tasmaad bhikSh'-aarthaM mama-gurur ito yaavad eva prayaatas
tyaktvaa kaaShaayaM gRham aham itas taavad eva prayaasye
puujyaM liNgaM hi skhalita-manaso bibhrataH kliShTa-buddher
n' aamutr' aarthaH syaad upahata-mater n' aapy ayaM jiiva-lokaH
= = = = = - - - - - = = - = = - = =
= = = = = - - - - - = = - = = - = =
= = = = = - - - - - = = - = = - = =
= = = = = - - - - - = = - = = - = =
saundaranande mahaa-kaavye
nanda-vilaapo naama saptamaH sargaH
= - - = = - = = =
= - - = = = - = - = = =
7.52
Therefore as soon my guru has gone from here
to beg for alms
I will give up the ochre robe and go from here
to my home;
Because, for a man who bears the honoured insignia
with stammering mind, impaired judgement
and weakened resolve,
There might exist no ulterior purpose
nor even this present world of living beings."
The 7th canto in the epic poem Handsome Nanda,
titled "Nanda's Lament."
COMMENT:
These words with which Nanda concludes this Canto have the form of a decision, but not the content of a decision. They are rather the expression of an idea, or a wish not to be here. As such, they seem to echo the doubt Nanda expressed in 7.48, when he compared himself to a lamp in a picture, being there and yet not really being there -- a truly lamentable condition which, in the first half of the 20th century, Jean-Paul Sartre was painfully aware of.
Meanwhile in England the non-philosopher FM Alexander, on his days off from his ulterior purpose of teaching, was enthusiastically enjoying his favourite past-time of days out at the races. As FM's niece Marjory Barlow reported, "FM certainly knew how to enjoy himself!"
My younger son, like his dad and his paternal grandfather in younger years, likes learning foreign languages and likes playing team sport -- football in my son's case, whereas it was rugby for me and my father. I mention this because my son is doing an A level in French and so is required to read The Plague by Albert Camus -- one of whose themes is the human solidarity which Camus purportedly learned about primarily on the sports field, playing in goal for Racing Universitaire d'Alger. Camus is quoted on Wikipedia as saying: "After many years during which I saw many things, what I know most surely about morality and the duty of man I owe to sport and learned it in the RUA."
What I observe in my son is that whereas he enjoys playing football with his mates, he finds having to read The Plague an absolute pain in the backside. So much for existentialism.
EH Johnston:
Therefore while my Guru is away begging, I will give up the mendicant's robe and go home at once from here ; for the man who bears the honoured symbols with wavering mind and sin-fuddled understanding and whose judgement is impaired has nothing to expect in the next existence and has no part even in the world of living beings.'
Linda Covill:
So while my guru is away on his alms-round, I will put aside the ochre robe and go home, for a man bearing the honoured marks of a monk while his thoughts are wavering, his reasoning impaired and his mind infatuated has no purpose in the next world, nor does he even have this world of living creatures.
End of Canto 7: Nanda's Lament
VOCABULARY:
tasmaat: ind. from that, therefore
bhikSh'-aartham (acc. sg. n.): for the purpose of begging
bhikShaa: f. the act of begging or asking
artha: purpose, aim
mama-guruH (nom. sg. m.): my guru
itaH: ind. from here
yaavat: ind (correlative of taavat) whilst, as soon as
eva: (emphatic)
prayaataH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. set out , gone , advanced
tyaktvaa = abs. tyaj: to leave , abandon , quit ; to give up, set aside
kaaShaayam (acc. sg.): n. a brown-red cloth or garment
gRham (acc. sg.): mn. house, home
aham (nom. sg. m.): I
itaH: ind. from here
taavat: ind. ind. so long , in that time; at once
eva: (emphatic)
prayaasye = 1st pers. sg. future pra- √ yaa: to go forth, set out ; go or repair to (acc.)
puujyam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. (= puujaniiya) to be revered or worshipped , venerable , honourable
liNgam (acc. sg.): n. a mark , spot , sign , token , badge , emblem ; guise
hi: for
skhalita-manasaH (gen. sg. m.): of stammering mind
skhalita: mfn. stumbling , tripping , unsteady (as a gait) ; intoxicated , drunk ; stammering , faltering (speech) ; stopped , checked , obstructed , impeded , interrupted , frustrated , baffled ;
skhal: to stumble , trip , totter , waver , fluctuate ; to stammer; to err
manas: n. mind
bibhrataH = gen. sg. m. pres. part. bhR: to bear
kliShTa-buddheH (gen. sg. m.):
kliShTa: mfn. molested , tormented , afflicted , distressed ; wearied , hurt , injured , being in bad condition , worn
klish: to torment , trouble , molest , cause pain , afflict
buddhi: f. the power of forming and retaining conceptions and general notions , intelligence , reason , intellect , mind , discernment , judgement
na: not
amutra: ind. there ; there above i.e. in the other world , in the life to come ; there i.e. in what precedes or has been said
arthaH (nom. sg.): m. aim , purpose; advantage , use , utility
syaat = 3rd pers. sg. optative as: to be
upahata-mateH (gen. sg. m.):
upahata: mfn. hit , hurt , damaged , injured , visited , afflicted , pained , infected ; affected , transported (with passion) ; seduced , misled ; distressed , weakened , discouraged
upa- √ han: to beat; to hit , hurt , damage , visit , afflict , impede , spoil
mati: f. devotion ; thought , design , intention , resolution , determination , inclination , wish , desire ; the mind , perception , understanding , intelligence , sense , judgement
na: not
api: also
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this , this here , referring to something near the speaker ; known , present
jiiva-lokaH (nom. sg. m.): the world of living beings (opposed to that of the deceased) , living beings , mankind
jiiva: m. any living being
loka: m. world
saundara-nande mahaa-kaavye (loc.): in the epic poem Handsome Nanda
nanda-vilaapaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda's lament
vilaapa: m. lament
vi- √ lap: to utter moaning sounds , wail , lament
naama: ind. by name
saptamaH sargaH (nom. sg. m.): 7th canto
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