मनो मे भ्रमतीवेदं सम्भ्रमश्चोपजायते । गात्राणि परिकम्पन्ते पत्राणीव जरत्तरोः ॥ २ ॥
manō mē bhramatīvēdaṁ sambhramaścōpajāyatē | gātrāṇi parikampantē patrāṇīva jarattarōḥ || 2 ||
Translation
My mind seems to whirl, and confusion arises; my limbs tremble like the leaves of an old tree.
Word by word
- manō
- (manaḥ) mind
- mē
- my
- bhramati
- whirl
- iva
- seems to
- idaṁ
- this
- sambhramaś
- (sambhramaḥ) confusion
- ca
- and
- upajāyatē
- arises
- gātrāṇi
- my limbs
- parikampantē
- tremble
- patrāṇi
- the leaves
- jarat
- of an old
- tarōḥ
- tree
Meaning
The state of verse 1 reaches the body. The mind spins (bhramati), fear and confusion (sambhrama) rise, the commentary says, and the limbs shake like the leaves of an aged tree in the wind. The image is chosen with care. An old tree's leaves are loose on the branch, ready to fall: Rāma feels that his hold on everything has loosened, and that any wind sets him trembling. The reader may know the bodily side of an inner crisis: the unsteadiness, the sleeplessness, the shaking hands. The text does not treat it as weakness. It is what happens when old supports are gone before new ones are found.