विचित्रवर्णा विगुणा दीर्घा मलिनसंस्थितिः । शून्या शून्यपदा तृष्णा शक्रकार्मुकधर्मिणी ॥ ३५ ॥
vicitravarṇā viguṇā dīrghā malinasaṁsthitiḥ | śūnyā śūnyapadā tṛṣṇā śakrakārmukadharmiṇī || 35 ||
Translation
Many-coloured, without a string, long, resting on the dark, empty and set in emptiness, craving has the nature of Indra's bow.
Word by word
- vicitra
- many-
- varṇā
- coloured
- viguṇā
- without a string
- dīrghā
- long
- malina
- on the dark
- saṁsthitiḥ
- resting
- śūnyā
- empty
- śūnya
- in emptiness
- padā
- set
- tṛṣṇā
- craving
- śakra
- of Indra
- kārmuka
- bow
- dharmiṇī
- has the nature
Meaning
Indra's bow is the rainbow, and every phrase fits it and craving both. It is many-coloured, dazzling with objects; it is viguṇa, which means "without a bowstring" for the rainbow and "without virtues" for craving; it is long; it rests on a dark cloud, as craving rests in a soiled mind; it is empty, and stands in the empty sky, as craving is unreal and lives in the empty mind. The commentary unfolds each double sense. The image teaches the same as the rainbow: beautiful, and nothing there.