वैराग्याख्यं प्रकरणं प्रथमं परिकीर्तितम् । विरागो वर्धते येन सेकेनेव मरौ तरुः ॥ ११ ॥
vairāgyākhyaṁ prakaraṇaṁ prathamaṁ parikīrtitam | virāgō vardhatē yēna sēkēnēva marau taruḥ || 11 ||
Translation
The first prakaraṇa is declared to be the one called Vairāgya, dispassion, by which dispassion grows, as a tree grows in the desert by watering.
Word by word
- vairāgya
- Vairāgya
- ākhyaṁ
- called
- prakaraṇaṁ
- prakaraṇa
- prathamaṁ
- the first
- parikīrtitam
- is declared
- virāgō
- (virāgaḥ) dispassion
- vardhatē
- grows
- yēna
- by which
- sēkēna
- by watering
- iva
- as
- marau
- in the desert
- taruḥ
- a tree
Meaning
The plan begins with the part Rāma himself spoke, his long lament on the world. A tree in the desert does not grow by itself. Watered, it does. So the reader's half-formed dissatisfaction with the world is given something to grow on.