - when?
වාරාණස්යාං - in Varanasi
අමර - heavenly; of the gods
තටිනී - river
රෝධස් - bank; shore
අමරතටිනීරෝධසි - on the banks of the celestial river
වසන් - dwelling
වසානඃ - wearing
කෞපීනං - loincloth
ශිරසි - on the head
නිදධානඃ - placing; holding
අංජලිපුටං - folded hands
අයේ - O!
ගෞරීනාථ - Lord of Gauri (Shiva)
ත්රිපුරහර - slayer of Tripura (Shiva)
ශංභෝ - O Shambho
ත්රිනයන - three-eyed
ප්රසීද - be gracious
ඉති - thus
ආක්රෝශන් - crying out; calling loudly
නිමිෂං - an eye-blink
ඉව - like
නේෂ්යාමි - shall I spend
දිවසාන් - days

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When will I live in Varanasi on the banks of the celestial river, wearing only a loincloth, holding folded hands above my head, and crying out, "O Lord of Gauri, slayer of Tripura, Shambho, three-eyed one, be gracious" - spending my days as if they were only a moment?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is a longing for a life where the main activity is remembrance. The outer images - Kashi, the river-bank, the loincloth, the folded hands - are symbols of inward surrender. The verse is not about tourism; it is about converting the whole day into prayer. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In practical life, most people will not relocate to Varanasi. But the deeper invitation remains: simplify, reduce distractions, and make devotion central. When Bhartruhari says a day becomes like a නිමිෂ (blink), he points to absorption - the mind is no longer weighed down by endless craving and worry.

Practice: create a daily "Kashi" window: a fixed time when you do not bargain with the mind. Sit, pray, chant, or contemplate - and let other tasks wait. Use the strongest name-forms that move your heart, and keep them alive through repetition. Over time, the day becomes lighter because the mind stops carrying unnecessary burdens.

උද්යානේෂු විචිත්රභෝජනවිධිස්තීව්රාතිතීව්රං තපඃ
කෞපීනාවරණං සුවස්ත්රං අමිතං භික්ෂාටනං මංඩනම් ।
ආසන්නං මරණං ච මංගලසමං යස්යාං සමුත්පද්යතේ
තාං කාශීං පරිහෘත්ය හංත විබුධෛරන්යත්ර කිං ස්ථීයතේ ॥ 3.87.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
උද්යානේෂු - in gardens
විචිත්ර - varied; wonderful
භෝජන - food
විධිඃ - manner; arrangement
විචිත්රභෝජනවිධිඃ - the variety of food-arrangements
තීව්ර - intense
අතිතීව්රං - exceedingly intense
තපඃ - austerity
කෞපීන - loincloth
ආවරණං - covering
සුවස්ත්රං - good garment
අමිතං - limitless; abundant
භික්ෂාටනං - begging for alms
මංඩනං - ornament
ආසන්නං - near; imminent
මරණං - death
ච - and
මංගල - auspicious
සමං - equal to
යස්යාං - in which
සමුත්පද්යතේ - arises; happens
තාං - that
කාශීං - Kashi (Varanasi)
පරිහෘත්ය - having abandoned
හංත - alas!
විබුධෛඃ - by the wise
අන්යත්ර - elsewhere
කිම් - what?
ස්ථීයතේ - can one stay?

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
In Kashi, even gardens feel like intense austerity, varied foods become a form of discipline, a loincloth counts as fine clothing, begging becomes an ornament, and death itself feels auspicious when it draws near. Alas, after leaving such Kashi, where else can the wise even stay?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse praises a sacred environment that makes renunciation easier. In a place where death is visible and spirituality is the air, values invert: the simplest life feels rich, and what scares the worldly mind becomes auspicious. Bhartruhari is saying that surroundings shape mind; a holy atmosphere supports වෛරාග්ය. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

The deeper meaning is psychological: if you live among constant consumption and distraction, even basic discipline feels painful. If you live among reminders of impermanence and purpose, discipline becomes natural. Kashi here represents a culture where the "final" questions are not hidden. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: you may not live in Kashi, but you can create a Kashi-like field. Spend time near what reminds you of truth: nature, elders, sacred texts, places of service. Reduce inputs that glamorize craving. When the environment supports remembrance, the mind needs less force to turn inward.

ස්නාත්වා ගාංගෛඃ පයෝභිඃ ශුචිකුසුමඵලෛරර්චයිත්වා විභෝ ත්වා
ධ්යේයේ ධ්යානං නිවේශ්ය ක්ෂිතිධරකුහරග්රාවපර්යංකමූලේ ।
ආත්මාරාමඃ ඵලාශී ගුරුවචනරතස්ත්වත්ප්රසාදාත්ස්මරාරේ
දුඃඛං මෝක්ෂ්යේ කදාහං සමකරචරණේ පුංසි සේවාසමුත්ථම් ॥ 3.88 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ස්නාත්වා - after bathing
ගාංගෛඃ - of the Ganga
පයෝභිඃ - with waters
ශුචි - pure
කුසුම - flowers
ඵලෛඃ - with fruits
අර්චයිත්වා - having worshipped; having offered
විභෝ - O Lord
ත්වා - you
ධ්යේයේ - in the object of meditation
ධ්යානං - meditation
නිවේශ්ය - placing; fixing
ක්ෂිතිධර - mountain
කුහර - cave
ග්රාව - rock
පර්යංක - bed
මූලේ - at the base
ක්ෂිතිධරකුහරග්රාවපර්යංකමූලේ - at the root of a rock-bed in a mountain cave
ආත්මාරාමඃ - rejoicing in the Self; self-content
ඵලාශී - living on fruits
ගුරු - teacher
වචන - words; instruction
රතඃ - devoted to; delighting in
ත්වත්ප්රසාදාත් - by your grace
ස්මරාරේ - O enemy of Cupid (Shiva)
දුඃඛං - sorrow
මෝක්ෂ්යේ - will I be freed?
කදා - when?
අහං - I
සම - equal
කර - hand
චරණ - foot
සමකරචරණේ - in a mere human ("having hands and feet") (in verse)
පුංසි - in a man/person
සේවා - service
සමුත්ථං - arising from

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
After bathing in the waters of the Ganga and worshipping you with pure flowers and fruits, fixing meditation on you while seated on a rock-bed in a mountain cave, rejoicing in the Self, living on fruits, and delighting in the teacher's words - O enemy of desire, when will you free me by your grace from the sorrow that comes from serving a mere mortal?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse contrasts two kinds of service: dependence on worldly power versus devotion to the Divine. Serving the "person with hands and feet" means serving a mere mortal - especially the rich and influential - and the sorrow comes from dependence, insecurity, and compromise. Bhartruhari longs for a life where worship, meditation, and simplicity replace that dependence. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is highly relevant today in the language of "selling your soul". Many people endure humiliating workplaces or relationships because their needs are inflated and their identity depends on approval. The verse recommends a different refuge: reduce needs, increase inner joy, and let devotion become the center. When the mind tastes ආත්මාරාම (self-contentment), it becomes less available for exploitation.

Practice: identify one relationship or context where you feel forced to serve against your values. Reduce one dependency that fuels that fear (expense, status need, people-pleasing). Add one daily devotion practice and one self-inquiry question: "What am I afraid will happen if I stop chasing approval?" Let that clarity loosen the knot that creates දුඃඛ.

ඒකාකී නිඃස්පෘහඃ ශාංතඃ පාණිපාත්රෝ දිගංබරඃ ।
කදා ශංභෝ භවිෂ්යාමි කර්මනිර්මූලනක්ෂමඃ ॥ 3.89 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ඒකාකී - alone; solitary
නිඃස්පෘහඃ - without craving; desireless
ශාංතඃ - peaceful; calm
පාණි - hand
පාත්රඃ - vessel; bowl
පාණිපාත්රඃ - hand as bowl
දිගංබරඃ - sky-clad; unclothed
කදා - when?
ශංභෝ - O Shambho (Shiva)
භවිෂ්යාමි - will I become?
කර්ම - action; karmic residue
නිර්මූලන - uprooting; rooting out
ක්ෂමඃ - capable

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When, O Shambho, will I become solitary, desireless, and peaceful - using my hand as a bowl, the sky as clothing, and capable of uprooting the roots of action?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse expresses the ideal of radical simplicity. The outer images - hand as bowl, sky as clothing - symbolize a life with minimal dependence and minimal distraction. The deeper goal is not poverty; it is කර්මනිර්මූලන - uprooting the compulsive patterns that keep producing bondage. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

Most people cannot live like this literally, but the principle is adaptable: reduce the number of things your peace depends on. When your wants are fewer, your mind becomes lighter; when your identity is less tied to possessions, you become less fearful. A calmer mind is the real "digambara" - spacious and uncluttered. Sa~gkarAcArya's භ්හජ ගෝවිංදම් returns to this point often: do not postpone inner clarity for outer arrangements; convert insight into a small daily discipline.

Practice: choose one form of voluntary simplicity for a month: fewer purchases, fewer entertainments, or a simpler diet. Pair it with a daily sit and a review of one recurring compulsion. Each time you weaken a compulsion, you do a small නිර්මූලන (uprooting) of කර්ම in the sense intended here.

පාණිං පාත්රයතාං නිසර්ගශුචිනා භෛක්ෂේණ සංතුෂ්යතාං
යත්ර ක්වාපි නිෂීදතාං බහුතෘණං විශ්වං මුහුඃ පශ්යතාම් ।
අත්යාගේऽපි තනෝරඛංඩපරමානංදාවබෝධස්පෘශා
මධ්වා කෝऽපි ශිවප්රසාදසුලභඃ සංපත්ස්යතේ යෝගිනාම් ॥ 3.90 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පාණිං - the hand
පාත්රයතාං - let it be used as a vessel
නිසර්ග - nature
ශුචිනා - by what is pure; naturally pure
භෛක්ෂේණ - by alms
සංතුෂ්යතාං - let (one) be content
යත්ර - where
ක්වාපි - anywhere
නිෂීදතාං - let (one) sit/rest
බහු - much; only
තෘණං - a blade of grass
විශ්වං - the world
මුහුඃ - again and again; constantly
පශ්යතාං - let (one) see
අති - even
ත්යාගේ - in renunciation; even in giving up
අපි - even
තනුඃ - body
අඛංඩ - unbroken
පරම - supreme
ආනංද - bliss
අවබෝධ - realization
ස්පෘශා - by the touch/contact
අඛංඩපරමානංදාවබෝධස්පෘශා - by the touch of unbroken supreme bliss-realization
මධ්වා - sweetly; pleasantly
කෝ - some
අපි - (in verse: කෝऽපි)
ශිව - of Shiva
ප්රසාද - grace
සුලභඃ - easily obtained
සංපත්ස්යතේ - will arise; will come about
යෝගිනාං - for yogis

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Let the hand be used as a bowl, and let one be content with naturally pure alms; let one sit anywhere, constantly seeing the world as no more than a blade of grass. Even before the body is fully given up, a taste of unbroken supreme joy can arise - and, for such yogis, a sweet grace of Shiva makes liberation easy to attain.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse describes how freedom becomes simple when dependence becomes simple. Contentment with basic alms, the ability to sit anywhere, and the vision that the world is "grass-like" are not nihilism; they are a release from exaggerated importance. When the mind stops treating every object as a life-or-death matter, it becomes capable of deep joy that does not require acquisition. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern life, the biggest source of suffering is often not lack but endless wanting. The verse recommends training the mind to see most things as "not worth the price". When you can say no to unnecessary wants, you recover time, attention, and dignity. That inner space is what allows the touch of අඛංඩ (unbroken) peace.

Practice: practice "grass-vision" once a day. When you feel pulled into drama or craving, ask: "Will this matter in a year?" If not, treat it as තෘණ (grass) and let it go. Combine this with one voluntary simplicity habit. Over time, you will see that grace feels "easy" when the mind is not constantly complicated by wants.

කෞපීනං ශතඛංඩජර්ජරතරං කංථා පුනස්තාදෘශී
නෛශ්චිංත්යං නිරපේක්ෂභෛක්ෂ්යං අශනං නිද්රා ශ්මශානේ වනේ ।
ස්වාතංත්ර්යේණ නිරංකුශං විහරණං ස්වාංතං ප්රශාංතං සදා
ස්ථෛර්යං යෝගමහෝත්සවේऽපි ච යදි ත්රෛලෝක්යරාජ්යේන කිම් ॥ 3.91 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
කෞපීනං - loincloth
ශත - hundred
ඛංඩ - pieces
ජර්ජරතරං - very tattered; more torn
ශතඛංඩජර්ජරතරං - tattered into a hundred rags
කංථා - patched cloak; rag
පුනර් - again; further
තාදෘශී - of that kind; similarly
නෛශ්චිංත්යං - freedom from anxiety
නිරපේක්ෂ - without expectation; without dependence
භෛක්ෂ්යං - food from alms
අශනං - eating
නිද්රා - sleep
ශ්මශානේ - in a cremation ground
වනේ - in a forest
ස්වාතංත්ර්යේණ - with freedom
නිරංකුශං - unrestrained; without a goad
විහරණං - roaming; moving about
ස්වාංතං - one's own mind
ප්රශාංතං - very calm
සදා - always
ස්ථෛර්යං - steadiness
යෝග - yoga; union; absorption
මහෝත්සවේ - in the great celebration (in verse: යෝගමහෝත්සවේ)
අපි - even
ච - and
යදි - if
ත්රෛලෝක්ය - the three worlds
රාජ්යේන - by kingship; by sovereignty
කිම් - what (use)?

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
If a person wears only a loincloth tattered into a hundred rags and a similarly worn cloak, lives free of anxiety, eats alms without expectation, sleeps in a forest or cremation ground, roams freely, keeps the mind always calm, and remains steady even in the great joy of yoga - then what value is ruling the three worlds?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse flips the usual definition of greatness. The world calls greatness "power"; Bhartruhari calls greatness "freedom". The ascetic's wealth is නෛශ්චිංත්ය (fearlessness of mind), ස්වාතංත්ර්ය (independence), and ප්රශාංත (inner quiet). When those are present, the fantasy of dominion becomes small.

The modern equivalent is easy to see: many people trade freedom for lifestyle, status, or control. They become anxious managers of appearances. The verse is a corrective: if you can live simply and keep your mind steady, you possess something better than a kingdom - you possess yourself. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: reduce one "kingdom" impulse - the need to control outcomes, impress others, or own more. Replace it with one freedom practice: fewer commitments, fewer purchases, or more quiet time. Then notice the inner result: less anxiety and more steadiness. That steadiness is the real prosperity.

බ්රහ්මාංඩං මංඩලීමාත්රං කිං ලෝභාය මනස්විනඃ ।
ශඵරීස්ඵුර්තේනාබ්ධිඃ ක්ෂුබ්ධෝ න ඛලු ජායතේ ॥ 3.92 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 21 + 21 මාත්රාඃ (total 42); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
බ්රහ්මාංඩං - the universe
මංඩලී - a circle/sphere
මාත්රං - only; merely
කිම් - what for?
ලෝභාය - for greed
මනස්විනඃ - for the noble-minded; for the strong-minded
ශඵරී - a small fish
ස්පූර්ත - darting; movement
ශඵරීස්ඵුර්තේන - by the darting of a small fish
අබ්ධිඃ - ocean
ක්ෂුබ්ධඃ - agitated; disturbed
න - not
ඛලු - indeed
ජායතේ - becomes

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
For the noble-minded, this universe is only a small sphere - why greed? The ocean does not become turbulent because a tiny fish darts about in it.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Greed comes from a contracted sense of self. When the mind feels small and insecure, it tries to expand itself through possession. Bhartruhari says: if your mind is truly large, the whole universe looks like a "small circle" - not worth the agitation of craving. Notice the chain Bhartruhari is pointing at: රාග (attachment) quietly breeds භය (fear), because whatever you cling to becomes something you must protect; වෛරාග්ය breaks that chain.

This is a powerful everyday perspective. Most desires feel urgent only because the mind forgets scale: a bigger salary, a bigger house, a bigger reputation. From a wider view, these are small ripples. The verse asks you to become ocean-like: steady, not shaken by every little motion. Upanishadic teaching repeatedly ties freedom with අභය (fearlessness): when identity stops leaning on change, fear naturally reduces.

Practice: when you feel greed or comparison rising, widen the frame. Remember one bigger reality: time, mortality, the vastness of the world, or the quiet of your own awareness. Then choose one act of contentment. The mind becomes මනස්වින් (strong and expansive) by repeatedly refusing smallness.

මාතර්ලක්ෂ්මි භජස්ව කංචිදපරං මත්කාංක්ෂිණී මා ස්ම භූර්
භෝගේෂු ස්පෘහයාලවස්තව වශේ කා නිඃස්පෘහාණාං අසි ।
සද්යඃ ස්යූතපලාශපත්රපුටිකාපාත්රෛඃ පවිත්රීකෘතෛර්
භික්ෂාවස්තුභිරේව සංප්රති වයං වෘත්තිං සමීහාමහේ ॥ 3.93 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මාතර් - O mother
ලක්ෂ්මි - Lakshmi; fortune
භජස්ව - go to; devote yourself to
කංචිත් - someone
අපරං - other; someone else
මත් - me
කාංක්ෂිණී - desiring; longing for
මා ස්ම භූඃ - do not be
භෝගේෂු - in pleasures
ස්පෘහා - craving
ආලවඃ - greedy; addicted (in verse: ස්පෘහයාලවඃ)
තව - your
වශේ - under control
කා - what?
නිඃස්පෘහාණාං - of those without craving
අසි - are you?
සද්යඃ - immediately
ස්යූත - stitched
පලාශ - palasha leaves
පත්ර - leaf
පුටිකා - pouch
පාත්ර - vessel
ස්යූතපලාශපත්රපුටිකාපාත්රෛඃ - with stitched leaf-pouch vessels
පවිත්රීකෘතෛඃ - purified; made sacred
භික්ෂා - alms
වස්තුභිඃ - by means/things
ඒව - only
සංප්රති - now
වයං - we
වෘත්තිං - livelihood
සමීහාමහේ - we seek; we desire

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Mother Lakshmi, go elsewhere; do not long for me. Those who crave pleasures are under your sway - what are you to those without craving? Now we seek livelihood only through alms, gathered and purified in quickly made leaf-pouch bowls.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is a deliberate renunciation of wealth's seduction. Bhartruhari speaks to Lakshmi as if she were a person who tries to attach herself, and he dismisses her: you only rule those who crave. If craving ends, wealth loses its power to command the mind. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern terms, this is the freedom of not being bought. Money is useful, but the mind becomes miserable when it measures self-worth in currency. The verse encourages a radical inner stance: keep your needs simple and your heart independent, so wealth cannot become your master. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: notice where money is controlling your behavior - fear, status, overwork, compromise. Reduce one craving that feeds that control, and build one stable livelihood habit that does not depend on hype. The goal is not poverty; it is නිඃස්පෘහතා (lack of craving) - the condition in which wealth becomes a tool, not a tyrant.

මහාශය්යා පෘථ්වී විපුලං උපධානං භුජලතාං
විතානං චාකාශං ව්යජනං අනුකූලෝऽයං අනිලඃ ।
ශරච්චංද්රෝ දීපෝ විරතිවනිතාසංගමුදිතඃ
සුඛී ශාංතඃ ශේතේ මුනිරතනුභූතිර්නෘප ඉව ॥ 3.94 ॥

ඡංදඃ (මාත්රා-චංදස්): This is in a මාත්රා-based Chandas/Meter (not a fixed අක්ෂර-count වෘත්ත): in this verse, the written segments carry approximately 22 + 22 + 21 + 22 මාත්රාඃ (total 87); treat ලඝු=1 මාත්රා and ගුරු=2 මාත්රාඃ, and keep the natural pauses at the segment ends marked by `।`/`॥` (do not confuse දංඩ with internal යති).

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මහා - great
ශය්යා - bed
පෘථ්වී - the earth
විපුලං - large
උපධානං - pillow
භුජලතාං - of the arms
විතානං - canopy; covering
ච - and
ආකාශං - the sky
ව්යජනං - fan
අනුකූලඃ - favorable; gentle
අනිලඃ - breeze; wind
ශරත් - autumn
චංද්රඃ - moon
දීපඃ - lamp
විරති - renunciation
වනිතා - woman
සංග - union; companionship
උදිතඃ - arisen; delighted
විරතිවනිතාසංගමුදිතඃ - rejoicing in the companionship of "renunciation"
සුඛී - happy
ශාංතඃ - tranquil
ශේතේ - lies down; sleeps
මුනිඃ - sage
අතනුභූතිඃ - without possessions/wealth
නෘප ඉව - like a king

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
With the earth as a great bed, the arms as a large pillow, the sky as a canopy, a gentle breeze as a fan, the autumn moon as a lamp, and renunciation as conjugal delight - the sage sleeps happily and peacefully, like a king, though without possessions.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is joyful, not grim. It shows how contentment can make a simple life feel royal. The sage has redefined comfort: nature provides all the essentials, and the mind is so unburdened that sleep itself becomes sweet. "Renunciation as a beloved" means that giving up craving is not loss; it is intimacy with peace. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

For modern life, this is a reminder that comfort is partly psychological. Many people have beds and roofs yet cannot sleep because the mind is noisy. The verse suggests that the greatest luxury is a quiet conscience and a quiet mind. When attachment drops, even ordinary things feel sufficient. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: reduce one mental "possession" that keeps you awake - resentment, worry, or unfinished cravings. Do a simple evening ritual: gratitude, a short reading, and one breath practice. Over time, you will see that serenity makes life feel spacious, as if the whole sky were your roof.

භික්ෂාසී ජනමධ්යසංගරහිතඃ ස්වායත්තචේෂ්ටඃ සදා
හානාදානවිරක්තමාර්ගනිරතඃ කශ්චිත්තපස්වී ස්ථිතඃ ।
රථ්යාකීර්ණවිශීර්ණජීර්ණවසනඃ සංප්රාප්තකංථාසනෝ
නිර්මානෝ නිරහංකෘතිඃ ශමසුඛාභෝගෛකබද්ධස්පෘහඃ ॥ 3.95 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
භික්ෂාසී - living on alms
ජන - people
මධ්ය - midst
සංග - association
රහිතඃ - free from
ජනමධ්යසංගරහිතඃ - free from crowded company
ස්වායත්ත - self-governed; under one's own control
චේෂ්ටඃ - conduct; activity
සදා - always
හාන - loss
ආදාන - gain; taking
විරක්ත - detached
මාර්ග - path
නිරතඃ - engaged in; devoted to
කශ්චිත් - a certain
තපස්වී - ascetic; one practicing austerity
ස්ථිතඃ - stands; dwells
රථ්යා - street
ආකීර්ණ - strewn; filled
විශීර්ණ - torn
ජීර්ණ - old
වසනඃ - clothing
රථ්යාකීර්ණවිශීර්ණජීර්ණවසනඃ - wearing old torn rags found in streets
සංප්රාප්ත - obtained by chance
කංථා - blanket; rag-cloth
ආසනඃ - seat
නිර්මානඃ - without pride
නිරහංකෘතිඃ - without ego-sense
ශම - calmness
සුඛ - happiness
භෝග - enjoyment
ඒක - only
බද්ධ - bound
ස්පෘහඃ - desire
ශමසුඛාභෝගෛකබද්ධස්පෘහඃ - desiring only the enjoyment of calm joy

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
A certain ascetic lives on alms, free from crowded company, always acting in self-reliance, devoted to a path detached from gain and loss. Wearing worn-out rags found in the streets and sitting on a cloth obtained by chance, he is without pride and ego, desiring only the joy of a calm, controlled mind.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse describes a person who has stopped negotiating for social status. Freedom here is inner: not being shaken by honor or insult, gain or loss, praise or blame. The ascetic's one "desire" is for ශම (calmness) - the stable joy that comes when the mind is not constantly grabbing. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern life, we can translate this as emotional independence. Many people live as if their inner state must be approved by the crowd. When you stop depending on external validation, you become less reactive and more truthful. This is not isolation; it is clarity. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: notice one situation where you perform for approval. Replace it with one act of self-reliant integrity: do the right thing quietly, without announcing it. Reduce one comparison habit. Over time, the mind begins to taste ශමසුඛ (equanimous happiness) that does not require an audience.

චංඩාලඃ කිං අයං ද්විජාතිරථවා ශූද්රෝऽථ කිං තාපසඃ
කිං වා තත්ත්වවිවේකපේශලමතිර්යෝගීශ්වරඃ කෝऽපි කිම් ।
ඉත්යුත්පන්නවිකල්පජල්පමුඛරෛරාභාෂ්යමාණා ජනෛර්
න ක්රුද්ධාඃ පථි නෛව තුෂ්ටමනසෝ යාංති ස්වයං යෝගිනඃ ॥ 3.96 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
චංඩාලඃ - outcaste
කිම් - what? is it?
අයං - this (person)
ද්විජාතිඃ - twice-born
අථවා - or else
ශූද්රඃ - shudra
අථ - or
තාපසඃ - ascetic
කිං වා - or perhaps
තත්ත්ව - truth
විවේක - discernment
පේශල - skilled; refined
මතිඃ - intellect
තත්ත්වවිවේකපේශලමතී - mind refined by discernment of truth
යෝගීශ්වරඃ - lord among yogis
කෝ - who?
අපි - (in verse: කෝऽපි)
ඉති - thus
උත්පන්න - arisen
විකල්ප - doubts; alternatives
ජල්ප - chatter
මුඛරෛඃ - by talkative mouths
ආභාෂ්යමාණා - being addressed/spoken to
ජනෛඃ - by people
න - not
ක්රුද්ධාඃ - angry
පථි - on the path
න ඒව - nor indeed
තුෂ්ට - pleased
මනසඃ - in mind
යාංති - go
ස්වයං - by themselves
යෝගිනඃ - yogis

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
"Is he an outcaste, a twice-born, a shudra, an ascetic - or perhaps some lordly yogi whose mind is refined by discernment of truth?" When people chatter like this, debating and labeling, the yogis themselves walk on, neither angry nor pleased.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse shows the yogi's immunity to social labeling. The crowd cannot resist categorizing: it needs to know "what" you are so it can decide how to treat you. Bhartruhari says the yogi does not accept the crowd's game. He keeps moving, untouched by insult or flattery. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

Today, labels come faster than ever: profession, ideology, caste, status, and online identity. Many people become trapped by them - either trying to fit, or trying to rebel. The yogi's freedom is subtler: he does not outsource his self-understanding to other people's chatter. The GItA frames this steadiness as සමත්ව (even-mindedness): action continues, but the inner demand for guaranteed outcomes is relaxed.

Practice: notice one label you cling to or fear (successful, spiritual, respected, rebel). Watch how it shapes your decisions. Then do one action that is aligned with your values but indifferent to how it will be labeled. This trains උපේක්ෂා (equanimity) and protects inner practice from social noise.

හිංසාශූන්යං අයත්නලභ්යං අශනං ධාත්රා මරුත්කල්පිතං
ව්යාලානං පශවස්තෘණාංකුරභුජස්තුෂ්ටාඃ ස්ථලීශායිනඃ ।
සංසාරාර්ණවලංඝනක්ෂමධියාං වෘත්තිඃ කෘතා සා නෘණාං
තාං අන්වේෂයතාං ප්රයාංති සතතං සර්වං සමාප්තිං ගුණාඃ ॥ 3.97 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
හිංසා - violence
ශූන්යං - free from; devoid of
අයත්න - without effort
ලභ්යං - obtainable
අශනං - food
ධාත්රා - by the creator
මරුත් - air; wind
කල්පිතං - arranged; provided
ව්යාලානාං - of snakes
පශවඃ - beasts; animals
තෘණ - grass
අංකුර - sprouts
භුජඃ - eaters (in verse compound)
තුෂ්ටාඃ - satisfied
ස්ථලී - ground
ශායිනඃ - lying down; sleeping
සංසාර - worldly existence
අර්ණව - ocean
ලංඝන - crossing
ක්ෂම - capable
ධියඃ - of those with intellect
සංසාරාර්ණවලංඝනක්ෂමධියාං - of those whose intellect can cross the ocean of worldly existence
වෘත්තිඃ - livelihood; means of living
කෘතා - made; arranged
සා - that
නෘණාං - of humans
තාං - that
අන්වේෂයතාං - of those seeking
ප්රයාංති - go to; reach
සතතං - always
සර්වං - all
සමාප්තිං - end; cessation
ගුණාඃ - qualities; tendencies (gunas)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
The creator has arranged for snakes to live on air as food, obtained without violence or effort; beasts are content eating grass-sprouts and sleeping on the ground. Likewise, for people whose intellect can cross the ocean of worldly existence, such a way of living has been provided. Those who seek it can bring their restless qualities to cessation.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse argues that nature already provides a simple template for living. Complex living is not necessary for survival; it is often driven by ego and craving. If liberation is the goal, then a livelihood that is non-violent, low-effort, and simple supports the mind by reducing agitation and guilt. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In modern settings, this can be read as ethical minimalism. Choose food and work that minimize harm, and do not inflate needs. When life becomes simpler, the mind has more space for contemplation. The phrase "ending the qualities" points to reducing the turbulence of ගුණාඃ (habitual tendencies) so that clarity can prevail.

Practice: simplify one area that generates unnecessary harm and stress: consumption, diet, or livelihood. Replace one harmful habit with one gentle one. Pair that with a daily stillness practice. Over time, you will feel the mind's "waves" reducing - a lived sign that the ගුණාඃ are moving toward සමාප්ති (quieting).

ගංගාතීරේ හිමගිරිශිලාබද්ධපද්මාසනස්ය
බ්රහ්මධ්යානාභ්යසනවිධිනා යෝගනිද්රාං ගතස්ය ।
කිං තෛර්භාව්යං මම සුදිවසෛර්යත්ර තේ නිර්විශංකාඃ
කංඩූයංතේ ජරඨහරිණාඃ ස්වාංගං අංගේ මදීයේ ॥ 3.98 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ගංගා - river Ganga
තීර - bank; shore
ගංගාතීරේ - on the bank of the Ganga (locative)
හිම-ගිරි - the Himalayas
ශිලා - rock; stone
බද්ධ - fixed; made firm; bound
පද්ම - lotus
ආසන - seat; posture
පද්මාසනස්ය - of one seated in lotus posture
හිම-ගිරි-ශිලා-බද්ධ-පද්මාසනස්ය - of one seated in lotus posture fixed on a Himalayan rock
බ්රහ්ම - supreme reality; pure consciousness
ධ්යාන - meditation
අභ්යසන - practice; repeated exercise
විධි - method; discipline
විධිනා - by the method (instrumental)
බ්රහ්ම-ධ්යාන-අභ්යසන-විධිනා - by the discipline of practicing meditation on the supreme reality
යෝග - yoga; absorption
නිද්රා - sleep; deep stillness
යෝගනිද්රාං - yogic sleep; deep absorption (සමාධි)
ගතස්ය - of one who has entered; attained
කිං - what/when
තෛඃ - by those; with those
භාව්යං - to happen; destiny; what is to be
මම - for me
සු-දිවසෛඃ - with auspicious/happy days (instrumental plural)
යත්ර - where
තේ - those
නිර්-විශංකාඃ - fearless; free from suspicion
කංඩූයංතේ - rub; scratch (to relieve itching)
ජරඨ - old; aged
හරිණාඃ - deer
ජරඨ-හරිණාඃ - old deer
ස්වාංගං - their own limbs/body
අංගේ - on the body/limb
මදීයේ - my; on mine (locative)

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Seated in lotus posture on a Himalayan rock on the bank of the Ganga, and entering yogic sleep through steady practice of meditation on the supreme reality - when will such blessed days come to me, when fearless old deer rub and scratch their bodies upon my limbs?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This is a picture of a life so quiet and harmless that even the forest trusts you. Bhartruhari imagines a steady seat by the Ganga, the mind absorbed in යෝගනිද්රා (deep meditative stillness), and the world no longer perceived as threat or temptation. The old deer are not frightened; they come close enough to scratch themselves against him - a sign that his presence is free from හිංසා (harm) and inner agitation.

In ordinary life we often want peace while still feeding the mind constant noise - news, argument, ambition, and comparison. This verse points to a deeper peace: නිර්විශංකතා (fearlessness and non-suspicion) that spreads outward. When the mind is no longer grasping or judging, the body's posture and eyes soften, and even people around you relax. This is why seekers traditionally went to අරණ්ය (forests): not to escape duties, but to stop feeding the machinery of restlessness.

Practice: create a small "Ganga-bank" daily. Sit at the same time and place, keep the seat simple, and do 10-20 minutes of silent ධ්යාන (meditation) or mantra. Pair it with one act of gentleness each day - a speech you soften, a craving you do not indulge, a harm you avoid. Over time, you will notice the mind becomes less startling to itself, and calm begins to feel natural.

ජීර්ණාඃ කංථා තතඃ කිං සිතං අමලපටං පට්ටසූත්රං තතඃ කිං
ඒකා භාර්යා තතඃ කිං හයකරිසුගණෛරාවෘතෝ වා තතඃ කිම් ।
භක්තං භුක්තං තතඃ කිං කදශනං අථවා වාසරාංතේ තතඃ කිං
ව්යක්තජ්යෝතිර්න වාංතර්මථිතභවභයං වෛභවං වා තතඃ කිම් ॥ 3.98.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ජීර්ණඃ - worn out; old
කංථා - patched cloak; ragged garment
තතඃ කිං - so what? what then?
සිතං - white
අමල - spotless
පටං - cloth
පට්ට - silk
සූත්රං - thread; woven cloth
පට්ටසූත්රං - silk cloth
ඒකා - one
භාර්යා - wife
හය - horse
කරි - elephant
සුගණෛඃ - with excellent groups
හය-කරි-සුගණෛඃ - with excellent groups of horses and elephants
ආවෘතහ් - surrounded; encompassed
භක්තං - food; meal
භුක්තං - eaten
කදශනං - eating once (a single meal)
අථවා - or
වාසර-අංතේ - at the end of the day
ව්යක්ත - clear; manifest
ජ්යෝතිඃ - light; inner radiance
ව්යක්ත-ජ්යෝතිඃ - manifest inner light
න වා - or else; or not
අංතඃ - within
මථිත - churned; agitated
භව - worldly existence; repeated becoming
භයං - fear
භව-භයං - fear of worldly existence / fear of repeated birth
අංතඃ-මථිත-භව-භයං - fear of existence churning within
වෛභවං - prosperity; splendor

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
So what if the cloak is worn, or if the cloth is spotless white silk? So what if there is one wife, or an entourage of horses and elephants? So what if you have eaten, or if you eat only once at the end of the day? Whether your splendor is evident, or your heart is churned by fear of worldly existence - what does such prosperity amount to?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Bhartruhari is not merely praising poverty; he is puncturing a deeper confusion: we keep switching outer arrangements hoping the inside will finally settle. One person changes to luxury, another to austerity; one seeks "one relationship", another seeks a crowd. The refrain තතඃ කිං ("so what?") insists that the decisive factor is inner freedom. If fear of භව (repeated becoming in the world) is still churning within, then neither silk nor rags can give peace; and if inner light is clear, then both become secondary.

In day-to-day life, this shows up as lifestyle debates that never touch the root: "If I buy this, I will relax"; "If I simplify enough, I will feel safe"; "If my status changes, I will be confident." But the anxiety often comes from a deeper place - the insecurity of a self built on externals. The Upanishadic warning is sharp: ද්විතීයාද්වෛ භ්හයං භවති - fear arises when we live as though we are separate from the whole. External changes do not dissolve that split by themselves.

Practice: pick one recurring fear that drives your choices (status-loss, insecurity, aging, loneliness). Name it plainly, then ask what belief it rests on. Add a small daily discipline that addresses the root: a few minutes of ආත්මවිචාර (self-inquiry: "who is afraid?"), and one deliberate act of non-dependence (saying no to an unnecessary purchase, or not seeking approval). Let outer life be simple, but let the inner work be real.

පාණිඃ පාත්රං පවිත්රං භ්රමණපරිගතං භෛක්ෂ්යං අක්ෂය්යං අන්නං
විස්තීර්ණං වස්ත්රං ආශාදශකං අචපලං තල්පං අස්වල්පං උර්වීම් ।
යේෂාං නිඃසංගතාංගීකරණපරිණතස්වාංතසංතෝෂිණස්තේ
ධන්යාඃ සංන්යස්තදෛන්යව්යතිකරනිකරාඃ කර්ම නිර්මූලයංති ॥ 3.99 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
පාණිඃ - hand
පාත්රං - vessel; bowl
පවිත්රං - pure; sacred
භ්රමණ - wandering
පරිගතං - obtained; acquired (by going around)
භෛක්ෂ්යං - alms
අක්ෂය්යං - inexhaustible; never running short
අන්නං - food
විස්තීර්ණං - vast; spread out
වස්ත්රං - garment
ආශ - direction
දශකං - group of ten
ආශාදශකං - the ten directions (the sky as "clothing")
අචපලං - steady; unmoving
තල්පං - bed
අස්වල්පං - not small; spacious
උර්වීං - earth
යේෂාං - for whom; whose
නිඃසංගතා - solitude; freedom from association
අංගීකරණ - acceptance; taking up
පරිණත - matured; ripened
ස්වාංත - inner mind; heart
සංතෝෂිණඃ - contented; fulfilled
නිඃසංගතා-අංගීකරණ-පරිණත-ස්වාංත-සංතෝෂිණඃ - those whose hearts mature into contentment by accepting solitude
තේ - they
ධන්යාඃ - blessed; fortunate
සංන්යස්ත - renounced; given up
දෛන්ය - pettiness; humiliating dependence
ව්යතිකර - mingling; entangling contact
නිකරාඃ - multitudes; heaps
සංන්යස්ත-දෛන්ය-ව්යතිකර-නිකරාඃ - those who have renounced the multitude of humiliating entanglements
කර්ම - action (and its binding residue)
නිර්මූලයංති - uproot; remove at the root

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Blessed are those whose hands serve as a sacred bowl, whose inexhaustible food is alms gathered while wandering, whose garment is the wide expanse of the ten directions, and whose steady, spacious bed is the earth. By accepting solitude their hearts ripen into contentment; abandoning humiliating entanglements, they uproot karma at its very root.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse is a manifesto of inner independence. The "equipment" of the renunciate is not special; it is what is already present: the hand becomes the bowl, the directions become the garment, the earth becomes the bed. The point is not self-torture; it is reducing dependence. When life does not require constant negotiation, flattery, or compromise, the mind becomes lighter and more available for truth. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

In contemporary life, the same principle can be practiced without copying the outer form. Many of our stresses come from over-commitment and over-dependence: debts, status games, and social obligations we cannot afford to lose. Bhartruhari calls that දෛන්ය - the smallness of a mind that has to bend for comfort. When you simplify needs and reduce entanglements, you regain dignity and quiet.

Practice: choose one dependency that makes you compromise your values (a purchase you cannot really afford, a relationship sustained only by approval, a habit that drains time). Reduce it deliberately, and replace it with one stabilizing discipline: daily study, prayer, or meditation. As outer demands shrink, notice how inner space grows - that is the beginning of කර්මනිර්මූලනම් (uprooting the binding momentum of action).

ත්රෛලෝක්යාධිපතිත්වං ඒව විරසං යස්මින්මහාශාසනේ
තල්ලබ්ධ්වාසනවස්ත්රමානඝටනේ භෝගේ රතිං මා කෘථාඃ ।
භෝගඃ කෝऽපි ස ඒක ඒව පරමෝ නිත්යෝදිතා ජෘංභනේ
යත්ස්වාදාද්විරසා භවංති විසයාස්ත්රෛලෝක්යරාජ්යාදයඃ ॥ 3.99.1 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ත්රෛලෝක්ය - the three worlds
අධිපතිත්වං - sovereignty; lordship
ත්රෛලෝක්යාධිපතිත්වං - lordship over the three worlds
ඒව - indeed
විරසං - tasteless; insipid
යස්මින් - in which
මහා - great
ශාසනේ - in the rule/command/realm (locative of ශාසන)
මහාශාසනේ - in that great rule/realm
තත් - that
ලබ්ධ - obtained
තත්-ලබ්ධ - obtained from that
ආසන - seat; throne
වස්ත්ර - garment
මාන - honor; status
ගටනේ - in the arrangement; in the collection (locative)
ආසන-වස්ත්ර-මාන-ගටනේ - in the collection of throne, clothing, and honors
භෝගේ - in enjoyment
රතිං - delight; attachment
මා කෘථාඃ - do not make; do not place
භෝගඃ - enjoyment; pleasure
කඃ අපි - some; a certain
සඃ - that
ඒකඃ ඒව - only one
පරමඃ - supreme
නිත්ය - ever; perpetual
උදිත - arisen; rising
ජෘංභනේ - in blossoming; in expansion
නිත්යෝදිතා-ජෘංභනේ - in the ever-rising blossoming
යත් - whose
ස්වාදාත් - from the taste
විරසා - tasteless
භවංති - become
විෂයාඃ - sense objects
ත්රෛලෝක්ය-රාජ්ය-ආදයඃ - world-kingdoms and the like

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Even sovereignty over the three worlds becomes tasteless in that higher realm; do not place your delight in pleasures that come from thrones, fine clothes, and honors. There is only one supreme enjoyment: the ever-rising blossoming of inner joy. By tasting it, all sense objects - even world-kingdoms and the rest - become insipid.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This verse teaches the logic of a higher taste. The mind lets go of a lower pleasure not by force, but when it finds a deeper fulfillment. Bhartruhari says: compared to that inner blossoming of joy, even ත්රෛලෝක්යාධිපතිත්ව (dominion over the three worlds) feels flat. The point is not moral scolding; it is a practical diagnosis of how freedom actually happens. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This aligns closely with the GItA's insight: පරං දෘෂ්ට්වා නිවර්තතේ - by seeing the higher, the pull of objects weakens. When a person has tasted calm, clarity, and self-respect, many cravings lose their glamour. In everyday terms, it is the difference between chasing status for a temporary rush and feeling steady enough that you do not need the rush.

Practice: instead of fighting every desire, strengthen one inner source of joy: meditation, honest self-inquiry, or devotional remembrance. Keep a short log of what leaves you peaceful after it ends versus what leaves you restless. Over time, let that observation guide you. වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) becomes stable when the heart has something higher to return to.

මාතර්මේදිනි තාත මාරුති සඛේ තේජඃ සුබංධෝ ජල
භ්රාතර්ව්යෞම්අ නිබද්ධ ඒෂ භවතාං අංත්යඃ ප්රණාමාංජලිඃ ।
යුෂ්මත්සංගවශෝපජාතසුකෘතස්ඵාරස්ඵුරන්නිර්මලජ්ඤානාපාස්ත
සමස්තමෝහමහිමා ලීනේ පරබ්රහ්මණි ॥ 3.100 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
මාතර් - O mother
මේදිනි - earth
තාත - O father
මාරුති - wind
සඛේ - O friend
තේජඃ - fire; radiance
සුබංධෝ - O good relative
ජල - water
භ්රාතර් - O brother
ව්යෞම්අ - sky; space
නිබද්ධඃ - bound; dedicated; connected
ඒෂ - this
භවතාං - to you all; of you all
අංත්යඃ - last; final
ප්රණාම - salutation
අංජලිඃ - folded hands; joined palms
ප්රණාමාංජලිඃ - a salutation with folded hands
යුෂ්මත් - your
සංග - association; company
වශ - under the influence; by the force
උපජාත - arisen; born
සුක්ऱ්ත - merit; good deeds
ස්ඵාරස්ඵුරත් - widely shining; abundantly resplendent
නිර්මල - pure; spotless
ජ්ඤාන - knowledge
අපාස්ත - removed; dispelled
සමස්ත - all; entire
මෝහ - delusion
මහිමා - power; majesty
ලීයේ - I merge; I dissolve
පරබ්රහ්මණි - in the supreme reality

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
O Mother Earth, Father Wind, Friend Fire, dear relative Water, and Brother Sky - this is my final salutation with folded hands to you all. Through my association with you, merits arose and shone forth as pure knowledge that dispelled the full power of delusion. May I now dissolve into the supreme reality.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
This closing verse has the tenderness of gratitude and the courage of release. Bhartruhari bows to the five elements not as gods to bargain with, but as the very supports of embodied life. They carried him: earth held him, wind breathed him, fire warmed and digested, water nourished, space gave room. Now, with that debt acknowledged, he turns from the elements to what they point toward - the unconditioned. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

Seen through අද්වෛත, the move is natural: the elements are forms within experience, while the goal is the awareness in which all forms rise and set. Gratitude keeps the heart soft; insight keeps it free. Many modern anxieties come from forgetting both: we treat nature as disposable, and we treat our body as an identity. This verse corrects the posture - respect the world, but do not cling to it as "me".

Practice: once a day, do a short "five-elements gratitude" reflection. Feel the support of the ground, the breath, the warmth of the body, the flow of water, and the openness of space. Then ask, "what is aware of all this?" Rest for a minute in that awareness. Let gratitude become humility, and let humility mature into freedom.

ශය්යා ශෛලශිලාගෘහං ගිරිගුහා වස්ත්රං තරුණාං ත්වචඃ
සාරංගාඃ සුහෘදෝ නනු ක්ෂිතිරුහාං වෘත්තිඃ ඵලෛඃ කෞම්අලෛඃ ।
යේසාං නිර්ඣරං අංබුපානං උචිතං රත්යෛ තු විද්යාංගනා
මන්යේ තේ පරමේශ්වරාඃ ශිරසි යරි බද්ධෝ න සේවාංජලිඃ ॥ 3.101 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ශය්යා - bed
ශෛල - mountain; rock
ශිලා - stone slab
ගෘහං - house; dwelling
ශෛලශිලාගෘහං - a rock-slab house
ගිරි - mountain
ගුහා - cave
ගිරිගුහා - mountain cave
වස්ත්රං - clothing
තරුණාං - of trees
ත්වචඃ - bark; skin
සාරංගාඃ - deer/antelopes
සුහෘදඃ - friends
නනු - indeed
ක්ෂිතිරුහාං - of trees
වෘත්තිඃ - livelihood; means of living
ඵලෛඃ - with fruits
කෞම්අලෛඃ - tender; soft
නිර්ඣරං - a waterfall; spring
අංබු - water
පානං - drinking
අංබුපානං - drinking water
උචිතං - proper; fitting
රත්යෛ - for delight; for love/pleasure (dative)
තු - and indeed
විද්යා - knowledge
අංගනා - maiden; bride
විද්යාංගනා - knowledge as the beloved
මන්යේ - I consider
තේ - they
පරමේශ්වරාඃ - supreme lords
ශිරසි - on the head
යෛඃ - by whom; for whom
බද්ධඃ - bound
සේවා - service; servitude
අංජලිඃ - folded hands
සේවාංජලිඃ - the folded hands of servitude (compelled service)
න - not

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
For those whose bed is a rock-slab, whose home is a mountain cave, whose clothing is the bark of trees; for whom deer are friends and whose livelihood is tender fruits from trees; for whom drinking waterfall water is fitting, and whose delight is the "bride" of knowledge - I consider them the true lords, for they do not have servile folded hands bound upon their head.

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
Bhartruhari redefines lordship. A lord is not someone who is served; it is someone who does not have to sell their inner freedom. The renunciate's life is described almost playfully: rocks and caves as home, fruit and spring-water as sustenance, deer as friends. The most telling line is විද්යාංගනා - knowledge as beloved. Pleasure is not rejected; it is refined into intimacy with truth. Seen through විවේක (discernment), this is an invitation to let වෛරාග්ය (dispassion) arise from understanding, not from bitterness.

In our world, servitude often looks respectable: we become bound by lifestyle, debt, and the constant need to impress. The "folded hands of service" can be a metaphor for a mind always negotiating for approval. This verse invites a different kind of success: live lightly enough that your dignity is not hostage to anyone's mood, and cultivate a joy that comes from learning, reflection, and inner steadiness. This is the අනිත්යතා (impermanence) reflection that Sa~gkarAcArya uses to awaken වෛරාග්ය: seeing change clearly, we stop demanding permanent comfort from it.

Practice: reduce one form of "bondage" this month - an unnecessary subscription, a debt-driven purchase, or an obligation you keep only for image. Use that freed time for ස්වාධ්යාය (self-study): read one good text, reflect, and write a few lines daily. When knowledge becomes a companion, outer dependence naturally loosens.

ධෛර්යං යස්ය පිතා ක්ෂමා ච ජනනී ශාංතිශ්චිරං ගේහිනී
සත්යං මිත්රං ඉදං දයා ච භගිනී භ්රාතා මනඃසංයමඃ ।
ශය්යා භූමිතලං දිශෝऽපි වසනං ජ්ඤානාමෘතං භෝජනං
හ්යේතේ යස්ය කුටුංබිනෝ වද සඛේ කස්මාද්භයං යෝගිනඃ ॥ 3.102 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
ධෛර්යං - courage; steadiness
යස්ය - whose
පිතා - father
ක්ෂමා - forgiveness; forbearance
ච - and
ජනනී - mother
ශාංතිඃ - peace
චිරං - long; enduring
ගේහිනී - wife; household companion
සත්යං - truth
මිත්රං - friend
ඉදං - this
දයා - compassion
භගිනී - sister
භ්රාතා - brother
මනඃ - mind
සංයමඃ - restraint; discipline
මනඃසංයමඃ - self-control of the mind
ශය්යා - bed
භූමිතලං - the ground
දිශඃ - directions
අපි - even
වසනං - clothing
ජ්ඤාන - knowledge
අමෘතං - nectar; immortality-giving
ජ්ඤානාමෘතං - the nectar of knowledge
භෝජනං - food
හි - indeed
ඒතේ - these
කුටුංබිනඃ - family members
වද - tell
සඛේ - O friend
කස්මාත් - why; from what
භයං - fear
යෝගිනඃ - for the yogi

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
For the yogi whose father is courage, mother is forgiveness, wife is enduring peace, friend is truth, sister is compassion, and brother is self-control; whose bed is the earth, whose clothing is the directions, and whose food is the nectar of knowledge - tell me, friend, what fear can remain for him?

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse builds an alternative family tree of virtues. When your closest companions are courage, forgiveness, peace, truth, compassion, and self-restraint, you are not easily shaken by circumstance. Such a yogi sleeps on the ground and wears the directions - meaning, he is not picky about comfort or display. His nourishment is ජ්ඤානාමෘත, the "nectar" of knowledge that keeps the mind from starving in emptiness. Notice the chain Bhartruhari is pointing at: රාග (attachment) quietly breeds භය (fear), because whatever you cling to becomes something you must protect; වෛරාග්ය breaks that chain.

In practical terms, this is a reminder that security is more internal than external. Many people have possessions but lack patience; they have contacts but lack truth; they have comfort but lack peace. Then fear remains. When virtues become your household, you become resilient: loss does not destroy you, praise does not intoxicate you, and uncertainty does not paralyze you. Upanishadic teaching repeatedly ties freedom with අභය (fearlessness): when identity stops leaning on change, fear naturally reduces.

Practice: choose one virtue from this list each week. Treat it like a family member you must honor: if you chose ක්ෂමා (forbearance), practice forgiving one small irritation; if you chose මනඃසංයම (self-restraint), limit one impulse daily. Keep a short nightly review. Fear reduces when the inner home becomes strong.

අහෝ වා හාරේ වා බලවති රිපෞ වා සුහෘදි වා
මණෞ වා ලෝෂ්ඨේ වා කුසුමශයනේ වා දෘෂදි වා ।
තෘණේ වා ස්ත්රෛණේ වා මම සමදෘශෝ යාංති දිවසාඃ
ක්වචිත්පුණ්යාරණ්යේ ශිව ශිව ශිවේති ප්රලපතඃ ॥ 3.103 ॥

Meaning (පදාර්ථ):
අහෝ - indeed; ah!
වා - or
හාරේ - in a necklace/garland
බලවති - strong; powerful
රිපෞ - in an enemy
සුහෘදි - in a friend
මණෞ - in a jewel
ලෝෂ්ඨේ - in a clod of earth
කුසුම - flower
ශයනං - bed; couch
කුසුමශයනේ - in a bed of flowers
දෘෂදි - on stone
තෘණේ - in grass; on straw
ස්ත්රෛණේ - among women; in sensual pleasure
මම - my
සම - equal
දෘශඃ - vision; outlook
සමදෘශඃ - with equal vision; equanimous
යාංති - pass; go
දිවසාඃ - days
ක්වචිත් - somewhere
පුණ්ය - holy; meritorious
අරණ්යේ - in a forest (locative)
පුණ්යාරණ්යේ - in a holy forest
ශිව ශිව ශිවේති - "Siva, Siva, Siva" thus
ප්රලපතඃ - muttering; repeating; lamenting

Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Whether with a necklace or without, whether with a strong enemy or a friend, whether with a jewel or a clod, whether on a bed of flowers or on bare stone, whether among grass or women - my days pass in the same way, as I wander somewhere in a sacred forest, repeating "Siva, Siva, Siva."

Commentary (අනුසංධාන):
The verse is a statement of radical equanimity. Ornament or no ornament, enemy or friend, jewel or clod, softness or hardship, sensuality or simplicity - none of these opposites dictate the quality of his day. The outer scene changes, but the inner axis remains: remembrance of ශිව, the auspicious reality that stands for what is beyond change. Here තෘෂ්ණා (craving-thirst) is the hidden engine: it grows by feeding and keeps the mind in motion; the antidote is විවේක (discernment) maturing into වෛරාග්ය (dispassion).

This is not dullness; it is freedom from compulsive preference. A life driven by craving is constantly negotiating: "more comfort, less pain; more praise, less blame." Here, Bhartruhari suggests that peace comes when the mind stops leaning toward one pole and recoiling from the other. The GItA captures the same ideal: සමලෝෂ්ටාශ්මකාංචනහ් - one who sees clod, stone, and gold with equal regard. In a world of endless comparison, that equal vision is priceless.

Practice: pick one pair of opposites that usually controls you (comfort/discomfort, praise/blame, attention/neglect). For a week, observe your reactions without immediately obeying them. Add one anchor that returns you to the center - a short ජප (repetition) like "Siva Siva" or a few mindful breaths. Equanimity grows when you train the pause between stimulus and response.

Browse Related Categories: