जडप्रकृतिरालोलो विततावर्त्तवृत्तिमान् । मनोऽब्धिरहितव्यालो दूरं नयति तात माम् ॥ २३ ॥
jaḍaprakṛtirālōlō vitatāvarttavṛttimān | manō’bdhirahitavyālō dūraṁ nayati tāta mām || 23 ||
Translation
The ocean of the mind, dull by nature, restless, with its wide whirlpools, with its harmful serpents, drags me far away, dear one.
Word by word
- jaḍa
- dull
- prakṛtir
- (prakṛtiḥ) by nature
- ālōlō
- (ālolaḥ) restless
- vitata
- wide
- āvartta
- whirlpools
- vṛttimān
- with its
- manō
- (manaḥ) of the mind
- abdhir
- (abdhiḥ) the ocean
- ahita
- harmful
- vyālō
- (vyālaḥ) with serpents
- dūraṁ
- far away
- nayati
- drags
- tāta
- dear one
- mām
- me
Meaning
The ocean image returns. The mind is jaḍa-prakṛti, "dull by nature" (water again), ālola, restless, with vast whirlpools, the turning of its moods, and full of harmful serpents, which the commentary names as the six enemies: desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and envy. As the sea carries off even an elephant, it carries Rāma far away. "Dear one" (tāta) is tender and personal: Rāma speaks to the sage as a son to a father, asking not for an argument but for rescue.