यथामयोऽङ्गे समुपेक्षितो नृभि- र्न शक्यते रूढपदश्चिकित्सितुम् । यथेन्द्रियग्राम उपेक्षितस्तथा रिपुर्महान् बद्धबलो न चाल्यते ॥ ३८ ॥
yathāmayo ’ṅge samupekṣito nṛbhir na śakyate rūḍha-padaś cikitsitum yathendriya-grāma upekṣitas tathā ripur mahān baddha-balo na cālyate
- yathā
- as
- āmayaḥ
- a disease
- aṅge
- in the body
- samupekṣitaḥ
- being neglected
- nṛbhiḥ
- by men
- na
- not
- śakyate
- is able
- rūḍha-padaḥ
- when it is acute
- cikitsitum
- to be treated
- yathā
- and as
- indriya-grāmaḥ
- the senses
- upekṣitaḥ
- not controlled in the beginning
- tathā
- similarly
- ripuḥ mahān
- a great enemy
- baddha-balaḥ
- if he becomes strong
- na
- not
- cālyate
- can be controlled
As a disease, if initially neglected, becomes acute and impossible to cure, or as the senses, if not controlled at first, are impossible to control later, an enemy, if neglected in the beginning, later becomes insurmountable.