Cut off craving for yourself, as one plucks an autumn lotus with the hand; cultivate only the path of peace, Nibbāna proclaimed by the Well-Gone One.

Ucchinda sinehamattano — cut off (ucchinda) craving (sineha) for self (attano). The image is surgical: one does not tame craving but extirpates it, as one pulls a lotus by the root. Kumuda is the white lotus that blooms in autumn when waters recede and beauty becomes precarious.

Santimaggameva brūhaya — cultivate only (eva) the path of peace (santimaga). Brūhaya implies nourishing, making grow, strengthening. Where craving is cut, peace is cultivated. There is no vacuum, only deliberate cultivation of what leads to liberation.

In yoga practice, this verse resonates with vairāgya (dispassion) as an indispensable complement to abhyāsa (sustained practice). It is not enough to let go; one must actively cultivate the inner path.