चापलावजितारण्यनकुली नकुलीनजा । विप्रलम्भनतात्पर्य्यजितोग्रमृगतृष्णिका ॥ १७ ॥
cāpalāvajitāraṇyanakulī nakulīnajā | vipralambhanatātparyyajitōgramṛgatṛṣṇikā || 17 ||
Translation
In fickleness she outdoes the forest mongoose; she is not born of a noble line; in her zeal to deceive she surpasses the fierce mirage.
Word by word
- cāpala
- in fickleness
- avajita
- who outdoes
- āraṇya
- the forest
- nakulī
- mongoose
- na
- not
- kulīna
- of a noble line
- jā
- born
- vipralambhana
- to deceive
- tātparyya
- in her zeal
- jita
- surpasses
- ugra
- the fierce
- mṛgatṛṣṇikā
- mirage
Meaning
The mongoose darts here and there and never rests; fortune is more restless still. "Not born of a noble line" (na kulīnajā) says that she has no breeding and keeps no faith: she will go to anyone. And the mirage, which draws the thirsty traveller across the desert to water that is not there, is the very type of deceit, yet fortune deceives more cunningly. The mirage at least vanishes when one comes close; fortune lets one hold her for a while, so that the deceit runs deeper. The reader is asked to notice the promise wealth makes, "then you will be content", and how far it has carried them already.