यथा नभसि नीलत्वमसदेवास्थितं सदा । अभित्तिरङ्गरहितमुपलब्धिमनोहरम् ॥ २२ ॥
yathā nabhasi nīlatvamasadēvāsthitaṁ sadā | abhittiraṅgarahitamupalabdhimanōharam || 22 ||
- Another reading: नीलत्वमसदेवोत्थितं (nīlatvamasadēvōtthitaṁ) for नीलत्वमसदेवास्थितं
Translation
as the blueness in the sky is always present, though unreal; lovely to perceive, with neither wall nor colours,
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- nabhasi
- in the sky
- nīlatvam
- the blueness
- asad
- unreal
- ēva
- though
- āsthitaṁ
- is present
- sadā
- always
- abhitti
- with neither wall
- raṅga
- colours
- rahitam
- nor
- upalabdhi
- to perceive
- manōharam
- lovely
Meaning
The blue of the sky is the most familiar example of something seen that is not a property of anything there. It is always seen, and space has no colour. Then the image of a painting: the world is a picture perceived without a wall to hold it or colours to make it.