DAY 296
Hope, the Strange Chain That Binds
기원후 3~12세기경 편찬(구전 격언시)
ORIGINAL
आशा नाम मनुष्याणां काचिदाश्चर्यशृङ्खला । यया बद्धाः प्रधावन्ति मुक्तास्तिष्ठन्ति कुत्रचित् ॥ (āśā nāma manuṣyāṇāṃ kācid āścaryaśṛṅkhalā, yayā baddhāḥ pradhāvanti muktās tiṣṭhanti kutracit)
📜 THE VERSE
Craving is truly a strange chain that binds people — those bound by it keep running endlessly, while those freed from it can rest content anywhere.
❓ TODAY'S QUESTION
Am I chained to something and running endlessly, or can I simply stay where I am?
📝Reflection
What this verse warns against is not healthy hope, but craving that is never satisfied no matter how much is filled. Someone bound by that chain cannot be content even in the best of places and keeps running toward the next thing. Someone freed from it, by contrast, can rest comfortably even somewhere unremarkable. Freedom comes not from gaining more, but from recognizing this chain and setting it down.
— ONGO · Curator
🌱Apply It Today
Identify one craving that keeps you running endlessly, and set it down for just one day.
📖 Source:
Subhashita (Traditional Sanskrit Maxims).
Sanskrit original with public-domain translations consulted; rendered independently by ONGO.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
