dahet suvarNaM hi dhamann akaale
jale kShipan saMshamayed akaale
na c'api samyak paripaakam enaM
nayed akaale samupekShamaaNaH
16.66
For he might burn the gold
by blowing at the wrong time,
He might make it unworkable
by plunging it into water at the wrong time,
And he would not bring it to full perfection
If at the wrong time he were just to leave it be.
COMMENT:
Again, the inhibitory or precautionary side is not left unspoken.
The point that is being emphasized through repetition is the importance of knowing, at a particular time in a particular situation, what is NOT to be done. There are times when doing something, even something that might have worked in the past, is not appropriate. And lest this seems to lend one-sided support to a rigid philosophy of non-doing (inexperienced Alexander teachers beware), this metaphor brilliantly reminds us that there are also times when it is not appropriate not to do.
Ashvaghosha is like an accountant doing double-entry book-keeping, or drawing up a balance sheet. He seems ever wary of advocating positive awareness of what is required to be done, without adding, on the negative side of the ledger, a stimulus for preventive awareness of what is required NOT to be done, and what is required NOT to be not done, in the pursuit of full perfection.
What is there in the realm of human experience that corresponds to the full perfection of refined gold?
Master Dogen wrote that we should learn the backward step of turning light and shining, in which case body and mind spontaneously drop off, and the original face emerges.
EKO HENSHO NO TAIHO O GAKU SU BESHI, SHINJIN JINNEN NI DATSU RAKU SHITE HONRAI NO MENMOKU GENZEN SEN.
Inspiring words. But the metaphor of the goldsmith reminds us that a lot of work is required to be done both before and after a point where the right thing can be left to do itself -- temporarily.
EH Johnston:
For by using the bellows at the wrong time he would burn the gold, by throwing it into the water at the wrong time he would make it too soft and by letting it cool off at the wrong time he would not bring it to maturity properly.
Linda Covill:
For in blowing at the wrong time he might burn the gold; casting it into water at the wrong time he would make it cool down; and in merely observing it at the wrong time, he might not bring it to perfect readiness.
VOCABULARY:
dahet = 3rd person singular, optative of dah: to burn
suvarNam (acc. sg.): n. gold
hi: for
dhaman = nom. sg. m. present participle dham: to blow
akaale (locative): at the wrong time
jale (locative): in water
kShipan = nom. sg. m. present participle of kShip: to put or place anything on or in (loc.)
saMshamayed = 3rd person singular, optative of saM-√sham: to be or become ineffective; to calm , allay; to extinguish ; to bring to rest , remove , destroy , kill
akaale (locative): at the wrong time
na: not
ca: and
api: also
samyak: full, proper, correct
paripaakam = accusative of paripaaka: ripening , maturity , perfection
enam (acc. sg. m.): it
nayet = 3rd person singular optative of nii: to lead ; bring to any state or condition
akaale (locative): at the wrong time
samupekShamaaNaH = nom. sg. m. present participle sam-upa-viikS: to look completely over or beyond , take no notice of , disregard , neglect , abandon
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