चिन्तानां लोलवृत्तीनां ललनानामिवाऽवृतीः । अर्पयत्यवशं चेतो बालानामञ्जनं यथा ॥ ४ ॥
cintānāṁ lōlavṛttīnāṁ lalanānāmivā’vṛtīḥ | arpayatyavaśaṁ cētō bālānāmañjanaṁ yathā || 4 ||
Translation
The helpless mind gives up its coverings to the restless cares, as to women, the way the magic salve opens the eyes of children.
Word by word
- cintānāṁ
- to the cares
- lōla
- restless
- vṛttīnāṁ
- with their moods
- lalanānām
- to women
- iva
- as
- āvṛtīḥ
- its coverings
- arpayati
- gives up
- avaśaṁ
- the helpless
- cētō
- (cetaḥ) mind
- bālānām
- of children
- añjanaṁ
- the magic salve
- yathā
- the way
Meaning
The commentary explains the image: a magic eye-salve (siddhāñjana), put in a child's eyes, was said to remove every covering, earth and rock, so that buried treasure could be seen. In youth the mind becomes like that: every barrier is removed, and cares rush in unchecked, especially, the Dwivedi note says, thoughts of women. Nothing shelters the young mind from what it wants to see. The reader may remember how completely a single preoccupation could fill the young mind.