काये सङ्कटसंरम्भचिन्तापरवशेश्वरम् । विरटद्भेककण्ठत्वग्भङ्गुरातुरहृद्गुहम् ॥ ११ ॥
kāyē saṅkaṭasaṁrambhacintāparavaśēśvaram | viraṭadbhēkakaṇṭhatvagbhaṅgurāturahṛdguham || 11 ||
- Another reading: विरटद्भेककण्ठत्वभङ्गुरातुरहृद्गुहम् (viraṭadbhēkakaṇṭhatvabhaṅgurāturahṛdguham) for विरटद्भेककण्ठत्वग्भङ्गुरातुरहृद्गुहम्
Translation
its kings, in body, in the grip of anxious thought at the urgent crisis; the caves of timid hearts trembling like the throat-skin of a croaking frog;
Word by word
- kāyē
- in body
- saṅkaṭa
- at the crisis
- saṁrambha
- urgent
- cintā
- of anxious thought
- paravaśa
- in the grip
- īśvaram
- its kings
- viraṭad
- (viraṭat) croaking
- bhēka
- of a frog
- kaṇṭha
- the throat
- tvag
- (tvak) skin
- bhaṅgura
- trembling like
- ātura
- timid
- hṛd
- (hṛt) of hearts
- guham
- the caves
Meaning
The kings, who must give the command, are anxious: the crisis is upon them in their own bodies, and everything depends on them. The timid tremble in their hearts, and the image is homely and exact: a frog's throat, puffing and quivering as it croaks. Both commentaries take it so: the cowards' hearts flutter like the skin of a frog's throat.