श्रेयश्च प्रेयश्च मनुष्यमेतः तौ सम्परीत्य विविनक्ति धीरः । श्रेयो हि धीरोऽभि प्रेयसो वृणीते प्रेयो मन्दो योगक्षेमाद्वृणीते ॥ २॥

śreyaśca preyaśca manuṣyametaḥ tau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ । śreyo hi dhīro'bhi preyaso vṛṇīte preyo mando yogakṣemādvṛṇīte ॥ 2॥

śreyaḥ ca preyaḥ ca = the preferable and the pleasurable; manuṣyam etaḥ = approach people; [as though they are a couple. Therefore just as a swan separates milk from water, similarly]; dhīraḥ = the intelligent one;17 samparītya = having pondered fully, having considered their importance and unimportance; vivinakti = separates; tau = those two. [And having distinguished]; abhivṛṇīte = selects; śreyaḥ hi = the electable indeed; preyasaḥ = in preference to the delectable; mandaḥ = simple-mind; vṛṇīte = selects; yoga-kṣemāt = material well-being, one adopts a materialist view of life for the sake of nourishing and protecting of the body and procreating.