Our desires and expectations make us miserable for ever.

खलालापाः सोढाः कथमपि तदाराधनपरै-

र्निगृह्यान्तर्बाष्पं हसितमपि शून्येन मनसा।

कृतो वित्तस्तम्भप्रतिहतधियामञ्जलिरपि

त्वमाशे मोघाशेकिमप्रमतो नर्तयति माम्॥

भर्तृहरेः वैराग्यशतके॥

khalālāpāḥ soḍhāḥ kathamapi tadārādhanaparai-

rnigṛhyāntarbāṣpaṁ hasitamapi śūnyena manasā|

kṛto vittastambhapratihatadhiyāmañjalirapi

tvamāśe moghāśekimapramato nartayati mām||

bhartṛhareḥ vairāgyaśatake||

A great Slokam from the Vairaghyashatakam of the philosopher poet king Bhartruharai.

Our desires and expectations make us look like pathetic clowns dancing before cruel and inconsiderate people who wield power 

.=================

meaning

------------

( The slokam is addressed to the trait "desire" itself)

While serving the evil minded masters and bosses, I have silently suffered and tolerated their vile abuses and accusations.

I have suffered such insults quietly checking the tears of agony flowing like a torrent inside me

I have endured quietly with emptied mind, their loud laughter signifying insult and lack of concern fpr the servant

I have managed to join my hands in supplication and seeking favours in front of persons whose minds and intellects have been stunted and sullied through possession and enjoyment of excessive wealth they have,

You, my desire, and expectation,

you the desire and expectations arising within me in vain,

why are you making me the poor and innocent fellow, to dance like this?

--------------

Just to survived and to be in the good books of bosses and potential benefactors, we take all insults from them, we praise them even whenn they are idiots, we check out tears and emotions, and we even sing and dance to get favours..

And often in spite of all suffering and insults, we may be driven away empty handed and bruised..

What a pity..

Our desires and expectations make us miserable for ever.

many things are too trifling to cause bother..

ब्रह्माण्डं मण्डलीमात्रं किं लोभाय मनस्विनः।

शफरीस्फुर्तेनाब्धिः क्षुब्धो न खलु जायते।। ३।९२।।

भर्तृहरेः वैराग्यशतके

brahmāṇḍaṁ maṇḍalīmātraṁ kiṁ lobhāya manasvinaḥ |

śapharīsphurtenābdhiḥ kṣubdho na khalu jāyate | | 3|92 | |

bhartṛhareḥ vairāgyaśatake

for the really wise men of substance, the entire universe is merely like a mirage.. is there any scope for intense desire or greed for them in this world?

The vast ocean will not get agitated just because a tiny fish just swims in its waters with great speed and intensity..

The philosopher poet, Bhartruhari is driving home the point that the really mature people do not consider the comforts and discomforts, the affluence and poverty of this worldly existence as anything substantial.. For them the ups and downs are like mirages.. They are sure that the appearance of pastures far away as greener as just the play of the mind..

With that balanced mind, they have no time for feeling jealousy or avarice..

The comforts are just like the vigorous movement of tiny fish in the vast ocean..The minds of the great people are so big and calm like the ocean.. The movement of tiny fish would hardly make any impact on it.

we are burnt out by desire, but ..

भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः।
कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः॥
bhogā na bhuktā vayameva bhuktāḥ tapo na taptaṁ vayameva taptāḥ |
kālo na yāto vayameva yātāḥ tṛṣṇā na jīrṇā vayameva jīrṇāḥ ||


from Vairagyashatakam of Bhartruhari

A very thought provoking subhashitam by the great philosopher poet king..

We pride ourselves in hoarding and enjoying objects and thing of pleasure.. we expect a lot of befits and good results.. but ultimately if we look back in the end, we would find that instead of enjoying the sense objects, they have drained us in the process of enjoyment but finally have left us with little or no satisfaction.
We claim that we have undergone a lot of penance and gained so much of benefit and virtue.. But in fact we have rather burnt ourselves out in the end..
We feel that time is running fast and going away from us.. But in fact, it is not time that goes away but we are just racing away from time, to face the end of life.
And we sharpen and encourage our desires in the hope that we can satisfy them.. but the desires never get consumed or satisfied.. but ultimately we consumed and even shredded by the desires..

अस्माभिः भोगा न भुक्ता ( even though we may thing that we are enjoying,) we are not really enjoying or consuming the objects of pleasure.
भोगवस्तुभिः वयं भुक्ता एव actually we are getting drained or consumed by the sense objects
अस्माभिः तपः न तप्तं ( even though we feel we are undergoing austerities) we are not actually doing any effective penance.
वयं एव तपसा तप्ताः we are just burnt out by the austerities and penance.
कालः न यातः we feel that time is running fast.. But time actually does not get affected by our existence
वयं एव याताः but as time advances we get drained out and are racing towards the ends of our innings.
तृष्णा न जीर्णा we feel that our desires would get satisfied with our constant enjoyment .. But desires never get completely fulfilled.
वयं एव जीर्णाः However we alone get consumed by desires and find our nemesis..

is there really any difference?

महेश्वरे वा जगतामधीश्वरे
जनार्दने वा जगतन्तरात्मनि।
न वस्तुभेध प्रतिपत्तिरस्ति मे
तथाऽपि भक्तिस्तरुणेन्दुशेखरे॥
॥अप्पय्यदीक्षिताः॥
maheśvare vā jagatāmadhīśvare
janārdane vā jagatantarātmani|
na vastubhedha pratipattirasti me
tathā'pi bhaktistaruṇenduśekhare||
|appayyadīkṣitāḥ||
This is a quote from the renowned scholar and devotee of Lord Shiva..
Srimad Appayya Deekshitar.

"In reality I see no difference between Lord Shiva the Maheswara who is the suzerain of the whole universe, and Lord Vishnu the Janaardhana  who remains inherent in the whole Universe. 
 Nor do I entertain any particular preference to either.. However my devotion is to the one who is adorning the fresh young moon in His matted hair.."


It is a fact that there are two distinct sects in our religion, the staunch followers of Lord Shiva and the votaries of Lord Vishnu..
Though for most Hindus, both represent the Godhead and are revered with equal devotion, at least a few take some extreme views.. 

Deekshitar's above statement, especially coming in an era where the schism between VeeraSaivas and Veera Vasihanavas was very pronounced, should have been an eye-opener..

--