गते शोको न कर्तव्यो भविष्यं नैव चिन्तयेत्। वर्तमानेन कालेन वर्तयन्ति विचक्षणाः॥
gate śokaḥ na kartavyo bhaviṣyaṁ naiva cintayet । vartamānena kālena vartayanti vicakṣaṇāḥ ॥
Meaning of Gate Śokaḥ Na Kartavyo
One should not grieve over the past nor worry about the future; the wise act only in the present.
Word by word
- गतेgate
over what is past
√गम्
- शोकःśokaḥ
grief
√शुच्
- न कर्तव्यःna kartavyaḥ
should not be made
√कृ
- भविष्यम्bhaviṣyam
the future
√भू
- न एवna eva
not at all
न + एव
- चिन्तयेत्cintayet
should worry over
√चिन्त्
- वर्तमानेनvartamānena
by the present
√वृत्
- कालेनkālena
by time
काल
- वर्तयन्तिvartayanti
conduct themselves, carry on
√वृत्
- विचक्षणाःvicakṣaṇāḥ
the discerning
वि + √चक्ष्
Commentary
Chanakya, the master strategist, provides a practical lesson in mindfulness and productivity through this verse. He advises against wasting emotional energy on the past, which cannot be changed, or the future, which is uncertain. By focusing entirely on the 'Vartamana' (present), a wise person can direct their full potential toward their current duties, ensuring that their actions are effective and their mind remains undisturbed by regret or anxiety. Each of the three times gets its own verb, and the choice is exact: śoka, grief, for what has gone; cintā, anxious thought, for what has not yet come; and vartayanti, they carry on, for the present. The future also has an active optative, cintayet, “one should think or worry”; the contrast is therefore not active versus inactive grammar. It is a practical allocation of attention: do not produce grief over the past or anxious thought about the future, but conduct yourself in present time.
Original Post
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