Shloka 29
Nārāyaṇopadeśa to Mārkaṇḍeya (Cosmic Self-Identification and Yuga Doctrine) | नारायणोपदेशः
शाखां शाखां महानद्यः संयान्ति सिकताशया: । धानापूपा मांसशाका: सदा पायसकर्दमा:,परंतु वास्तवमें वे सब भूने हुए जौके समान फल देनेमें असमर्थ, पूओंके समान अनेक छिद्रोंवाली, हिंसासे मिल सकनेवाली अर्थात् मांसके समान अपवित्र, सूखे शाकके समान सारशून्य और खीरके समान रुचिकर लगनेवाली होनेपर भी कीचड़के समान चित्तमें मलिनता उत्पन्न करनेवाली हैं। बालूके कणोंके समान परस्पर विलग एवं ब्रह्माण्डरूपी बेंतके वृक्षकी शाखाओंमें बहनेवाली हैं
śākhāṁ śākhāṁ mahānadyāḥ saṁyānti sikatāśayāḥ | dhānāpūpā māṁsaśākāḥ sadā pāyasakardamāḥ ||
Tākṣya disse: “De ramo em ramo, os grandes rios seguem, com leitos cheios de areia. São como cevada tostada — incapazes de dar fruto verdadeiro; como bolos — cheios de buracos; como carne — impuros e obtidos pela violência; como verduras secas — sem essência; e, embora pareçam doces e agradáveis como arroz-doce, por fim tornam-se como lama, gerando impureza no íntimo.”
ताक्ष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that worldly experiences can appear attractive and nourishing, yet often prove barren, impure, and ultimately muddying to the mind. It urges discernment (viveka): do not be deceived by pleasant taste or surface charm when the end-result is inner defilement and loss of spiritual clarity.
Tākṣya speaks in a reflective, admonitory tone, using a chain of vivid comparisons (sand-filled branching rivers; parched grain; porous cakes; meat; dried greens; sweet rice-milk turning to mud) to characterize the deceptive nature of certain pursuits and their psychological consequences.