Shloka
प्रज्ञावानपि पण्डितोऽपि चतुरोऽप्यत्यन्तसूक्ष्मार्थदृ -
ग्व्यालीढस्तमसा न वेत्ति बहुधा सम्बोधितोऽपि स्फुटम् ।
भ्रान्त्यारोपितमेव साधु कलयत्यालम्बते तद्गुणान्
हन्तासौ प्रबला दुरन्ततमसः शक्तिर्महत्यावृतिः ॥ ११६ ॥
prajñāvānapi paṇḍito’pi caturo’pyatyantasūkṣmārthadṛ -
gvyālīḍhastamasā na vetti bahudhā sambodhito’pi sphuṭam ;
bhrāntyāropitameva sādhu kalayatyālambate tadguṇān
hantāsau prabalā durantatamasaḥ śaktirmahatyāvṛtiḥ . 116 .
Anvaya
- प्रज्ञावान् अपिprajñāvān api
- Even if a person were of great intellect
- पण्डितः अपिpaṇḍitaḥ api
- even if highly learned
- चतुरः अपिcaturaḥ api
- even if capable of seeing the pros and cons
- अत्यन्त–सूक्ष्म–अर्थ–दृक्atyanta–sūkṣma–artha–dṛk
- capable of analysing subtle things
- व्यालीढःvyālīḍhaḥ
- fully overcome
- तमसाtamasā
- by tamas
- न वेत्तिna vetti
- does not see
- स्फुटम्sphuṭam
- clearly
- बहुधा संबोधितः अपिbahudhā saṃbodhitaḥ api
- even if repeatedly told
- भ्रान्त्या आरोपितम् एवbhrāntyā āropitam eva
- what is superimposed by delusion
- साधु कलयतिsādhu kalayati
- considers as right
- आलम्बते तद् गुणान्ālambate tad guṇān
- follows its properties
- हन्तhanta
- alas
- असौ आवृतिःasau āvṛtiḥ
- this (power of) veiling
- शक्तिःśaktiḥ
- the power
- दुरन्त–तमसःduranta–tamasaḥ
- of tamas which has tragic ending
- प्रबलाprabalā
- great
- महतीmahatī
- mighty
Translation
Even though a person is of great intellect, a scholar who can see pros and cons and a person capable of perceiving highly subtle nuances – he does not see reality though woken up (taught) in several ways, when he is fully enwrapped by tamas. He takes things superimposed by ignorance as real and adopts their properties. Alas, this power of veiling, relating to the tragic ending tamas, is very strong and unyielding.