जलवह्न्यनिलाजस्रजातभीत्या पदे पदे । यद्भयं शैशवेऽबुद्ध्या कस्याऽऽपदि हि तद् भवेत् ॥ ७ ॥
jalavahnyanilājasrajātabhītyā padē padē | yadbhayaṁ śaiśavē’buddhyā kasyā’’padi hi tad bhavēt || 7 ||
Translation
The fear a child feels at every step, in its ignorance, from water, fire and wind, ceaselessly arising: who would feel such fear even in calamity?
Word by word
- jala
- from water
- vahni
- fire
- anila
- and wind
- ajasra
- ceaselessly
- jāta
- arising
- bhītyā
- the fear
- padē
- at every step (repeated)
- yad
- (yat) which
- bhayaṁ
- fear
- śaiśavē
- a child
- abuddhyā
- in its ignorance
- kasya
- who
- āpadi
- in calamity
- hi
- even
- tad
- (tat) such
- bhavēt
- would feel
Meaning
A child is afraid of everything: deep water, a flame, a gust of wind, a shadow. The fear comes from abuddhi, not understanding: it does not know what is dangerous and what is not, so everything might be. The commentary: such fear, at every step, is greater than anyone feels in a real disaster. The reader may consider how much of their own fear is still of this kind: born not of danger, but of not understanding.