यथा महान्धकूपाधः खद्योतो नाऽवलोक्यते । पृष्ठगेन तथेहाऽतो नाऽधः सूर्योऽवलोक्यते ॥ ४९ ॥
yathā mahāndhakūpādhaḥ khadyōtō nā’valōkyatē | pṛṣṭhagēna tathēhā’tō nā’dhaḥ sūryō’valōkyatē || 49 ||
Translation
As a firefly at the bottom of a great dark well is not seen by one standing above, so from here the sun below is not seen.
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- mahā
- great
- andha
- dark
- kūpa
- of a well
- adhaḥ
- at the bottom; below
- khadyōtō
- a firefly
- na
- not
- avalōkyatē
- is seen
- pṛṣṭhagēna
- by one standing above
- tathā
- so
- iha
- here
- atō
- from
- sūryō
- the sun
Meaning
The sun, which lights the world, is here a firefly at the bottom of a well. The image shrinks the whole lit cosmos to a speck in a vaster dark.