मथितं मानिनीलोकैर्मनो मकरकेतुना । कोमलं खुरनिष्पेषैः कमलं करिणा यथा ॥ ११ ॥
mathitaṁ māninīlōkairmanō makarakētunā | kōmalaṁ khuraniṣpēṣaiḥ kamalaṁ kariṇā yathā || 11 ||
Translation
The tender mind has been crushed by the god of love through proud women, as a lotus by an elephant under the pounding of its feet.
Word by word
- mathitaṁ
- has been crushed
- māninī
- proud women
- lōkair
- (lokaiḥ) through
- manō
- (manaḥ) the mind
- makarakētunā
- by the god of love
- kōmalaṁ
- tender
- khura
- of its feet
- niṣpēṣaiḥ
- under the pounding
- kamalaṁ
- a lotus
- kariṇā
- by an elephant
- yathā
- as
Meaning
Rāma speaks of himself. The god whose banner is the makara (makara-ketu, Kāma) has churned (mathita) the mind, using women (mānini-loka, the proud and lovely) as his means. The mind is tender (komala) like a lotus, and desire comes down on it like an elephant's feet. The commentary: as an elephant crushes a soft lotus with the blows of its great feet. The verse is not a judgement on women; as the teaching will make clear, the fault is in desire, which works through any object. What it shows is the disproportion: something huge and blind against something delicate. The reader may recognise in some passion of their own the same weight, and the same damage to a mind that was meant for finer things.