यः पुमानद्य तेजस्वी मण्डलान्यधितिष्ठति । स भस्मकूटतां राजन् दिवसैरधिगच्छति ॥ ६ ॥
yaḥ pumānadya tējasvī maṇḍalānyadhitiṣṭhati | sa bhasmakūṭatāṁ rājan divasairadhigacchati || 6 ||
Translation
The man who today, full of splendour, rules over kingdoms, becomes in a few days, O king, a heap of ashes.
Word by word
- yaḥ
- the man who
- pumān
- man
- adya
- today
- tējasvī
- full of splendour
- maṇḍalāni
- kingdoms
- adhitiṣṭhati
- rules over
- sa
- (saḥ) he
- bhasma
- of ashes
- kūṭatāṁ
- a heap
- rājan
- O king
- divasair
- (divasaiḥ) in days
- adhigacchati
- becomes
Meaning
The emperor and the ash heap. The address "O king" (rājan) is to Daśaratha, Rāma's father, who is listening. It is a son reminding his father, a king, of the end of kings. The reader may see that power is no exception.