MADHU BINDAVAH
THE FALSE HOPE OF MATERIAL HAPPINESS
Appreciation for Sri Sankar Acharya’s analysis.
Two poetic Bengali translations
of the twelfth verse of Sri Sankar Acharya’s
Moha-mudgara-stotram: The Hammer upon Illusion.
দিবস-রজনী সন্ধ্যা-সকাল
ষড়্ঋত-সনে খেলে মহাকাল ।
নাশে পরমায়ুৃ; তবু আশা-বায়ু
না ছাড়ে আমায়, এ বিষম-দায় !
divasa-rajani sandhya-sakala
sad-rta-sane khele mahakala
nase paramayu; tabu asa-vayu
na chhade amaya, e visama-daya!
mahakala–Great Time khele–plays sane–with divasa–the days [and] rajani–nights, sandhya–dusks, [and] sakala–dawns, [and] sad–six rta–seasons, [and] nase–ends [my] paramayu–lifetime. tabu–Still, vayu–the disease asa–of desire na–does not chhade–leave amaya–me. e–This [is my] visama–dire daya–condition!
With the days and nights, dusks and dawns,
and six seasons, Great Time plays
and takes away my life. Still, the disease of desire
does not leave me. This is my dire condition!
দিবস-যামিনী সন্ধ্যা-প্রভাত
বসন্ত-শরৎ করে যাতায়াত ।
কাল সেথা খেলে নাশে পরমায়ু
তবু নাহি ছাড়ে দুষ্ট আশা-বায়ু ॥
divasa-yamini sandhya-prabhata
vasanta-sarat kare yatayata
kala setha khele nase paramayu
tabu nahi chhade dusta asa-vayu
divasa–Day [and] yamini–night sandhya–dusk [and] prabhata–dawn vasanta–spring [and] sarat–fall yatayata kare–come and go.kala–Time khele–plays setha–there [and] nase–ends [my] paramayu–lifetime. tabu–Still, dusta–the wicked vayu–disease asa–of desire nahi–does not chhade–leave [me].
Day and night, dusk and dawn,
spring and fall come and go.
Time plays amongst them and takes away my life.
Still, the wicked disease of desire does not let go.
Sri Sankar Acharya’s original verse from the Moha-mudgara-stotram, which Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj placed on the wall of his veranda, is cited below:
dina-yaminyau sayam pratah
sisira-vasantau punar ayatah
kalah kridati gachchhaty ayus
tad api na munchaty asa-vayuh
(Moha-mudgara-stotram: 12)
dina–Day [and] yaminyau–night, sayam–dusk [and] pratah–dawn, sisira–winter [and] vasantau–spring punah ayatah–revolve. kalah–Time kridati–plays on, [and] ayuh–life gachchhati–passes away. tad api–Nevertheless, vayuh–the disease asa–of desire na–does not munchati–let go.
Day and night, dusk and dawn,
winter and spring come revolve.
Time plays on, and life passes away,
but the disease of desire never lets go.
Purport
Everything comes and goes in the course of time—sunrise and sunset, day and night, winter and springtime, and even life itself—but the false hope of material happiness never goes away.
