पुष्पकेसरगौराङ्गी नरमारणतत्परा । ददात्युन्मत्तवैवश्यं कान्ता विषलता यथा ॥ १६ ॥
puṣpakēsaragaurāṅgī naramāraṇatatparā | dadātyunmattavaivaśyaṁ kāntā viṣalatā yathā || 16 ||
Translation
golden-limbed as the stamens of flowers, intent on killing men: the beloved gives the helplessness of madness, like a poison creeper.
Word by word
- puṣpa
- of flowers
- kēsara
- as the stamens
- gaura
- golden
- aṅgī
- limbed
- nara
- men
- māraṇa
- on killing
- tatparā
- intent
- dadāti
- gives
- unmatta
- of madness
- vaivaśyaṁ
- the helplessness
- kāntā
- the beloved
- viṣa
- poison
- latā
- a creeper
- yathā
- like
Meaning
The creeper is poisonous. A poison vine, the commentary says, yellow with pollen, beautiful with leaves and flowers, gives faintness and death to those who taste it in madness. The beloved, seen through desire, does the same to the one who loses himself in her. "Intent on killing" (māraṇatatparā) is the creeper's nature, and describes the effect of obsession, not a woman's intent.