दिशोऽपि हि न दृश्यन्ते देशोऽप्यन्यापदेशभाक् । शैला अपि विशीर्यन्ते कैवाऽऽस्था मादृशे जने ॥ २३ ॥
diśō’pi hi na dṛśyantē dēśō’pyanyāpadēśabhāk | śailā api viśīryantē kaivā’’sthā mādṛśē janē || 23 ||
Translation
Even the directions are not seen, and a country bears another's name; even mountains crumble: what trust can there be in a person like me?
Word by word
- diśō
- (diśaḥ) the directions
- api
- even
- hi
- indeed
- na
- not
- dṛśyantē
- are seen
- dēśō
- (deśaḥ) a country
- anya
- another's
- apadēśa
- name
- bhāk
- bears
- śailā
- (śailāḥ) mountains
- viśīryantē
- crumble
- kā
- what
- ēva
- indeed
- āsthā
- trust
- mādṛśē
- like me
- janē
- in a person
Meaning
From here to verse 30 every verse ends with the refrain kaivāsthā mādṛśe jane, "what trust can there be in one like me?". The directions themselves vanish at the dissolution; a land, the commentary says, becomes "not a land", known by another name; mountains wear away. If these do not last, how could I? The refrain is not self-pity but logic: the small cannot expect what the great are denied.