अज्ञातं बहुकालेन व्यर्थमेव वयं वने । मोहे निपतिता मुग्धाः श्वभ्रे मुग्धा मृगा इव ॥ १४ ॥
ajñātaṁ bahukālēna vyarthamēva vayaṁ vanē | mōhē nipatitā mugdhāḥ śvabhrē mugdhā mṛgā iva || 14 ||
Translation
Only after a long time have we understood that we have fallen, for nothing, into delusion, like simple deer fallen into a pit in the forest.
Word by word
- ajñātaṁ
- have understood
- bahu
- a long
- kālēna
- after time
- vyartham
- for nothing
- ēva
- indeed
- vayaṁ
- we
- vanē
- in the forest
- mōhē
- into delusion
- nipatitā
- (nipatitāḥ) fallen
- mugdhāḥ
- simple
- śvabhrē
- into a pit
- mṛgā
- (mṛgāḥ) deer
- iva
- like
Meaning
A deer that falls into a pit does not at first know where it is; it only feels that it cannot move freely. Long after, it understands that it has fallen. Rāma is describing his own awakening: the first step is not escape but recognising that one is caught. Most of life's restlessness is this stage, felt but not yet understood.