Verse 21

Yagyavalkya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

जन्मपल्वलमत्स्यानां चित्तकर्दमचारिणाम् । पुंसां दुर्वासनारज्जुर्नारीबडिशपिण्डिका ॥२१॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

जन्म-पल्वल-मत्स्यानाम् । चित्त-कर्दम-चारिणाम् । पुंसाम् । दुर्वासना-रज्जुः । नारी-बडिश-पिण्डिका ॥२१॥

IAST Transliteration

janmapalvalamatsyānāṃ cittakardamacāriṇām | puṃsāṃ durvāsanārajjur nārībaḍiśapiṇḍikā ||21||

Translation

لأسماكِ بركةِ الميلاد، السابحةِ في طينِ الذهن، للرجال حبلٌ هو العاداتُ الكامنةُ السيّئة؛ والمرأةُ هي كتلةُ الطُّعم على السنّارة.

Academic Translation

For the fish in the pond of birth, moving about in the mud of mind, for men the rope is evil latent tendencies; woman is the baited hook-lump.

Verse Context

• Saṃsāra driven by vāsanā (latent impressions) and the need for citta-śuddhi leading to Mokṣa
• Mahavakya: Indirect: identifies vāsanā and citta-mala as obstacles to steady abidance in Self-knowledge taught by mahāvākyas; points to the necessity of nididhyāsana free from vāsanā-driven distraction.
• Yajur
• Śukla (Vājasaneyin) Shakha
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)