Monday, December 02, 2019

if the mind is steady, losses really do not matter.

उच्चैर्यद्यस्ति मनः किं विपदा संपदा गन्त्री।
पुरुषस्य मनसि भग्ने मग्नेवापत्सु लक्ष्यते लक्ष्मी॥

महासुभाषितसङ्ग्रहे ६३४७
uccairyadyasti manaḥ kiṁ vipadā saṁpadā gantrī|
puruṣasya manasi bhagne magnevapatsu lakṣyate lakṣmī||
mahāsubhāṣitasaṅgrahe 6347

A very solemn advice found in Steinbacks Mahasubhashita Sangraham

Meaning of the couplet

If the mind is kept tall and steady, is there any worry about dangers and about losing wealth which is anyway unsteady and ever ready to leave us ?
However, if the mind of a person is broken and has become unsteady, the whole of his wealth and affluence are seen sunk beyond retrieval..

Adversities do confront us..
But if the mind is held steady, bold and generous, the adversities would pass off in due time . One's state of affluence is never steady. Money may come and money will go.. Dangers would visit us and they would vanish ultimately.. So we need not worry too much.. For a man with steady mind, the adversities in life are temporary.. There is every possibility that things would clear up

But if a person gets shattered in mind on the face of adversities, everything is lost for him... In that condition, he would not be able to hold on to even little things that could have been rescued through diligent action.. And in such a condition his wealth would be gone for ever..

The goddess of wealth has a tendency to run away from a person even when he is hale and healthy.. But she sinks deep into oblivion when the person loses his balance of mind..

We need not invite adversities.. But when they come, we have to face them boldly..
The state of mind holds the key..

Analysis
The word by word interpretation is
यदि if
मनः the mind
उच्चैः अस्ति is held high विपदा dangers
गन्त्री unstable,declining
संपदा wealth
किं ? What to fear of
पुरुषस्य for a man
मनसि if mind
भग्ने being shattered
सति remaining
लक्ष्मी wealth
आपत्सु in times of danger मग्ना drowned
एव लक्ष्यते is seen that way

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