Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya Vartika
by R. Balasubramanian | 151,292 words | ISBN-10: 8185208115 | ISBN-13: 9788185208114
The English translation of Sureshvara’s Taittiriya Vartika, which is a commentary on Shankara’s Bhashya on the Taittiriya Upanishad. Taittiriya Vartika contains a further explanation of the words of Shankara-Acharya, the famous commentator who wrote many texts belonging to Advaita-Vedanta. Sureshvaracharya was his direct disciple and lived in the 9...
Verse 2.199-200
Sanskrit text and transliteration:
अकिञ्चिज्ज्ञस्तदा बालो मांसपेशीसमः स्थितः ।
श्वमार्जारादिदंष्ट्रिभ्यो रक्ष्यते दण्डपाणिभिः ॥ १९९ ॥
पितृवद्राक्षसं वेत्ति मातृवङ्डाकिनीमपि ।
पूयं पयोवदश्नाति धिक्पापिष्ठं हि शैशवम् ॥ २०० ॥
akiñcijjñastadā bālo māṃsapeśīsamaḥ sthitaḥ |
śvamārjārādidaṃṣṭribhyo rakṣyate daṇḍapāṇibhiḥ || 199 ||
pitṛvadrākṣasaṃ vetti mātṛvaṅḍākinīmapi |
pūyaṃ payovadaśnāti dhikpāpiṣṭhaṃ hi śaiśavam || 200 ||
English translation of verse 2.199-200:
The baby (that is born) knows nothing then. It remains like a ball of flesh. It has to be protected against the teeth of dogs, cats, and other animals by others with sticks in hand. It looks upon a demon as father, and a female imp as mother. It drinks the pus as milk. What a pity! Infancy is, indeed, miserable.
Notes:
These two verses describe the miserable state of infancy. The new-born baby cannot distinguish one object from another. It has to be taken care of at every stage.