चक्रचीत्कारपूर्णस्य जलराशिमिवोद्यतम् । शीर्णपत्रं भ्रष्टनष्टं ग्रीष्मे वनमिवाऽरसम् ॥ २५ ॥
cakracītkārapūrṇasya jalarāśimivōdyatam | śīrṇapatraṁ bhraṣṭanaṣṭaṁ grīṣmē vanamivā’rasam || 25 ||
Translation
like an ocean imagined by one who hears the sky full of the cries of the cakravāka birds, like a forest in summer, its leaves withered, fallen and gone, without sap,
Word by word
- cakra
- of the cakravāka birds
- cītkāra
- with the cries
- pūrṇasya
- full
- jalarāśim
- an ocean
- iva
- like
- udyatam
- imagined
- śīrṇa
- withered
- patraṁ
- its leaves
- bhraṣṭa
- fallen
- naṣṭaṁ
- gone
- grīṣmē
- in summer
- vanam
- a forest
- arasam
- without sap
Meaning
The commentary explains the first image: the cakravāka is a water bird, and one lying on his back who hears the sky full of its cries fancies a lake or sea overhead. The forest in summer has no leaves, no shade, no fruit. The world, looked at closely, gives as little shelter.