गृहीत्वा कृपणः कृष्णां रजनीं जीर्णमार्जनीम् । आलोककनकक्षोदानाहरत्यभितो गिरिम् ॥ ३५ ॥
gṛhītvā kṛpaṇaḥ kṛṣṇāṁ rajanīṁ jīrṇamārjanīm | ālōkakanakakṣōdānāharatyabhitō girim || 35 ||
Translation
A miser, it takes the black night for an old broom and sweeps up the gold dust of light all round the mountain.
Word by word
- gṛhītvā
- takes
- kṛpaṇaḥ
- a miser
- kṛṣṇāṁ
- the black
- rajanīṁ
- night
- jīrṇa
- for an old
- mārjanīm
- broom
- ālōka
- of light
- kanaka
- of gold
- kṣōdān
- the dust
- āharati
- sweeps up
- abhitō
- (abhitaḥ) all round
- girim
- the mountain
Meaning
A miser sweeps the floor with an old broom to gather every grain of gold. Time, the commentary says, takes the night as its broom and sweeps up the gold dust of the light scattered round Mount Meru. Each night sweeps away the day's brightness. And it is miserly: it never buys a new broom and never has enough. The image is homely and comic.