जन्मपल्वलमत्स्यानां चित्तकर्दमचारिणाम् । पुंसां दुर्वासनारज्जुर्नारी बडिशपिण्डिका ॥ २० ॥
janmapalvalamatsyānāṁ cittakardamacāriṇām | puṁsāṁ durvāsanārajjurnārī baḍiśapiṇḍikā || 20 ||
Translation
For men, who are fish in the pond of birth moving in the mud of the mind, a woman is the bait on the hook, tied with the line of evil tendencies.
Word by word
- janma
- of birth
- palvala
- in the pond
- matsyānāṁ
- who are fish
- citta
- of the mind
- kardama
- in the mud
- cāriṇām
- moving
- puṁsāṁ
- for men
- durvāsanā
- of evil tendencies
- rajjur
- (rajjuḥ) tied with the line
- nārī
- a woman
- baḍiśa
- on the hook
- piṇḍikā
- the bait
Meaning
Fish in a small rain pond move in the mud; a ball of dough on a hook draws them, and they are caught. Birth is the pond; the mind is the mud (citta-kardama); the line that holds the hook is durvāsanā, evil tendency. The verse is careful: the line is in the fish's own nature. The bait catches only because the tendency is already there.