महानसि विरक्तोऽसि तत्त्वज्ञोऽसि जनस्थितौ । त्वयि चोक्तं लगत्यन्तः कुङ्कुमाम्बु यथांऽशुके ॥ ५३ ॥
mahānasi viraktō’si tattvajñō’si janasthitau | tvayi cōktaṁ lagatyantaḥ kuṅkumāmbu yathāṁ’śukē || 53 ||
Translation
Among people you are great, you are free of attachment, you know the truth; and what is said to you sinks in, as saffron water into fine cloth.
Word by word
- mahān
- great
- asi
- you are
- viraktō
- (viraktaḥ) free of attachment
- tattvajñō
- (tattvajñaḥ) you know the truth
- jana
- of people
- sthitau
- among
- tvayi
- to you
- ca
- and
- uktaṁ
- what is said
- lagati
- sinks
- antaḥ
- in
- kuṅkuma
- saffron
- ambu
- water
- yathā
- as
- aṁśukē
- into fine cloth
Meaning
Three qualities again, and jana-sthitau, in the human world, sets them among people. Both commentaries take mahān as great in family, virtue and conduct. Vasiṣṭha plainly does not mean he is already finished, for otherwise there would be nothing to teach. The saffron of verse 44 returns, now in the present tense: what was a requirement there is a fact of Rāma here.