इत्युक्त्वा मृदुवचनं रघूद्वहोऽसौ कल्लोले मुनिमतसंशये निमग्नः । नाऽज्ञासीत् क्षणमपि निश्चयं महात्मा प्रोद्वीचाविव जलधौ स मुह्यमानः ॥ ३८ ॥
ityuktvā mṛduvacanaṁ raghūdvahō’sau kallōlē munimatasaṁśayē nimagnaḥ | nā’jñāsīt kṣaṇamapi niścayaṁ mahātmā prōdvīcāviva jaladhau sa muhyamānaḥ || 38 ||
Translation
Having spoken these gentle words, the great-souled pride of the Raghus, sunk in the waves of doubt over the sage's wish, could not reach a decision even for a moment, like a man drowning in the ocean among towering waves.
Word by word
- iti
- thus
- uktvā
- having spoken
- mṛdu
- gentle
- vacanaṁ
- words
- raghu
- of the Raghus
- udvahō
- (udvahaḥ) the pride
- asau
- he
- kallōlē
- in the waves
- muni
- of the sage
- mata
- over the wish
- saṁśayē
- of doubt
- nimagnaḥ
- sunk
- na
- not
- ajñāsīt
- could reach
- kṣaṇam
- for a moment
- api
- even
- niścayaṁ
- a decision
- mahātmā
- the great-souled
- prōdvīcau
- among towering waves
- iva
- like
- jaladhau
- in the ocean
- sa
- (saḥ) he
- muhyamānaḥ
- drowning
Meaning
The sarga ends in a longer metre. The king has promised and has refused in the same breath. He is torn between his word and his love, and cannot choose.