कामनाम्ना किरातेन विकीर्णा मुग्धचेतसाम् । नार्यो नरविहङ्गानामङ्ग बन्धनवागुराः ॥ १८ ॥
kāmanāmnā kirātēna vikīrṇā mugdhacētasām | nāryō naravihaṅgānāmaṅga bandhanavāgurāḥ || 18 ||
Translation
Women, dear one, are the snares spread by the hunter called desire for the bird-men of foolish mind.
Word by word
- kāma
- desire
- nāmnā
- called
- kirātēna
- by the hunter
- vikīrṇā
- (vikīrṇāḥ) spread
- mugdha
- of foolish
- cētasām
- mind
- nāryō
- (nāryaḥ) women
- nara
- men
- vihaṅgānām
- for the bird-
- aṅga
- dear one
- bandhana
- binding
- vāgurāḥ
- are the snares
Meaning
A hunter spreads nets for birds. The hunter here is named: kāma, desire. It is desire that spreads the net, and the birds it catches are men of foolish mind. The verse places the agency where it belongs, with desire, the hunter, not with the net. The reader who would not be caught must deal with the hunter.