(9) Condemnation of Aayus (life-span)

EXTRACT FROM VAIRAAGYA PRAKARANAM

आयुः पल्लवकोणाग्रलवाम्बुकणभङ्गुरमुन्मत्तमिव संत्यज्य यात्यकाण्डे शरीरकं ।

The life (Praana) unstable like the drop of water hanging on to the tip of the leaf; goes away at unexpected times, rejecting the body like insane.

विषयाशीविषासङ्गपरिजर्जर​चेतसाम​प्रौढात्मविवेकानामायुरायासकारणम् । ये तु विज्ञातविज्ञेया विश्रान्ता वितते पदे भावाभावसमाश्वासमायुस्तेषां सुखायते । वयं परिमिताकारपरिनिष्टितनिश्चयाः संसाराभ्रतडित्पुञ्जे मुने नायुषि निर्वृताः ।

Life becomes a cause of fatigue for those who have not matured in the Knowledge of Aatman, and whose minds are shattered by the contact of the snake venom called the sense pleasures. Those who have known ‘that which is to be known’, those who rest in the Supreme state which has no differentiation, those who are equanimous in gain and loss, for them alone, the life is truly blissful. In the world terrifying because of the dense dark clouds with continuous flashing of lightning hey Muni, people like us who are sure of limitations of form are never at peace. 

युज्यते वेष्टनं वायोराकाशस्य च खण्डनं ग्रथनम्च​ तरङ्गाणामास्था नायुषि युज्यते । पेलवं शरदीवाभ्रमस्नेहेव​ दीपको तरङ्गकेवालोलं गतमेवोपलक्ष्यते । तरङ्गं प्रतिबिम्बेन्दुं तडित्पुञ्जं नभोम्बुजं ग्रहीतुमास्थां बध्नामि न त्वायुषि हतस्थितौ ।

It is possible may be to restrain the wind, or slice the space, or knot the waves together; but it is not possible to trust the stability of life. Like the thin autumn clouds, like the lamp without the oil, like the rolling waves, the life is observed to be already over with. I may even hope to catch off a splashing wave or the reflection of the moon or a flashing lightning or the lotus blooming in the sky imagined by me; but I have no trust in the stability of life which is continuously ebbing away.

अविश्रान्तमनाः शून्यमायुराततमीहते दु:खायैव विमूढोsन्तर्गर्भमश्वतरी यथा ।

The wretched idiot obtains the useless and lengthy life for the sake of experiencing only pain, with his mind not restful in one’s true essence; he is like the mule inside the womb of the horse, which kills the mother when delivered from the womb.

{ASHVATARI is an animal born in a donkey by the horse; it is supposed to kill its mother in the womb itself. (Being bigger in size it causes the mother to die when it is born). Like the mule which kills its own mother, the foolish man wastes his life because of his ignorance.}

संसारसंसृतावस्यां फेनोऽस्मिन्सर्गसागरे कायवल्ल्याम्भसो ब्रह्मञ्जीवितं मे न रोचते ।

Brahman, this life is not a thing of liking for me! In this turmoil of Samsaara, the creeper of the body is just the worthless unstable foam forming on the waters of the creation-ocean.

प्राप्यं संप्राप्यते येन भूयो येन च शोच्यते पराया निवृत्तेर्स्थानं यत्तज्जीवितमुच्यते । तरवोsपि हि जीवन्ति जीवन्ति मृगपक्षिणः स जीवति मनो यस्य मननेन न जीवति । जातास्त एव जगति जन्तवः साधुजीविताः ये पुनर्नेह जायन्ते शेषा जरठगर्धभाः ।

That alone is known as a proper life where ‘that which is to be attained’ (Knowledge of one’s essence) is attained; through which one does not grieve again, and which is the state of the supreme bliss. Trees also live; animals and birds also live; he alone lives truly whose mind is given to proper thinking and does not just remain alive (like trees and birds). Those beings alone are really born in this world, which live a noble life and never get born again here; all the others are just aging donkeys.

भारोsविवेकिनः शास्त्रं भारो ज्ञानं च रागिणः अशान्तस्य मनो भारो भारोsनात्मविदो वपुः । रूपमायुर्मनोबुद्धिरहंकारः स्थिरेहितं भारो भारधरस्येव​ सर्वं दु:खाय दुर्धियः ।

Study of the Shastras that instruct abstract knowledge is an unbearable weight to the dull headed; knowledge about the ephemeral nature of sense objects is an unbearable weight to the person who has attractions for the world objects; mind is an unbearable weight to a man whose has no peace; body is a weight to a person who does not have the knowledge of his true essence. Body, life, mind, intelligence, ego, are all like the weights carried by a burden-carrier who being attached to them can never can be without them, though they cause only pain to the idiot.

अविश्रान्तमनापूर्णमापदां परमास्पदं नीडं रोगविहङ्गानामायुरायासनं दृढम् । प्रत्यहं खेदमुत्सृज्य शनैरलमनारतमाखुनेव जरच्छभ्रं कालेन विनिहन्यते । शरीरबिलविश्रान्तैर्विषदाहप्रदायिभिः रोगैरापीयते रौद्रैर्व्यालैरिव वनानिलः। प्रस्नुवानैरविच्छेदं तुच्छैरन्तरवासिभिर्दुःखैराधृष्यते क्रूरैर्घुणैरिव जरद्रुमः।

Life is extremely tiresome; for it is the nest for the birds called diseases, is an abode of dangers, never a place of rest, and is never complete with the desired things. Life is eaten away slowly by ‘Kaala’ like an old tree destroyed by a rat which slowly and tirelessly keeps gnawing it every moment. Terrifying diseases resulting in extremely poisonous fatal pains, stay inside the hollows of the body and suck off the life like the snakes consuming the forest-air. Sufferings and sorrows are like the lowly cruel wood-worms staying within oozing dirt; and eat away the life like gnawing at the old tree without leaving a gap.

नूनं विगरणायाशु घनगर्धमनारतमाखुर्मार्जारकेणेव मरणेनावलोक्यते । गन्धादिगुणगर्भिण्या शून्ययाऽशक्तिवेश्ययाऽन्नं महाशनेनेव जरसा परिजीर्यते । दिनैर्क​तिपयैरेव परिज्ञाय गतादरं दुर्जनः सज्जनेनेव  यौवनेनावमुच्यते । विनाशसुहृदा नित्यं जरामरणबन्धुना रूपं खिङ्ग्वरेनेव कृतान्तेनाभिलष्यते । स्थिरतया सुखभासितयानया सततमुञ्झित​मुत्तमफल्गु च ज​गति नास्ति तथा गुणवर्जितं मरणभाजनमायुरिदं यथा ॥ 
Death at all times waits patiently like the cat greedy for food sitting outside the hollow of the rat to pounce on it at any time. Like a glutton gobbling up food, life is gobbled by the prostitute called old age innate with qualities like dirty smells, lack of proper emotions, and loss of strength. Within a few days itself, one is discarded by the youthful state like a good man loses affection and rejects the wicked man, once his true nature comes to light. Like a lustful young man is after a beautiful girl (only to spoil her health and beauty), Krtaanta (the deity of annihilation) a friend of destruction and a relative of old age and death, is attracted by ‘life’ (only to destroy it).

There is nothing in this world as worthless as this life, the receptacle of death; as it is completely without any essence at all, though seemingly stable and blissful.