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Exhaustion and fatigue caused by carrying a load on the head can be relieved by others coming to our help. But none but one's own self can end the pain caused by hunger and the like.
पथ्यमौषधसेवा च क्रियते येन रोगिणा।
आरोग्यसिद्धिदृष्टास्य नान्यानुष्ठितकर्मणा ॥ ५३॥ pathyamouşadhaseva ca kryate yena rogiņā arogyasiddhirdrştasya nānyānuştitakarmaņā 53.
पथ्यम् - The prescribed diet, etc., च - and, औषदसेवा - taking the medieine, etc., fed - followed, - by which, alfa - by the patient, 31 : - recovery of health, El - is seen, 3477 - of this man, * - not, 34-1818. Hurt - by another underfoing the treatment.
When a patient faithfully follows the right diet and takes in the proper medicine, he alone is found to recover from his illness; no one recovers because another had undergone the treatment.
In these three stanzas the master is trying to nail down the idea of self-effort firmly upon the understanding of the student. Any amount of hearing, study, intellectual thinking and logical discussion cannot in themselves bring about our liberation from our own misconceptions and false evaluations in life. Cultural text-books or religious scriptures are no talisman by which satan can be kept away. In order to - bring this idea perfectly home to the student, the teacher is, here giving in three continuous stanzas, three different examples. These homely analogies which fall within the experience of everyone, are to remove any possible misunderstanding in the student regarding the technique of Selfrealization.
All other sciences in the world can be mastered by merely studying them. The man who studies the law of the country with all its implications can become a lawyer; one who knows the symptoms of diseases and the medicines for their cure is a doctor. An advocate of criminal law need not be a criminal himself; a doctor need not; himself, be a patient so that he may come to know the science of medi
