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Sri Aurobindo

Translations

CWSA.- Volume 5

Part One. Translations from Sanskrit
Section Four. Bhartrihari. The Century of Life

On Karma

Misuse of Life

This noble earth, this place for glorious deeds

The ill-starred man who reaching nowise heeds,

Nor turns his soul to energy austere,

With little things content or idlesse drear,–

He is like one who gets an emerald pot

To bake him oil-cakes on a fire made hot

With scented woods, or who with golden share

For sorry birthwort ploughs a fertile fair

Sweet soil, or cuts rich camphor piece by piece

To make a hedge for fennel. Not for this

In the high human form he walks great earth

After much labour getting goodliest birth.