Aswapati Cautions Narad, p. 425

Opening Remarks
However Aswapati knows how the human mind ordinarily works, especially when it hears any prophesy of difficult times ahead. Hence he cautions Narad not to reveal anything that may sound alarming.

Dangerous vision to the blind
Then might the sage have spoken, but the king
In haste broke out and stayed the dangerous word:
“O singer of the ultimate ecstasy,
Lend not a dangerous vision to the blind
Because by native right thou hast seen clear.

Then turning towards Narad, Aswapati, the seer king hastens to request him not to reveal all that he knows because of his capacity of foresight to people who are still in the blind grip of ignorance.

The dire ordeal
Impose not on the mortal’s tremulous breast
The dire ordeal that foreknowledge brings;
Demand not now the Godhead in our acts.

Men may not be able to bear the burden of foresight, Aswapati shares it with the immortal sage. For it is earth where he is seated now, the realm of mortality. It is the domain of mortal human beings and not of Godheads who can act with true knowledge and power.

Precipitous are the paths
Here are not happy peaks the heaven-nymphs roam
Or Coilas or Vaicountha’s starry stair:
Abrupt, jagged hills only the mighty climb
Are here where few dare even think to rise;
Far voices call down from the dizzy rocks,
Chill, slippery, precipitous are the paths.

Earth is not like Coilas (Kailash), abode of Shiva or Vaicountha (abode of Vishnu) with happy peaks where the heavenly nymphs roam or the starlit stairs. Here there are rough edges and jagged hills and slopes that even the mighty dare not to climb. There are voices that call and pull us down the chill, slippery and precipitous paths.

Man’s fragile race
Too hard the gods are with man’s fragile race;
In their large heavens they dwell exempt from Fate
And they forget the wounded feet of man,
His limbs that faint beneath the whips of grief,
His heart that hears the tread of time and death.

The gods are too hard with the fragile human race, They dwell in high heavens exempt from Fate and forget the wounded feet of man, bleeding and hurt through the journey of life, the blows of grief that faint his limbs and his heart that hears the feet of death.

The future’s road s hid
The future’s road is hid from mortal sight:
He moves towards a veiled and secret face.

The future is hidden from man and he moves towards a veiled and secret face of fate.

Shrouded fate
To light one step in front is all his hope
And only for a little strength he asks
To meet the riddle of his shrouded fate.

Man is given to see at best only the step in front. He is given only a limited strength to meet the riddle of Fate covered with the shroud of secrecy.

None can elude
Awaited by a vague and half-seen force,
Aware of danger to his uncertain hours
He guards his flickering yearnings from her breath;
He feels not when the dreadful fingers close
Around him with the grasp none can elude.

Awaited by a force man barely sees and vaguely senses, aware of the danger surrounding him, man tries to guard his yearnings for a better tomorrow from the breath of hidden fate. He feels not when the dreadful fingers close and surprise him with the grasp that none can escape.

If thou canst lose her grip
If thou canst loose her grip, then only speak.

Mere prevision is not enough. Aswapati cautions Narad, the celestial sage, to speak only if he can loosen the grip of fate.

Blindness of our will
Perhaps from the iron snare there is escape:
Our mind perhaps deceives us with its words
And gives the name of doom to our own choice;
Perhaps the blindness of our will is Fate.”

Aswapati closes with the thought that perhaps there is a way to escape from the iron snare of fate. It is a word we use and give the name of doom to the consequences of our own choice. Perhaps what we call as fate is simply the blindness of our will.

Closing Remarks
Thus Aswapati concludes and leaves it now to Narad to say what he yet may feel impelled to speak.