अस्यैवाऽऽचरतो दीनैर्मुग्धैर्भूतमृगव्रजैः । आखेटकं जर्जरिते जगज्जङ्गलजालके ॥ २ ॥
asyaivā’’caratō dīnairmugdhairbhūtamṛgavrajaiḥ | ākhēṭakaṁ jarjaritē jagajjaṅgalajālakē || 2 ||
Translation
who goes hunting in the worn-out tangle of the jungle of the world among the herds of wretched, foolish deer, the beings,
Word by word
- asya
- of this one
- ēva
- indeed
- ācaratō
- (ācarataḥ) who goes
- dīnair
- (dīnaiḥ) among the wretched
- mugdhair
- (mugdhaiḥ) foolish
- bhūta
- the beings
- mṛga
- of deer
- vrajaiḥ
- the herds
- ākhēṭakaṁ
- hunting
- jarjaritē
- in the worn-out
- jagat
- of the world
- jaṅgala
- of the jungle
- jālakē
- tangle
Meaning
The world is an old jungle, a tangle (jālaka) of thickets, and creatures are the herds of deer, "wretched and foolish" (dīna, mugdha), who do not see the hunter. Time hunts them for sport (ākheṭaka). The image is not of cruelty but of indifference: to the prince the hunt is a game. The reader may feel their own place in the herd.