Sloka 76
Sloka 76
Original Text:
शब्दादिभिः पञ्चभिरेव पञ्च पञ्चत्वमापुः स्वगुणेन बद्धाः । कुरङ्गमातङ्गपतङ्गमीन भृङ्गा नरः पञ्चभिरञ्चितः किम् ॥ ७६ ॥
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- **Transliteration:**
``` śabdādibhiḥ pañcabhireva pañca pañcatvam āpuḥ svaguṇena baddhāḥ। kuraṅgamātaṅgapataṅgamīna- bhṛṅgā naraḥ pañcabhir añcitaḥ kim॥ 76॥ ```
- **Translation:**
"Bound by their specific qualities, five kinds of beings (deer, elephant, moth, fish, bee) meet their end due to (attraction to) the five senses, namely sound, etc. What then can be said of a human, who is entangled by all five?"
- **Word Meanings:**
* **śabdādibhiḥ** - by sound, etc. * **pañcabhiḥ** - by five * **eva** - indeed * **pañca** - five * **pañcatvam** - death, termination (literally, the state of being five) * **āpuḥ** - attain * **svaguṇena** - by their own characteristic quality * **baddhāḥ** - bound * **kuraṅga** - deer * **mātaṅga** - elephant * **pataṅga** - moth * **mīna** - fish * **bhṛṅgā** - bee * **naraḥ** - man, human * **pañcabhiḥ** - by the five * **añcitaḥ** - adorned, entangled * **kim** - what
- **Commentary:**
This sloka eloquently depicts the vulnerability of living beings to their senses and serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of sensory indulgence. Each creature mentioned is led to its doom by a different sense: the deer is trapped by sound, the elephant by touch or smell, the moth by sight (light), the fish by taste, and the bee by scent. These serve as metaphors for the singular potency of a sense that can lead to the downfall of an individual.
The sloka suggests a reflection on human susceptibility: while these creatures may be captivated by a single sense, humans possess all five senses and thus face an intensified challenge. The rhetorical question at the end, "What then can be said of a human, who is entangled by all five?" underscores the heightened need for awareness and self-control in human life. In Vedantic philosophy, this highlights the importance of mastering one’s senses to transcend worldly bindings and strive toward higher realization, leading to liberation (moksha).
The sloka calls to mind the necessity for discernment (viveka) and dispassion (vairagya) in spiritual practice, encouraging practitioners to cultivate detachment from the sensory world to realize their true, inward nature beyond temporal pleasures and attachments.
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