यत्राऽद्य नगरं दृष्टं विचित्राचारचञ्चलम् । तत्रैवोदेति दिवसैः संशून्यारण्यधर्मता ॥ ५ ॥
yatrā’dya nagaraṁ dṛṣṭaṁ vicitrācāracañcalam | tatraivōdēti divasaiḥ saṁśūnyāraṇyadharmatā || 5 ||
Translation
Where today a city is seen, restless with its varied ways, there in a few days the nature of an empty wilderness arises.
Word by word
- yatra
- where
- adya
- today
- nagaraṁ
- a city
- dṛṣṭaṁ
- is seen
- vicitra
- with its varied
- ācāra
- ways
- cañcalam
- restless
- tatra
- there
- ēva
- just
- udēti
- arises
- divasaiḥ
- in days
- saṁśūnya
- of an empty
- araṇya
- wilderness
- dharmatā
- the nature
Meaning
A city full of commerce and custom becomes a deserted jungle. History confirms it: great cities lie under forests and sand. The reader who lives in a city may imagine its streets as a wilderness, and feel how lightly they rest on the earth.