Ishtopadesh Gatha 13

English Translation of Acharya Pujyapada swami’s Ishtopadesh – Deliberation (vivechana) and Poetic Translation by Acharya shri Vidyasagarji maharaj

Utthanika (Prelude):

Then the disciple says, “Bhagavan! Not all worldly beings seem to be afflicted by misfortune; many appear to possess wealth and prosperity. What do you have to say about this?”

To this, the Acharya responds:

इष्टोपदेश गाथा 13

दुरज्यॆनासुरक्ष्येण नश्वरेण धनादिना । स्वस्थंमन्यो जनः कोऽपि ज्वरवानिव सर्पिषा ॥13॥

Durajyenāsurakṣyeṇa naśvareṇa dhanādinā।
Svasthaṁ manyo janaḥ ko’pi jvaravāniva sarpiṣā॥13॥

Poetic Translation (Padyanuvad )

Jinka arjan bahut kathin hai, svabhāv jinka mitnā hī hai,
Sanrakṣaṇ nā sambhav hai, ye dhan-kanchan-vaibhav hain.

Phir bhī nij ko svasth mānte, dhanpati dhan pākar vaise,
Jvar se pīḍit hokar jo jan, ghṛit-may bhojan kar jaise॥13॥

He who regards himself as happy on account of the possession of wealth and other like objects of desire, that are obtained with great trouble, that require a lot of botheration in their protection and that are after all perish- able, is like the fool who eats clarified butter when suffering from fever and then thinks that he is enjoying good health !

Note – Ghee (clarified butter) only goes to aggravate fever, so that he who eats ghee in that condition and regards himself as healthy because of his eating Ghee is a big fool. Precisely the same is the case with the man who considers himself happy because he is surrounded by the objects and sources of pleasure. These, too, aggravate the heat and fever of lust, and depart sooner or later without producing anything like satisfaction, that is happiness and rest and peace. The acharya, therefore, points out that is is an act of folly to regard oneself as happy when enjoying material prosperity and the like, which, it is further pointed out, are acquired with a lot of trouble and exertion and which, involve a great deal of additional trouble in guarding and protecting, and which, notwithstanding all this worry and trouble, are ultimately bound to depart, being perishable by nature.

Deliberation (vivechana)

Just as a person suffering from fever might mistakenly consider themselves healthy after drinking ghee to alleviate the burning sensation, it is merely an illusion. In reality, they are not healthy, nor can they become healthy through ghee consumption. Instead, their suffering worsens. Similarly, an ignorant person considers themselves happy upon acquiring wealth and other desired objects, but in truth, they cannot be deemed truly happy.

The process of acquiring wealth involves significant hardship, and even more effort is required to safeguard it. Reflect on this reality: how much difficulty must one endure to earn money? Wealth is not obtained effortlessly. Day and night, one sweats and toils to save every penny. Those who earn money know well the struggles they face in doing so. And once wealth is acquired, securing it becomes a new challenge—locking it away, storing it in a treasury, and so forth. While these methods might temporarily protect wealth, they cannot safeguard dharma (virtue).

No matter how securely you store wealth, it is ultimately destined to perish. When fortune turns, money can slip away effortlessly. Wealth is likened to the dirt on one’s hands—when it is lost, one is left with nothing but regret.

Greed is a form of kashaya (passion or delusion), and efforts should be made to relinquish it. This alone should be the ultimate goal of life. Otherwise, life will pass by as it came, without meaningful purpose. Thus, one should not become agitated by external causes. The greatest shortcoming of worldly beings—especially humans—is their failure to understand this truth.

When a person’s good karma ripens, they become praiseworthy; otherwise, they become the subject of criticism. It is one’s karma that rewards or punishes them, making them either honored or disgraced. The fruits of karma manifest with the support of external factors (nokarma). What, then, is karma?

Just as a screen or cloth does not inherently contain a film but reflects it when projected, nokarma itself lacks the power to produce results but is indispensable for experiencing karma’s effects. Because karma’s fruits are experienced through nokarma, people erroneously blame or focus on the external circumstances. This is ignorance. Nokarma is like a plain white screen on which the film of karma is projected. When the film ends, only a blank screen remains, which no one finds interesting because it holds nothing of value. Karma is like the reel of film, while nokarma is the screen on which its effects are displayed.

Out of delusion, ignorant beings focus on nokarma rather than karma itself. Understanding karma requires reflection: How did these karmas arise? Why did they arise? When did they come? How long will they last? How will they leave? What are their effects? By contemplating these questions, one can work toward liberation from karmas.

Accepting the process of ending karmas is the true path to liberation (moksha). Nokarma, including the body itself, is temporary. Those who remain attached to it, even amidst the purest of surroundings, experience impurity due to their possessive tendencies.

The soul, in its essence, is pure, conscious, and untainted, as understood from the perspective of nishchaya naya (the absolute viewpoint). Yet, due to the fruition of karmas and its association with the body, it becomes impure. As a result, it loses the ability to discern the true nature of existence and fails to recognize its inherent purity. Consequently, it does not attain omniscience (kevalgyan), because one who cannot know oneself cannot know everything. As the Acharyas have said, “Jo egam janadi so savvam janadi”—”One who knows the self knows everything.”

The intrinsic nature (swabhava) of the soul is not dependent on external factors and is uninterrupted, whereas modifications (vibhava) arise from external influences and are temporary. These modifications are incidental and not eternal, meaning they are bound to time and cannot be permanent. As long as the soul remains in the worldly state (samsara), it cannot fully comprehend infinite realities and remains limited to partial knowledge. Acharya Kundkund Maharaj affirms this in the Samayasara:

“So savvanaandarisī, kammaraeṇa niyeṇa vacchanno.
Samsarasamavanno, navi janadi savvado savvam.” (160)

This means that even the soul, inherently a knower and observer, remains bound by karmas. As a result, while in the state of samsara, it cannot attain complete and eternal knowledge of everything. This is the effect of karma.

How does the worldly soul come to be in this state?

The Acharyas explain that everything arises due to the association with the body. Without the body, the soul would not be in this state. Yet, humans constantly desire a better body, wealth, or worldly luxuries, believing these to be beneficial. However, the Acharyas remind us that such desires are futile. These objects, luxuries, and aspirations are relevant only for worldly beings. The more one fulfills such desires, the stronger their attachment (mamatva) to these possessions becomes, leading to an intensification of karmic bondage.

Therefore, prayers or wishes for material gains are futile. As stated, “Tadartham prarthana vritha”—”Such prayers are in vain,” because these very desires lead worldly beings to experience misfortune. Even though inherently pure, the soul perceives impurity due to its association with the body and external possessions.

Isthopadesh Gatha 13 – Dwadasa Varshiya Shraman Sanskriti Swadhyaya Pathyakram

Literal Translation:

(Durjyena): Acquired with great difficulty,
(Asurakshyena): difficult to safeguard,
(Nashvarena): perishable wealth and family (sons and others),
(Swashtham manya): when someone considers themselves healthy (or happy)
(Kah api janah): there is no one,
(Jwaravan iva): who, like a person suffering from a fever,
(Sarpisha): feels happy by consuming ghee,
is truly wise.

Contextual Meaning:

Wealth is earned through great effort, toil, and hardships, often in small increments over time. Even if one manages to accumulate wealth, safeguarding it from thieves, robbers, rulers, family members, sons, wives, friends, fire, and other dangers is an incredibly challenging task. If somehow wealth is preserved, it still does not last forever. It is consumed in family maintenance, children’s education, weddings, medical treatments, and daily necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter.

A person who believes themselves to be happy because of such wealth is as foolish as someone suffering from fever who considers themselves strong after drinking ghee. Just as consuming ghee during a fever worsens the illness, the accumulation of wealth increases worries, fears, and anxieties rather than providing peace, happiness, or contentment. True peace and satisfaction come not from hoarding wealth but from relinquishing it.

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Uthanika (Prelude):

The disciple, amazed by this explanation, further inquires,
“If acquiring and safeguarding wealth is so painful and detrimental, why don’t people renounce such possessions?“

The Acharya responds in Gatha 14, elucidating the reasons for this attachment and the path to liberation.

Swadhyay Ishtopadesh Gatha 12 & 13

Swadhyay Ishtopadesh Gatha 13 to 17

Ishtopadesh Swadhyay youtube playlist

इष्टोपदेश Ishtopadesh

गाथा 1 (Gatha 1) | गाथा 2 ( Gatha 2 )| गाथा 3 ( Gatha 3)| गाथा 4 ( Gatha 4) | गाथा 5 ( Gatha 5) | गाथा 6 ( Gatha 6 )| गाथा 7 ( Gatha 7 )| गाथा 8 ( Gatha 8 ) | गाथा 9 ( Gatha 9 ) | गाथा 10 ( Gatha 10)| गाथा 11 ( Gatha 11 )| गाथा 12 ( Gatha 12) | गाथा 13 | गाथा 14 | गाथा 15 | गाथा 16 | गाथा 17 | गाथा 18 | गाथा 19 | गाथा 20 | गाथा 21 | गाथा 22

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