दहत्यन्तर्दुराशाभिर्दैवो दारुणचेष्टया । लोकमुष्णप्रकाशाभिर्ज्वालाभिर्दहनो यथा ॥ ४ ॥
dahatyantardurāśābhirdaivō dāruṇacēṣṭayā | lōkamuṣṇaprakāśābhirjvālābhirdahanō yathā || 4 ||
Translation
Fate, with its dreadful activity, burns people within with evil hopes, as fire burns the world with hot, bright flames.
Word by word
- dahati
- burns
- antar
- (antaḥ) within
- dur
- evil
- āśābhir
- (āśābhiḥ) with hopes
- daivō
- (daivaḥ) Fate
- dāruṇa
- dreadful
- cēṣṭayā
- with its activity
- lōkam
- people
- uṣṇa
- hot
- prakāśābhir
- (prakāśābhiḥ) bright
- jvālābhir
- (jvālābhiḥ) with flames
- dahanō
- (dahanaḥ) fire
- yathā
- as
Meaning
Fate does not only strike from outside; it burns within, through durāśā, evil or false hopes, the commentary says, and outside, through evil conduct. The hopes it raises are the flames. The reader may notice how much of their pain comes from hopes, the wanting that fate then refuses, rather than from events.