रत्नैर्महाब्धेस्तुतुषुर्न देवा न भेजिरे भीमविषेण भीतिम्। सुधां विना न प्रययुर्विरामं न निश्चितार्थाद्विरमन्ति धीराः॥
ratnair mahābdhes tutuṣur na devā na bhejire bhīmaviṣeṇa bhītim । sudhāṃ vinā na prayayur virāmaṃ na niścitārthād viramanti dhīrāḥ ॥
Meaning of Ratnair Mahābdhes Tutuṣur Na
Just as the deities, undeterred by the precious gems found in the ocean and undismayed by its deadly poison, did not cease their efforts until they obtained the nectar of immortality, so too do resolute and steadfast souls never rest until they attain their cherished goal.
Word by word
- रत्नैःratnaiḥ
with the jewels, because of the treasures
रत्न
Instrumental plural; in sandhi with mahābdheḥ it appears as ratnair.
- महाब्धेःmahābdheḥ
of the great ocean
महा + अब्धि
- तुतुषुःtutuṣuḥ
were satisfied
√तुष्
Perfect, third-person plural; tutuṣuḥ + na appears as tutuṣur na.
- नna
not
- देवाःdevāḥ
the gods
देव
- न भेजिरेna bhejire
did not experience, did not undergo
√भज्
- भीमविषेणbhīmaviṣeṇa
because of the terrible poison
भीम + विष
- भीतिम्bhītim
fear
भीति
- सुधाम्sudhām
nectar, amrita
सुधा
- विनाvinā
without
- न प्रययुःna prayayuḥ
did not proceed to, did not enter
प्र + √या
- विरामम्virāmam
rest, cessation
वि + √रम्
- निश्चितार्थात्niścitārthāt
from a fixed objective
निश्चित + अर्थ
Ablative singular; before viramanti it appears as niścitārthād.
- न विरमन्तिna viramanti
do not desist, do not turn back
वि + √रम्
- धीराःdhīrāḥ
the steadfast, the resolute
धीर
Commentary
The verse recalls the churning of the ocean, where the gods encountered valuable gems and a fearsome poison before reaching amrita. Neither the early rewards nor the danger ended their effort. The repeated negatives, na tutuṣuḥ, na bhejire and na prayayuḥ, build a sequence of refusal: they would not be satisfied, afraid or at rest. The final statement turns that image into a rule for the dhīra, a steady and resolute person who does not withdraw from a chosen aim. The Sanskrit praises persistence without claiming that every intermediate gain is worthless or that danger should be ignored. Its point is narrower: a person who has fixed a worthy objective does not mistake partial progress for completion and does not surrender merely because the path becomes difficult.
Sources and textual variants
Original Post
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