we seem to be in a stupour

आदित्यस्य गतागतैरहरहः संक्षीयते जीवितं

व्यापारैर्बहुकार्य-भार-गुरुभिः कालो न विज्ञायते।

दृष्ट्वा जन्म-जराविपत्ति-मरणं त्रासश्च नोत्पद्यते

पीत्वा मोहमयीं प्रमादमदिरामुन्मत्त भूतं जगत्॥

भर्त्रुहरेः वैराग्यशतके ७

ādityasya gatāgatairaharahaḥ saṁkṣīyate jīvitaṁ

vyāpārairbahukārya-bhāra-gurubhiḥ kālo na vijñāyate|

dṛṣṭvā janma-jarāvipatti-maraṇaṁ trāsaśca notpadyate

pītvā mohamayīṁ pramādamadirāmunmatta bhūtaṁ jagat||

bhartruhareḥ vairāgyaśatake 7

A very thoughtful introspection by the great philosopher poet Bhartruhari in his Vairagya Shatakam

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Meaning of the quote

With the Sun rising and setting every day, the life-span of a human being is getting shortened, never getting any extension

As he is completely engrossed in tiding over tasks loaded with responsibilities that eat away his whole attention, the passage of time in days, months and years is not either understood by him or taken seriously.

And even the repeated sights of miseries happening during birth, due to old age or through accidents, and the irreversible changes brought about by death have ceased to make any fearful impact on him,

It seems that the entire world is in a state of mad stupour and inebriation brought about by drinking heavily on the hooch of reckless forgetfulness and delusion

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Of course, forgetfulness is a great boon.. If we look before and after and pine for what is not.. as stated by Shelley, we would not be able to live in peace even for a split second..

The philosopher poet does not mean that we should live every day in the shadow of a black past or a bleak future..

But our activities should never bog us down to ordinary, mundane things.. to such an extent that we just do not have any time or energy to think of our mission as human beings who have come to this earth to make it greener.. and make our own lives brighter..

Of course, life will go on, whether we really live it or not..

But the specialty of human life is to spread a little life, a little beauty, an little comfort, wherever we live.. and to leave those things a little longer in those places even after we leave..

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Meaning of the words

नरस्य a mans

जीवितं life

आदित्यस्य of the sun

गतागतैः by the coming and going.. raising and setting

अहरहः day after day

संक्षीयते is just shrinking, is getting destroyed.

तेन by him by the man

बहु many, numerous,

कार्य भार गुरुभिः loaded with duties and responsibilities

व्यापारैः activities, deeds,

कालः time , passing of time

न विज्ञायते is not understood, is not realized

जन्म life

जरा old age

विपत्ति accidents

मरणं death

दृष्ट्वा having seen

तस्मिन् in him

त्रासः fear

न उत्पद्यते च is not generated too

एतत् this

जगत् world

मोहवयीं intoxicating, deluding

प्रमादमदिरां the toddy of delusion, the drink of forgetfulness

पीत्वा having drunk

उन्मत्त भूतं has become inebriated.. has forgotten itself.