हन्त नूनं विजानामि हन्तस्तान् विद्धि राक्षसान् । नह्यस्मदादयः प्राज्ञाः संदिग्धे संप्रवृत्तयः ॥ २० ॥
hanta nūnaṁ vijānāmi hantastān viddhi rākṣasān | nahyasmadādayaḥ prājñāḥ saṁdigdhē saṁpravṛttayaḥ || 20 ||
Translation
"Truly, I know it for certain: count those demons as already slain. People like us, who are wise, do not set out on a thing whose outcome is in doubt.
Word by word
- hanta
- truly
- nūnaṁ
- for certain
- vijānāmi
- I know
- hantas
- slain (as both translations read it)
- tān
- those
- viddhi
- count
- rākṣasān
- demons
- na
- not
- hi
- for
- asmat
- like us
- ādayaḥ
- people
- prājñāḥ
- who are wise
- saṁdigdhē
- on a thing in doubt
- saṁpravṛttayaḥ
- set out
Meaning
The sage has foreseen the outcome by the power of his austerity, as both translations take it.