Text 10.163

संसार-मार्गो ह्य् अधमः स्वभावात् कर्माणि तस्मिन् कटु-कण्टकानि ।
गतागताभ्याम् इह खेद एव तथापि नास्मिन् कुजनो विरज्येत् ॥

saṃsāra-mārgo hy adhamaḥ svabhāvāt karmāṇi tasmin kaṭu-kaṇṭakāni |
gatāgatābhyām iha kheda eva tathāpi nāsmin kujano virajyet ||

saṃsāra—of material existence; mārgaḥ—the path; hi—certainly; adhamaḥ—[is] vile; svabhāvāt—because of the nature; karmāṇi—actions; tasmin—on that [path]; kaṭu—sharp; kaṇṭakāni—thorns; gata-āgatābhyām—because of coming and going; iha—on this [path]; khedaḥ—pain; eva—only; tathā api—still; na—not; asmin—in regard to this [path]; ku-janaḥ—contemptible people; virajyet—can be detached.

The path of material existence is certainly vile due to its inherent nature. All endeavors on this path are like sharp thorns, and so there is only pain by coming and going on it. Still, mean people cannot give it up. (Alaṅkāra-kaustubha 8.211)

Commentary:

The main reason the path of material existence is vile is its inherent nature. This is Mammaṭa’s example:

durvārāḥ smara-mārgaṇāḥ priyatamo dūre mano'tyutsukaṃ
  gāḍhaṃ prema navaṃ vayo’tikaṭhināḥ prāṇāḥ kulaṃ nirmalam |
strītvaṃ dhairya-virodhi manmatha-suhṛt kālaḥ kṛtānto'kṣamo
  no sakhyaś caturāḥ kathaṃ nu virahaḥ soḍhavya itthaṃ śaṭhaḥ ||

“[A woman speaks:] Cupid’s arrows are irresistible, my sweetheart is away, my mind has a great longing, my love is vehement, I am young and in good health, feminity is contrary to stability, the season is a friend of Cupid, death is unable to take place, and my friends are not quick-witted. How can I possibly tolerate this malevolent pang of separation?”

Mammaṭa explains:

atra virahāsahatvaṃ smara-mārgaṇā eva kurvanti tad-upari priyatama-dūra-sthity-ādi upāttam,

“Here Cupid’s arrows alone make the pang of separation difficult to tolerate. The other factors, beginning from her beloved’s being away, are mentioned in addition” (Kāvya-prakāśa verse 507 vṛtti).