Sarga 24¶

Vairāgya Prakaraṇa · Time as a prince at play (10 verses)

Sarga 24 at a glance

Śrī Rāma's speech continues: Time as a prince at play.

Time is a young king hunting in the jungle of the world, with all creatures as his game (1.24.1–1.24.2).
His pleasure-pond is the ocean of dissolution, his breakfast the worlds, his tigress the fierce Goddess, his pets the gods themselves (1.24.3–1.24.8).
His bow is Non-existence; he plays everywhere like a restless monkey (1.24.9–1.24.10).

Verse 1.24.1¶

श्रीराम उवाच ।
अस्योड्डामरलीलस्य दूरास्तसकलापदः ।
संसारे राजपुत्रस्य कालस्याकलितौजसः ॥ १.२४.१ ॥

संसारे (in the world) अस्य (of this) उड्डामर-लीलस्य (whose play is tremendous) दूर-अस्त-सकल-आपदः (who has cast all misfortunes far from himself) अकलित-ओजसः (of immeasurable power) राज-पुत्रस्य कालस्य (of Time, the prince) …

Translation: Śrī Rāma said: "In this world, Time is like a prince at play — his sport tremendous, his power beyond measure, himself untouched by any misfortune …"

Pointers for Reflection:

Time as a prince on a hunt. This short sarga continues the meditation on Time with a single extended image: Time as a young king out hunting, with his queen (fate, 1.24.3–1.24.9).
Untouched by misfortune. Time causes every misfortune and suffers none. The sentence runs on into the next verse.

Verse 1.24.2¶

अस्यैवाचरतो दीनैर्मुग्धैर्भूतमृगब्रजैः ।
आखेटकं जर्जरिते जगज्जङ्गलजालके ॥ १.२४.२ ॥

अस्य एव (of this very one) जर्जरिते जगत्-जङ्गल-जालके (in the tattered net-like jungle of the world) दीनैः मुग्धैः भूत-मृग-व्रजैः (with the wretched, bewildered herds of creatures as game) आखेटकम् आचरतः (who goes hunting) …

Translation: "… who goes hunting in the tattered jungle of the world, with the wretched, bewildered herds of creatures for his game …"

Pointers for Reflection:

The hunt. Beings are the deer; the world is the forest; Time is the hunter. Compare 1.17.15, desire as a hunter.

Verse 1.24.3¶

एकदेशोल्लसच्चारुवडवानलपङ्कजा ।
क्रीडापुष्करिणी रम्या कल्पकालमहार्णवः ॥ १.२४.३ ॥

कल्प-काल-महा-अर्णवः (the great ocean at the end of an aeon) एक-देश-उल्लसत्-चारु-वडवा-अनल-पङ्कजा (with the lovely submarine fire blooming in one corner like a lotus) [तस्य] रम्या क्रीडा-पुष्करिणी [भवति] (is his lovely pleasure-pond).

Translation: "The great ocean of the world's dissolution, with the submarine fire blooming in one corner like a lotus, is his pleasure-pond."

Pointers for Reflection:

Cosmic scale. The ocean that swallows the world at the end of an aeon is only a garden pool for Time.

Verse 1.24.4¶

कटुतिक्ताम्लभूताद्यैः सदधिक्षीरसागरैः ।
तैरेव तैः पर्युषितैर्जगद्भिः कल्ववर्तनम् ॥ १.२४.४ ॥

कटु-तिक्त-अम्ल-भूत-आद्यैः (with bitter, pungent and sour beings and the like) स-दधि-क्षीर-सागरैः (with the oceans of curd and milk) तैः एव तैः पर्युषितैः जगद्भिः (with those same stale worlds) [तस्य] कल्य-वर्तनम् [भवति] (is his morning meal).

Translation: "His breakfast is the worlds themselves, stale and leftover, with their bitter, pungent and sour creatures and their oceans of curd and milk."

Pointers for Reflection:

Reading note. The online text prints कल्ववर्तनम्; the sense suggests कल्यवर्तनम्, a morning meal. The oceans of curd and milk are from Purāṇic cosmology, which pictures seven concentric oceans.

Verse 1.24.5¶

चण्डी चतुरसंचारा सर्वमातृगणान्विता ।
संसारवनविन्यस्ता व्याघ्री भूतौघघातिनी ॥ १.२४.५ ॥

चण्डी (fierce Caṇḍī) चतुर-सञ्चारा (skilful in movement) सर्व-मातृ-गण-अन्विता (with all the hosts of mother-goddesses) संसार-वन-विन्यस्ता (placed in the forest of the world) भूत-ओघ-घातिनी (killing hosts of beings) व्याघ्री [तस्य भवति] (is his tigress).

Translation: "Fierce Caṇḍī, swift in her movements, attended by all the mother-goddesses, is the tigress he has set loose in the forest of the world to kill the hosts of beings."

Pointers for Reflection:

Caṇḍī — the fierce Goddess. Time's hunting companion is the Goddess in her destructive form, with the Mātṛkās, the 'mothers'. Śākta and Śaiva imagery woven into the text (the synthesis of traditions).

Verse 1.24.6¶

ज्ञध्वी करतले ज्ञथ्वी पानपात्री रसान्विता ।
कमलोत्पलकह्लारलोलजालकमालिता ॥ १.२४.६ ॥

कर-तले (in his palm) रस-अन्विता (full of the juice of life) कमल-उत्पल-कह्लार-लोल-जालक-मालिता (garlanded with swaying lotuses, blue lilies and white water-lilies) पान-पात्री [अस्ति] (is a drinking cup).

Translation: "In his palm he holds a drinking cup, full of the juice of life, garlanded with swaying lotuses and lilies."

Pointers for Reflection:

Reading note. The words ज्ञध्वी and ज्ञथ्वी in the first line are not Sanskrit words and appear to be a corruption in the online text. The translation follows the clear sense of the rest: the earth itself is Time's wine-cup.

Verse 1.24.7¶

विरावी विकटास्फोटो नृसिंहो भुजपञ्जरे ।
सटाविकटपीनांसः कृतः क्रीडाशकुन्तकः ॥ १.२४.७ ॥

विरावी (roaring) विकट-आस्फोटः (with terrible bursts) सटा-विकट-पीन-अंसः (with broad shoulders made fearsome by his mane) नृसिंहः (Narasiṃha) भुज-पञ्जरे (in the cage of his arms) क्रीडा-शकुन्तकः कृतः (has been made a pet bird).

Translation: "Narasiṃha himself, roaring and terrible, his broad shoulders bristling with mane, has been made a pet bird in the cage of his arms."

Pointers for Reflection:

Even the avatāras. Narasiṃha, Viṣṇu's man-lion incarnation, is only a pet in Time's hand. The divine forms too belong to the world of Time.

Verse 1.24.8¶

अलाबुवीणामधुरः शरद्व्योमलसच्छविः ।
देवः किल महाकालो लीलाकोकिलबालकः ॥ १.२४.८ ॥

अलाबु-वीणा-मधुरः (sweet as a gourd-lute) शरत्-व्योम-लसत्-छविः (with the shining colour of the autumn sky) महाकालः देवः किल (the god Mahākāla himself) लीला-कोकिल-बालकः [तस्य] (is his playful young cuckoo).

Translation: "The god Mahākāla himself, sweet-voiced as a gourd-lute and coloured like the autumn sky, is his playful young cuckoo."

Pointers for Reflection:

Mahākāla — Śiva as 'great Time'. Even he is a songbird for this Time. The poet suggests a Time beyond even the god of Time — that is, the Absolute.

Verse 1.24.9¶

अजस्रस्फूर्जिताकारो वान्तदुःखशरावलिः ।
अभावनामकोदण्डः परिस्फुरति सर्वतः ॥ १.२४.९ ॥

अजस्र-स्फूर्जित-आकारः (ever-thundering in form) वान्त-दुःख-शर-आवलिः (shooting out rows of arrows of sorrow) अभाव-नामक-कोदण्डः (his bow called Non-existence) सर्वतः परिस्फुरति (flashes everywhere).

Translation: "His bow, called Non-existence, thunders without pause and shoots out showers of arrows of sorrow everywhere."

Pointers for Reflection:

The bow of Non-existence. Every arrow it shoots is a death. Compare Kṛṣṇa's words in Gītā 11.33, निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन्. be only the instrument, Arjuna — Time has already slain them.

Verse 1.24.10¶

अनुत्तमस्त्वधिकविलासपण्डितो भ्रमच्चलन्परिविलसन्विदारयन् ।
जरज्जगज्जनितविलोलमर्कटः परिस्फुरद्वपुरिह काल ईहते ॥ १.२४.१० ॥

इह (here) अन्-उत्तमः (unsurpassed) तु अधिक-विलास-पण्डितः (expert in lavish sport) जरत्-जगत्-जनित-विलोल-मर्कटः (a restless monkey born of the old world) परिस्फुरत्-वपुः (with flashing body) कालः (Time) भ्रमन् चलन् परिविलसन् विदारयन् (wandering, moving, sporting, tearing) ईहते (acts).

Translation: Here Time, unsurpassed and expert in lavish sport, acts like a restless monkey born of the ageing world — its body flashing, wandering, moving, playing, tearing apart.

Pointers for Reflection:

A closing verse in a longer metre (rucirā).
Time as a monkey. The image of the restless mind (1.17.29) is now given to Time. The two are closer than they seem: the teaching will show that Time is a measure the mind makes.