मेरुशृङ्गतटोल्लासिगङ्गाजलरयोपमा । दृष्टा यस्मिन् स्तने मुक्ताहारस्योल्लासशालिता ॥ ५ ॥
mēruśṛṅgataṭōllāsigaṅgājalarayōpamā | dṛṣṭā yasmin stanē muktāhārasyōllāsaśālitā || 5 ||
Translation
The breast on which was seen the play of a pearl necklace, like the rush of the Gaṅgā's waters gleaming down the slopes of Meru's peak,
Word by word
- mēru
- of Meru
- śṛṅga
- peak
- taṭa
- down the slopes of
- ullāsi
- gleaming
- gaṅgā
- of the Gaṅgā
- jala
- waters
- raya
- the rush
- upamā
- like
- dṛṣṭā
- was seen
- yasmin
- on which
- stanē
- the breast
- muktā
- of pearl
- hārasya
- necklace
- ullāsa
- the play
- śālitā
- adorned with
Meaning
The poets' favourite image: a string of pearls on a woman's breast, white as the Gaṅgā falling down the golden slopes of Mount Meru. Rāma repeats it at its most beautiful in order to set the next verse against it.