क्वचिन्निवर्ततेऽभद्रात्क्वचिच्चरति तत्पुन: । प्रायश्चित्तमथोऽपार्थं मन्ये कुञ्जरशौचवत् ॥ १० ॥
kvacin nivartate ’bhadrat kvacic carati tat punah prayascittam atho ’partham manye kunjara-saucavat
- kvacit
- sometimes
- nivartate
- ceases
- abhadrat
- from sinful activity
- kvacit
- sometimes
- carati
- commits
- tat
- that (sinful activity)
- punah
- again
- prayascittam
- the process of atonement
- atho
- therefore
- apartham
- useless
- manye
- I consider
- kunjara-saucavat
- exactly like the bathing of an elephant.
Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts is victimized by sinful life again. I therefore consider this process of repeated sinning and atoning to be useless. It is like the bathing of an elephant, for an elephant cleanses itself by taking a full bath, but then throws dust over its head and body as soon as it returns to the land.