Large shoes, small footprint - भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः

Pleasures weren't consumed, only we were; penance weren't 'done'; only we were 'done';
time didn't pass, only we passed; thirst was not 'over', only we got 'over'.

bhogā na bhuktā  vayameva bhuktāḥ,  tapo na taptaṃ  vayameva taptāḥ ।
kālo na yāto vayameva yātāḥ, tṛṣṇā na jīrṇā vayameva jīrṇāḥ ॥

bhogA na bhuktA  vayameva bhuktAH,  tapo na taptaM  vayameva taptAH |
kAlo na yAto vayameva yAtAH, tRiShNA na jIrNA vayameva jIrNAH ||

भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः, तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः ।
कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः ॥

Pleasures

We all have desires for pleasures. Even the ancient Upaniṣhads accept this: "This human is made of desires." But we don’t have enough time and money to pursue them all. A lot of Hollywood movies also reinforce this idea. We think that if we have enough money, we will pursue all pleasures, fulfill all our desires, and be happy. But interestingly, pleasures are innumerable and never come to an end. For example, the number of pizzas we can consume is only limited by our stomach, not by our taste buds or the pizza makers.

We think we are consuming pleasures by pursuing them, but in reality, they are consuming us, eating us up all the time. To enjoy all the pleasures coming at us like a gushing oil well, we must earn more, work more, have less time or patience for others and family, take on more loans, and stick to our current job that pays the bills but sucks the life out of us. And then, one day, we realize that we can’t consume any more pleasures because the doctor has advised against it, and God might be calling soon as well. Yet, the pleasures still remain!

We don’t consume pleasures. They consume us.

Tapas

This refers to austerities (tapas) done for show, to gain a boon, or with a competitive attitude—"I can do it too!"—rather than for the true purpose of refining, distilling, and purifying oneself. When we go through hardships, bend our backs for competition, or engage in acts of pride and showmanship, we do not gain any real benefits. Instead, we are simply burning ourselves out.

Among the eight qualities of great people—austerity, charity, knowledge, yajña, restraint, truthfulness, simplicity, and mercy—the first four are often misused for showing off, because others are watching, because it brings fame and good PR.

We are not burning the competition. The competition is burning us.

Time

Time flies when we are having fun and stops when we are bored. But in reality, time does not move. It is we who move—passing by, passing on, and eventually passing away.

We are all like small airplanes at an airport, each taking off and landing on its own schedule. A little time spent together at an indistinct airport, and we get attached. And we think time flies or time stops. But time is always constant. No matter what relativity says, it is our perception of time that changes.

Time is not spent. We are spent.

Next time, don’t try to kill time—for it is only us who are being killed, every minute, every moment. Some people reflect on how long they have lived, while others worry about how little time is left. Be content with a good life. Or, if you feel there isn’t enough time, rush forward and do some good before the flame goes out.

Don’t just let time pass—do something worthwhile while you still can. Because after a while, you will no longer be worth doing or worthwhile!

Thirst

There is pleasure, and there is thirst. One is outside, the other is inside.

There was a time when the variety of pleasures was limited, and perhaps desires were stunted even for the very rich, after having tasted everything. But today, with technology, even the variety of pleasures has increased.

Even if pleasures were to be limited, desires never are. The thirst never ends—we end. Unless we learn to be content, there is no getting over thirst.

Desires never disappear by pursuing them. They disappear only by our conscious effort to overcome them.

Sure, if you eat five mega-sized pizzas in one sitting, it may seem like you have gotten over your craving. But have you really? No! Your stomach is rebelling, but your tongue could still have had more of the taste! The desire never subsides on its own.

Desires are like fire—the more ghee (butter) of pleasures you pour into them, the stronger they burn.

Every addict in the world—whether addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, work, or limelight—will tell you the same.

There are three types of seekers:

1. The one who wants to know (curious, jijñāsu, जिज्ञासु)
2. The one who wants to experience (thirsty, pipāsu, पिपासु)
3. The one who wants to go beyond both (seeking liberation, mumukṣhu, मुमुक्षु)

For example, if there is a glass of water on a table:

1. One person wants to know everything about water—its chemistry, physics, geography, environmental importance, and whatnot—but has no real interest in drinking it.
2. Another person does not care much about the science, but wants to drink it because they have felt thirst and want to quench it.
3. Yet another person wants to go beyond thirst, for thirst keeps coming back.

Yayāti was one such king. Due to his transgressions against the right conduct, he was cursed to grow old before his time, without having fulfilled his desires. So, he asked his sons to loan him their youth, and one of them agreed. But even after a thousand years, Yayāti was still not satisfied. Finally, he returned the youth to his son and took renunciation.

He said:

"Desires don’t end by indulging in them. Fire doesn’t stop burning by adding more fuel. And all the wealth and resources of the world are not enough for even one addict of pleasures. Desires don’t age with the body. Only the body gets old."

You are the knower, not the known.

You are the seer, not the seen.

Realize your true self, and move beyond the identity of consumption.

Have a small footprint—but large shoes to fill.

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This shloka appears in BhartRihari's (भर्तृहरि bhartṛihari) VairAgya-shatakam. Usually, when someone talks about topic A, then every other topic is considered worthless, to emphasize the importance of topic A. Similarly, in VairAgya-shatakam, hundred verses on renunciation), the stress is on giving up, and the poet does at times cross the line for ordinary joe-householder.

Yet this shloka, simple in language, does remind us of spirituality without offending our limited sensibilities about mundane world.

And now the language aspects of the shloka -

bhogA = bhogAH = consumables, pleasures of life (singular - bhogaH)
na = not
bhuktA = bhuktAH = the one that are consumed (singular - bhuktaH)
vayameva = vayam (we all) + eva (only) = we only
bhuktAH = (are) consumed

tapo = tapaH = heat, austerity, penance, hardships
na = not
taptaM = heated up, hot
vayameva = we only
taptAH = (are) heated up, burnt, spent, used up

kAlo = kAlaH = time
na = not
yAto = yAtaH = one that has passed
vayameva = we only
yAtAH = those that have gone (singular - yAtaH)

tRiShNA = thirst, desire
na = not
jIrNA = tattered
vayameva = we only
jIrNAH = (are) tattered




(c) Shashikant Joshi । शशिकांत जोशी । ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।

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