परोऽप्यपत्यं हितकृद्यथौषधं स्वदेहजोऽप्यामयवत्सुतोऽहित: । छिन्द्यात्तदङ्गं यदुतात्मनोऽहितं शेषं सुखं जीवति यद्विवर्जनात् ॥ ३७ ॥
paro ’py apatyam hita-krd yathausadham sva-dehajo ’py amayavat suto ’hitah chindyat tad angam yad utatmano ’hitam sesam sukham jivati yad-vivarjanat
- parah
- not belonging to the same group or family
- api
- although
- apatyam
- a child
- hita-krt
- who is beneficial
- yatha
- just as
- ausadham
- remedial herb
- sva-deha-jah
- born of one’s own body
- api
- although
- amaya-vat
- like a disease
- sutah
- a son
- ahitah
- who is not a well-wisher
- chindyat
- one should cut off
- tat
- that
- angam
- part of the body
- yat
- which
- uta
- indeed
- atmanah
- for the body
- ahitam
- not beneficial
- sesam
- the balance
- sukham
- happily
- jivati
- lives
- yat
- of which
- vivarjanat
- by cutting off
Although a medicinal herb, being born in the forest, does not belong to the same category as a man, if beneficial it is kept very carefully. Similarly, if someone outside one’s family is favorable, he should be given protection like a son. On the other hand, if a limb of one’s body is poisoned by disease, it must be amputated so that the rest of the body may live happily. Similarly, even one’s own son, if unfavorable, must be rejected, although born of one’s own body.