कटुतिक्ताम्लभूताद्यैः सदधिक्षीरसागरैः । तैरेव तैः पर्युषितैर्जगद्भिः कल्यवर्त्तनम् ॥ ४ ॥
kaṭutiktāmlabhūtādyaiḥ sadadhikṣīrasāgaraiḥ | tairēva taiḥ paryuṣitairjagadbhiḥ kalyavarttanam || 4 ||
Translation
his breakfast is those very worlds, stale, with their beings bitter, pungent and sour, and their oceans of curd and milk;
Word by word
- kaṭu
- pungent
- tikta
- bitter
- amla
- sour
- bhūta
- with their beings
- ādyaiḥ
- and the rest
- sa
- with
- dadhi
- of curd
- kṣīra
- and milk
- sāgaraiḥ
- their oceans
- tair
- (taiḥ) those
- ēva
- very
- taiḥ
- those (repeated)
- paryuṣitair
- (paryuṣitaiḥ) stale
- jagadbhiḥ
- worlds
- kalya
- morning
- varttanam
- his meal
Meaning
A prince takes a morning meal. Time's breakfast (kalyavartana) is the worlds themselves, "stale" (paryuṣita), left over, as old as they are; their creatures are the bitter, pungent and sour dishes, and their mythical oceans of curd and milk the dairy. The commentary notes that such a mixed breakfast of sharp tastes with curd was well known in the south. The comedy of the image lightens it, and the lightness is the point: to Time, worlds are a meal.