FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.19.16

या दुस्त्यजा दुर्मतिभिर्जीर्यतो या न जीर्यते । तां तृष्णां दु:खनिवहां शर्मकामो द्रुतं त्यजेत् ॥ १६ ॥
yā dustyajā durmatibhir
[yaa dustyajaa durmatibhir]
jīryato yā na jīryate
[jeeryato yaa na jeeryate]
tāṁ tṛṣṇāṁ duḥkha-nivahāṁ
[taam trishnaam duhkha-nivahaam]
śarma-kāmo drutaṁ tyajet
[sharma-kaamo drutam tyajet]
Word-for-word
yā — that which dustyajā — extremely difficult to give up durmatibhiḥ — by persons too attached to material enjoyment jīryataḥ — even by one who is an invalid because of old age yā — that which na — not jīryate — is vanquished tām — such tṛṣṇām — desire duḥkha-nivahām — which is the cause of all tribulations śarma-kāmaḥ — a person desiring his own happiness drutam — very soon tyajet — should give up.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yā dustyajā durmatibhir
yā
that which
dustyajā
extremely difficult to give up
durmatibhiḥ
by persons too attached to material enjoyment
jīryato yā na jīryate
jīryataḥ
even by one who is an invalid because of old age
yā
that which
na
not
jīryate
is vanquished
tāṁ tṛṣṇāṁ duḥkha-nivahāṁ
tām
such
tṛṣṇām
desire
duḥkha-nivahām
which is the cause of all tribulations
śarma-kāmo drutaṁ tyajet
śarma-kāmaḥ
a person desiring his own happiness
drutam
very soon
tyajet
should give up.
For those who are too attached to material enjoyment, sense gratification is very difficult to give up. Even when one is an invalid because of old age, one cannot give up such desires for sense gratification. Therefore, one who actually desires happiness must give up such unsatisfied desires, which are the cause of all tribulations.
Purport

We have actually seen, especially in the Western countries, that men who have reached more than eighty years of age still go to nightclubs and pay heavy fees to drink wine and associate with women. Although such men are too old to enjoy anything, their desires have not ceased. Time deteriorates even the body itself, which is the medium for all sensual satisfaction, but even when a man becomes old and invalid, his desires are strong enough to dictate that he go here and there to satisfy the desires of his senses. Therefore, by the practice of bhakti-yoga, one should give up his lusty desires. As explained by Śrī Yāmunācārya:

yadavadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt tadavadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu-niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca

When one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he gets more and more happiness by discharging duties for Kṛṣṇa. Such a person spits on sense gratification, especially that of sexual enjoyment. An experienced, advanced devotee is no longer interested in sex life. The strong desire for sex can be subdued only by advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Desire is difficult to give up for the unintelligent. Desire is not depleted even for persons who have reached old age. The person desiring good even for his enemies should quickly give up desire, the cause of misery. Even time, which destroys everything, does not destroy desire. Or the verse shows the means of pacifying desire even though it is difficult to do so. Desire is not given up even by persons who have attained old age (jīryatah). He who desires good even for his enemies (śarma-kāmaḥ) should give up desire.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Even an invalid old man finds sense desires hard to give up — Western nightclubs full of eighty-year-olds make the point. Postponement is not a strategy; the body's decline alone cannot uproot desire.
Reflection Questions
  • What am I quietly counting on age to extinguish that may persist into invalidity?
  • What deliberate practice would do the work age will not?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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