the disentanglement of the tangle in the heart (intellect)
ततःtataḥ
therefore
देहस्य मोक्षःdehasya mokṣaḥ
the cessation of the body
न मोक्षःna mokṣaḥ
is not liberation
न दण्डस्यna daṇḍasya
nor of the danḍa, the staff of a sage
कमण्डलोःkamaṇḍaloḥ
nor of the water pitcher
Translation
If a withered leaf falls in a drain or in a river or in Shiva’s temple or in the cross–roads, what does it matter to the tree?
Annotation
The body of a realised person is like the slough left by the snake and it does not matter where it falls. A withered leaf may fall in a dirty canal or in the cross–roads where it is trampled upon by people. It matters little for the tree.