नीत्यर्थं गृहभृत्यानामादीनकृतवाच्यता । मर्यादानियमादब्धेर्वेलेवाऽनिशमच्युता ॥ १४ ॥
nītyarthaṁ gṛhabhṛtyānāmādīnakṛtavācyatā | maryādāniyamādabdhērvēlēvā’niśamacyutā || 14 ||
Translation
to teach the household servants good conduct, a little humbly, I would tell them what people would say; never slipping from the bounds of what is fitting, as the shore never lets the ocean go;
Word by word
- nīti
- good conduct
- arthaṁ
- to teach
- gṛha
- household
- bhṛtyānām
- the servants
- ādīna
- a little humbly
- kṛta
- I would tell
- vācyatā
- what people would say
- maryādā
- of what is fitting
- niyamād
- (niyamāt) from the bounds
- abdhēr
- (abdheḥ) the ocean
- vēlā
- the shore
- iva
- as
- aniśam
- never
- acyutā
- slipping
Meaning
She corrected the servants gently, by pointing to what others would say of such a house. Another commentary: she taught them most by her own conduct, never failing in her duty. The shore is the classic image of a limit kept: the ocean, for all its power, stays within it.