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Atmānusāsana
आत्मानुशासन
Entangled in sense-pleasures, the man troubles himself, without discrimination, to obtain wealth. Only if he had troubled himself in the direction of improving his next life, he would have got rid of misery due to repeated births and deaths. He has classified substances as either desirable or undesirable and thereby gets attached to external objects. He does not seek internal happiness that is marked by freedom from attachment (rāga) and aversion (dveşa). Floating in the current of the river of desires, he enters the ocean of worldly existence that is more terrible than the deep and wide-open mouth of the crocodile of death. He cannot get real happiness until he vanquishes his craving for evil sensepleasures. (verses 47-50)
The man whose mind is besieged by great demons of lust and anger engages in all kinds of despicable activity. A slave of desires, he longs for external, transient objects. He is attacked repeatedly by the arrows of Cupid in form of voluptuous smiles and piercing glances of women. Consequently, he has been wandering in this world from a very long time. (verses 51-53)
The body is full of imperfections and home to impurities, passions like anger cause mental- and physical-suffering, and old-age and death are ready to swallow the man. Seeking the desired pleasures, he engages himself in sinful activities and gets entrapped in the deep mire of karmas. No point desiring the harmful sense-pleasures. (verses 54-55)
The grave fire of delusion (moha) blazes strongly in both situations - when it is fed with the objects of the senses and also when it is not fed with the objects of the senses. Give up the delusion-generated slumber that is sure to give rise to grief. (verses 56-57)
Under the spell of sinful karmas, the man experiences misery at all times. He is always afraid of death but still gets engrossed in this appalling world. (verse 58)
Do not have foolish fondness for the body which is like a prison-house. All those who appear to be your refuge are not so. Your kinsmen are the cause of bondage of karmas. Engage only in adoration of the pristine dharma. (verses 59-60)
(XXIV)
