(14) Condemnation of the childhood state

EXTRACT FROM VAIRAAGYA PRAKARANAM

लब्ध्वापि तरलाकारे कार्यभारतरङ्गिणि संसारसागरे जन्म बाल्यं दु:खाय केवलं ।

Though obtaining a human birth in the ocean of Samsaara with waves of actions repeatedly rising, with its ever changing structures, the state of infancy is a very painful state indeed.

अशक्तिरापदस्तृष्णा मूकता मूढबुद्धिता गृध्रुता लोलता दैन्यं सर्वं बाल्ये प्रवर्तते। रोषरोदनरौद्रासु दैन्यजर्जरितासु च दशासु बन्धनं बाल्यमालानं करिणामिव । न मृतौ न जरारोगे न चापदि न यौवने ताश्चिन्ताः परिकृन्तन्ति हृदयं शैशवेषु याः। तिर्यग्जातिसमारम्भः सर्वैरेववधीरितः लोलो बालसमाचारो मरणादपि दुःखदः ।

Weakness (not capable of doing anything), danger (always getting to many problems being dumb); desires (wants of stupid nature); inability to speak (cannot express one’s feelings); ignorance (does not know or understand anything); gluttonous nature (wanting to taste and swallow any object edible or not); always a state of restlessness (a source of agitation to itself and others); a pitiable state of dependence (always dependent on others for every smallest need); all these are prevalent in infancy.

Violent screams and angry tantrums; pathetic with pitiful states; the childhood bound to such states is nothing better than the state of an elephant chained to a post.

Not in the man on the verge of death, not in the pains of aging and ailments, not in the state of youth hankering after pleasures, do the worries torment the mind, as it happens in the childhood. Starting the life like a crawling animal, threatened by all, the fragile state of a child’s life is more painful than death even.

प्रतिबिम्बघनाज्ञानं नानासंकल्पपेलवं बाल्यमालूनसम्शीर्णं मनः कस्य सुखावहं । जलवह्न्यनिलाजस्रजातभीत्या पदे पदे यद्भयं शैशवेऽबुद्ध्या कस्यापदि हि तद्भवेत् । लीलासु दुर्विलासेषु दुरीहासु दुराशये परमं मोहमाधत्ते बालो बलवदापतन् । विकल्पकल्पितारम्भं दुर्विलासं दुरास्पदं शैशवं शासनायैव पुरुषस्य न शान्तये । ये दोषा ये दुराचारा दुष्क्रमा ये दुराधयः ते सर्वे संस्थिता बाल्ये दुर्गते इव कौशिकाः । बाल्यं रम्यमिति व्यर्थबुद्धयः कल्पयन्ति ये तान्मूर्खपुरुषान्ब्रह्मन्धिगस्तु हतचेतसः ।

Reflecting dense ignorance only, in the wretched state pulled and pushed by various wants, and shattered by disappoints only as if fettered to a stake, whose mind can feel happy in the childhood?

At every step afflicted by the fear of any and every object like even the ordinary things like water, fire or wind, the state of fear in the childhood arising out of stupidity is a ground made for only calamities for anyone. A child gets heavily attracted towards wrong type of plays, wrong things, wrong objects, and forcibly moves towards harms. Enthusiastic about wrong objects, engaged in harmful actions in obtaining wrong objects, the childhood is meant only for getting scolded and punished by elders.

Whatever faults exist, whatever idiotic actions exist, whatever wrong ways exist, whatever stupid mentality exists, all these are together found in the childhood like the wicked owls residing in the dark miserable hollows. Fie on those fools, who with their ignorant minds filled with worldly attachment, imagine the childhood to be a pleasant state in the human life.

यत्र दोलाकृति मनःपरिस्फुरति वृत्तिषु त्रैलोक्याऽभव्यमपि तत्कथं भवति तुष्टये । सर्वेषामेव सत्त्वानां सर्वास्ववस्थाभ्य एव हि मनश्चञ्चलतामेति बाल्ये दशगुणं मुने । मनः प्रकृत्यैव चलं बाल्यं च चलतां वरं तयोः संश्लिष्यतोस्त्राता क इवान्तः कुचापले । स्त्रीलोचनैस्तडित्पुञ्जैर्ज्वालामालैस्तरङ्गकैर्चापलं शिक्षितं ब्रह्मञ्छैशवाक्रान्तचेतसः । शैशवं च मनश्चैव सर्वास्वेव हि वृत्तिषु भ्रातराविव लक्ष्येते सततं भङ्गुरस्थिती ।

How can that mind which entertains thoughts of the most heinous kinds in all the three worlds and is continuously swinging from object to object, ever give happiness?

In all the living beings, at all states of life, it is a common fact that the mind acts restless hey Muni, yet in the childhood state (of human beings) such a restless state is ten times more! Mind is by nature restless; childhood is the extreme state of restlessness; when these two have joined together who can stop the flow of agitations within?  The mind possessed by infancy is said to be more unstable than the frail glances of ladies, the cluster of lightning flashes, the flames of the fire or the rolling waves, Brahman!

Childhood and mind always are found to exist together in all actions like twin brothers, being always restless, agitated and dissatisfied.

सर्वाणि दुःखभूतानि सर्वे दोषा दुराधयः बाल्यमेवोपजीवन्ति श्रीमन्तमिव मानवाः । नवं नवं प्रीतिकरं न शिशुः प्रत्यहं यदि प्राप्नोति तदसौ याति विषवैषम्यमूर्च्छनां । स्तोकेन वशमायाति स्तोकेनैव विकारिताममेध्य एव रमते बालः कौलेयको यथा । अजस्रबाष्पवदनः कर्दमाक्तो जडाशयः वर्षोक्षितस्य तप्तस्य स्थलस्य सदृशः शिशुः । भयाहार​परं दीनं दृष्टादृष्टाभिलाषि च लोलबुद्धि वपुर्धत्ते बाल्यं दुःखाय केवलम् ।

All idiotic thoughts, all faults which bring pain seek the state of childhood only, like men go after a wealthy man. If the child (craving for newer things always) does not get new new objects daily, it attains a mad state as if affected by some poisonous drug (and goes into tantrums and screams of the ugliest sort.)

The child comes under control through trifle means; acts mad for want of trifle objects; is always after dirty things like a dog. A child is like a dried up ground, stinking because of years of dampness, infertile (foolishness), filled with wet dirty soil as if, with the face always drenched in tears and saliva.

The childhood holds a body for only experiencing various pains, with its idiotic mind, wanting things seen and unseen, pathetic, always intent on eating and always afraid of everything.

Never able to get what all he wants and imagines, a child is always suffering and sad and heartbroken.

स्व​संकल्पाभिलषितान्भावानप्राप्य तप्तधीर्दुःखमेत्यबलो बालो विनिष्कृत्त​ इवाशये । दुरीहालब्धलक्ष्याणि बहुवक्रोल्बणानि च बाल्यस्य यानि दुःखानि मुने तानि न कस्यचित् । बालो बलवता स्वेन मनोरथविलासिना मनसा तप्यते नित्यं ग्रीष्मेणेव वनस्थली । विद्यागृहगतो बालो परामेति कदर्थनामालानेव नागेन्द्रो विषवैषम्यभीषणाम् । नानामनोरथमयी मिथ्याकल्पितकल्पना दुःखायात्यन्तदीर्घाय बालता पेलवाशया । संहृष्टो भुवनं भोक्तुमिन्दुमादातुमंबरात्वाञ्छ​ते येन मौर्ख्येण तत्सुखाय कथं भवेत् ।

The sufferings of childhood which are caused by the wants of unobtainable things and excessive crooked manners are not in any other state of a man’s life. A child with his mind scorched by the demands of various sorts suffers in the mind always, like a forest-land at summer time. A child sent to a school suffers more wretchedness like an elephant-chief chained to a stake. The childhood state with fragile nature is prone to prolonged suffering due to the varieties of wants and demands of imagined objects.

How can he who through foolishness eats happily the mud on the ground, and wants the moon from the sky to be given to him, be ever happy?

अन्तश्चित्तेरशक्तस्य शीतातपनिवारणे को विशेषो महाबुद्धे बालस्योर्वीरुहस्तथा । उड्डीतुमभिवाञ्छन्ति पक्षाभ्यां क्षुत्परायणाः भयाहारपरा नित्यं बाला विहगधर्मिणः । शैशवे गुरुतो भीतिर्मातृतः पितृतस्तथा जनतो ज्येष्टबालाच्च शैशवं भयमन्दिरम् ।

What is the difference between a child and a tree, where both are incapable of thinking and cannot even escape the cold and heat, hey you of highest intellect? Children behave like birds; want to fly high using their arms like wings, are always feeding, and gobble up food with anxiety.

Childhood is an abode of fear; there is extreme fear from mother, father, people and elderly kids.

सकलदोषदशाभिहताशयं शरण​मप्यविवेकविलासिनः इह न कस्यचिदेव महामुने भवति बाल्यमिदं परितुष्टये ।

This infancy here is never a cause of happiness to anyone on any account, hey MahaaMuni; a child’s mind is tormented by all types of faults (wants, anger etc); and is an abode of the playful idiot named foolishness (Aviveka).