Intoxicating Delusion

आदित्यस्य गतागतैरहरहः संक्षीयते जीवितं
व्यापारैर्बहुकार्यभारगुरुभिः कालोऽपि न ज्ञायते ।
दृष्ट्वा जन्मजराविपत्तिमरणं त्रासश्च नोत्पद्यते
पीत्वा मोहमयीं प्रमादमदिरामुन्मत्तभूतं जगत् ॥
– वैराग्यशतकम् ४३

ādityasya gatāgatair-ahar-ahaḥ saṃkṣīyate jīvitaṃ
vyāpārair-bahu-kārya-bhāra-gurubhiḥ kālo’pi na jñāyate ।
dṛṣṭvā janma-jarā-vipatti-maraṇaṃ trāsaś-ca notpadyate
pītvā mohamayīṃ pramāda-madirām-unmatta-bhūtaṃ jagat ॥
– Vairāgyaśatakam 43

Translation:

Daily with rising and setting of the sun, residual life-span gets shortened. Under the heavy burden of manifold activities and affairs, passing of time is not realized. Even seeing birth, old age, disaster and death (all around), no fear is produced (in the mind). The world has become insane drinking the intoxicating wine of delusion.

Points for Introspection:

This śloka gives a vivid description of how man is immersed in the whirlpool of life, clinging to the perishables and never thinking how time is passing away, without one striving for liberation from the sufferings of worldly life.

Man remains oblivious of the fact that, with the rising and setting of the sun, life is shrinking every day. He is so much engrossed in the heavy burden of worldly activities that never is he aware that time, which is very precious, which could have been used for the pursuit of liberation, is simply passing by and is getting wasted. He does not introspect on the fact that results of all activities are short-lived and cannot give one permanent happiness.

Seeing birth, old age, disaster and death all around, he still is not anxious or concerned about how to transcend the miseries caused by these events. It is as if man has become completely insane, drinking the intoxicating wine of delusion that prevents him from seeing the true nature of life.

What is the true nature of life? Life is fleeting, momentary and perishable. It is full of miseries due to its impermanence. The happiness one enjoys in life is extremely short-lived and is always mixed with unhappiness.

So, to attain liberation from the sufferings of life, man must cultivate dispassion. He should understand that life is transitory and eternal happiness cannot be had from anything of this changeful world. Knowing this, man must strive to attain That which alone will lead him to eternal Bliss.

Chanting of this śloka again and again opens our eyes to the fact that the precious time in life, which should be used for striving for liberation from sufferings, is simply passing away because of our inattention and insincerity. Repeated chanting will generate dispassion in the mind and a yearning to strive for supreme Bliss.

Word Meaning:

आदित्यस्य (ādityasya) = of the sun; गतागतैः (gatāgataiḥ) = by going and coming, with appearance and disappearance; अहरहः (ahar-ahaḥ) = daily, day by day; संक्षीयते (saṃkṣīyate) = shortens, decays; जीवितं (jīvitaṃ) = life; व्यापारैः (vyāpāraiḥ) = by the affairs, occupations; बहु-कार्य-भार-गुरुभिः (bahukārya-bhāra-gurubhiḥ) = with the heavy burden of manifold activities; कालः (kālaḥ) = time; अपि (api) = also; न (na) = not; ज्ञायते (jnāyate) = is known, perceived; दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā) = seeing; जन्मजराविपत्तिमरणम् (janma-jarā-vipatti-maraṇaṃ) = birth, old age, disaster, death; त्रासः (trāsaḥ) = fear; च (ca) = and; न (na) = not; उत्पद्यते (utpadyate) = arises, produces, originates; पीत्वा (pītvā) = drinking; मोहमयीं (mohamayīṃ) = deluding; प्रमादमदिरां (pramāda-madirāṃ) = wine of inattention ; उन्मत्तभूतं (unmatta-bhūtaṃ) = insane, mad; जगत् (jagat) = world;  (भवति (bhavati) = becomes )

अन्वयः
अहरहः आदित्यस्य गतागतैः जीवितं संक्षीयते । व्यापारैः बहुकार्यभारगुरुभिः कालः अपि न ज्ञायते । जन्मजराविपत्तिमरणं दृष्ट्वा त्रासः न उत्पद्यते च । मोहमयीं प्रमादमदिरां पीत्वा जगत् उन्मत्तभूतं  (भवति) ।