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VIVEKACỦDAMAŅI
93
One's own karma in the form of dharma or adharma is the cause of one's going up or coming down like a court peon taking a witness to the court-room upstairs and then downstairs. A man tries to gather merit in the hope that śabda etc., generate pleasure. Then, to enable him to enjoy celestial pleasure relating to sound, meritorious deeds lead him up and make him attain svarga etc. Thence, when the stock of merit is exhausted, surely there is coming down to the earth. When this is so with reference to dhārmic deeds, what needs be said in respect of adhārmic (sinful) deeds? They always lead to going down. 'They go up' means by virtue of the good deeds done in a previous life they are born as men. Then, by excessive attachment, they go down. The idea is that, by reason of his liability to forget his duties, to the man attached to sense-objects there is no chance of liberation.
78
When amidst sabda etc., animals which are attached to each one of them meet with death, i.e., bondage, then what needs be said of him who desires all of them together? This is explained with the aid of an illustration to effect their abandonment.
शब्दादिभिः पञ्चभिरेव पञ्च पञ्चत्वमापुः स्वगुणेन बद्धाः। कुरङ्ग-मातङ्ग-पतङ्ग-मीन-भृङ्गा नरः पञ्चभिरञ्चितः किम् ॥७८ ॥ sabdădibhiḥ pañcabhireva pañca
pancatvamāpuḥ svaguņena baddhāḥ 1 kuranga-mātanga-patanga-mina-bhặngāḥ
narah pañcabhirañcitah kimi
The deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the blackbee meet with death, each by one of these five senses. What then needs to be said of man in whom all the five are active?
Respectively by the sound, touch, vision, taste, and smell, each one of these, the deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the blackbee meet with death bound by the rope of their native tendencies. When that is so with respect to these creatures which are each seduced by one only of these senses, man who has all of them in combination is sure to meet with a grievous fate.
Those who wish to catch a deer though it runs a great distance entice it attracting it by the sweet sound of the flute etc., and they catch it when it stands motionless entranced by that sound forgetting
