कथार्थप्रतिभासाभं व्योममुक्तावलीनिभम् । कटकत्वं यथा हेम्नि तरङ्गत्वं यथाऽम्भसि ॥ २१ ॥
kathārthapratibhāsābhaṁ vyōmamuktāvalīnibham | kaṭakatvaṁ yathā hēmni taraṅgatvaṁ yathā’mbhasi || 21 ||
Translation
like the meaning of a story as it appears to the mind, like a string of pearls in the sky; as bracelet-ness is in gold, as wave-ness is in water,
Word by word
- kathā
- of a story
- artha
- the meaning
- pratibhāsa
- as it appears
- ābhaṁ
- like
- vyōma
- in the sky
- muktā
- of pearls
- āvalī
- a string
- nibham
- like
- kaṭakatvaṁ
- bracelet-ness
- yathā
- as
- hēmni
- in gold
- taraṅgatvaṁ
- wave-ness
- ambhasi
- in water
Meaning
The commentary explains the story: one absorbed in hearing a tale sees its events as if present. The pearls in the sky are the bright specks the eye sees in empty air. The last two images go further. A bracelet is nothing but gold, a wave nothing but water; they are names and shapes of what is there. The commentary's note adds that they cannot be defined apart from gold and water, and so are unreal as separate things.