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पराचः कामाननुयन्ति बालास्ते मृत्योर्यन्ति विततस्य पाशं ।
अथ धीरा अमृतत्वं विदित्वा ध्रुवमध्रुवेष्विह न प्रार्थयन्ते ॥ २ ॥

parācaḥ kāmānanuyanti bālāste mṛtyoryanti vitatasya pāśaṃ |
atha dhīrā amṛtatvaṃ viditvā dhruvamadhruveṣviha na prārthayante || 2 ||

2. The ignorant pursue external objects of desire; they get into the meshes of widespread death: but the intelligent, knowing sure immortality, do not covet the uncertain things here.

Shankara’s Commentary:

The natural tendency to see external objects which are not atman is the cause of the obstacle, i.e., ignorance, to the realisation of the atman. Being, opposed to it, the desire of enjoyments pertaining to this world and to the next, external to self and held up by ignorance, is another obstacle. The realisation of the atman being impeded by ignorance and desire, men with little intelligence pursue only external objects of desire. By that cause, they get into the meshes of widespread, i.e., omnipresent death, i.e., the combination of ignorance, desire and karma. Meshes] that which binds, consisting in the possession and deprivation of the body, the senses, etc. The meaning is that they fall into a continuous stream of manifold misery, such as birth, death, old age, sickness, etc., This being so, the intelligent, knowing the certain immortality of concentration in the pratyagatman (the immortality of the Devas and the rest is uncertain; but this consisting in concentration in the pratyagatman is certain, because it does not increase or suffer diminution by karma); i.e., knowing this constant and unshakable immortality, the knowers of Brahman do not covet any, among the ephemeral objects here, i.e., in samsara full of misery, because these objects are opposed to the realisation of the pratyagatman. The drift is that they rise above the desires of sons, wealth and worlds.