निर्दयः कठिनः क्रूरः कर्कशः कृपणोऽधमः । न तदस्ति यदद्याऽपि न कालो निगिरत्ययम् ॥ ९ ॥
nirdayaḥ kaṭhinaḥ krūraḥ karkaśaḥ kṛpaṇō’dhamaḥ | na tadasti yadadyā’pi na kālō nigiratyayam || 9 ||
Translation
Pitiless, hard, cruel, harsh, miserly, base: there is nothing even today that this Time does not swallow.
Word by word
- nirdayaḥ
- pitiless
- kaṭhinaḥ
- hard
- krūraḥ
- cruel
- karkaśaḥ
- harsh
- kṛpaṇō
- (kṛpaṇaḥ) miserly
- adhamaḥ
- base
- na
- nothing
- tad
- (tat) that
- asti
- there is
- yad
- (yat) which
- adya
- today
- api
- even
- kālō
- (kālaḥ) Time
- nigirati
- does swallow
- ayam
- this
Meaning
Six epithets, each a human vice, are laid on Time: it has no pity, gives nothing back, spares nothing. And "even today" (adyāpi) it goes on swallowing. The reader is shown Time from the side of those it takes: from there, it looks like the worst of tyrants.