आपातमात्ररमणं सद्भावरहितान्तरम् । वेश्यास्त्रीसंगमप्रख्यं यौवनं मे न रोचते ॥ १३ ॥
āpātamātraramaṇaṁ sadbhāvarahitāntaram | vēśyāstrīsaṁgamaprakhyaṁ yauvanaṁ mē na rōcatē || 13 ||
Translation
Delightful only at first touch, its heart without true feeling, like union with a courtesan: youth does not please me.
Word by word
- āpāta
- at first touch
- mātra
- only
- ramaṇaṁ
- delightful
- sadbhāva
- true feeling
- rahita
- without
- antaram
- its heart
- vēśyā
- with a courtesan
- strī
- woman
- saṁgama
- union
- prakhyaṁ
- like
- yauvanaṁ
- youth
- mē
- me
- na
- not
- rōcatē
- does please
Meaning
A courtesan's embrace pleases at the first moment and has no love in it. Youth is the same: it charms on the surface, "without thought", as another commentary says, and has no sadbhāva, sincerity or real goodness, within. The refrain ends here. The reader has heard six times that youth "does not please" Rāma; the repetition is meant to let them try the sentence in their own voice.