दासाः पुत्राः स्त्रियश्चैव बान्धवाः सुहृदस्तथा । हसन्त्युन्मत्तकमिव नरं वार्द्धककम्पिनम् ॥ ६ ॥
dāsāḥ putrāḥ striyaścaiva bāndhavāḥ suhṛdastathā | hasantyunmattakamiva naraṁ vārddhakakampinam || 6 ||
Translation
Servants, sons, women, relations and friends laugh at a man trembling with age, as at a madman.
Word by word
- dāsāḥ
- servants
- putrāḥ
- sons
- striyaś
- (striyaḥ) women
- ca
- and
- ēva
- also
- bāndhavāḥ
- relations
- suhṛdas
- (suhṛdaḥ) friends
- tathā
- and
- hasanti
- laugh at
- unmattakam
- a madman
- iva
- as at
- naraṁ
- a man
- vārddhaka
- with age
- kampinam
- trembling
Meaning
The household that once served and respected him now laughs. His trembling (kampinam), makes him look mad to them. The verse is painful because it is common. The reader may ask how they treat the old near them, and how they will be treated.