Sanskrit Quote : Category :: Wandering mind

परिभ्रमसि किं व्यर्थं क्वचन चित्त विश्राम्यतां

स्वयं भवति यद्यथा तत्तथा नान्यथा।

अतीतमपि न स्मरन्नपि च भाव्यसङ्कल्पय-

न्नतर्कितगमनाननुभवस्व भोगानिह॥

English Translation of the quote:

Why do you wander, 'O' mind, rest somewhere. The natural course of thing to happen cannot be altered. It is bound to happen. Therefore enjoy the pleasures, whose arrival and departure cannot be ascertained, without remembering the past and without expecting the future.


English commentary on Sanskrit quote:

I really don't know why i am so impressed by Bharthrihari's quotes!! -I wonder sometimes. But answers are not far to seek. Perhaps i am impressed by two great minds thinking alike. I am amazed by how close is Bharthrihari to the Buddha when he says this.
The greatest finding of the Buddha according to me is the explanation of the structure and functioning of the mind beyond any shred of doubt. The negativity we acquire from our childhood days without our knowledge lead us astray. The mind fools us by shuttling back and forth in time. We either suffer in our mind regretting about what happened in the past or craving for some pleasant thing to happen in future. This determines how we behave in the present according to the predetermined mindset. This creates a vicious circle and we act blindly, but unknowingly.
While the Buddha speaks in philosophical terms, Bharthrihari speaks common parlance. What the Buddha realized through Insight-meditation, Bharthrihari seems to have realized through the experience of suffering in life.
In the guise of addressing the mind, Bharthrihari seems to address himself. The mind is weary wandering constantly with lightning speed. The body suffers untold miseries because of this. So he suggests that the mind should stop wandering and rest somewhere. Since unknowing of the mind's deeds we act with predetermined mindset. Everything seems predetermined because of this. There is no use struggling to mend what is to come. So it is the safe bet to accept gracefully what comes in our life without opposing. So Bharthrihari seems to suggest that we should neither worry about our past nor crave for the future. For a lay person past has changed, and the future is yet to come. So it is futile to resist the present. So why not welcome the present, in whatever way it presents itself before us?