पूर्वप्रहारसंप्रेक्षाव्यग्रप्राणतया तया । संशान्तकल्लोलरवं निद्रामुद्रपुरोपमम् ॥ १६ ॥
pūrvaprahārasaṁprēkṣāvyagraprāṇatayā tayā | saṁśāntakallōlaravaṁ nidrāmudrapurōpamam || 16 ||
Translation
and, as each breath waited anxious to see the first blow, its roar of waves stilled, like a city sealed in sleep;
Word by word
- pūrva
- the first
- prahāra
- blow
- saṁprēkṣā
- to see
- vyagra
- anxious
- prāṇatayā
- as each breath
- tayā
- that
- saṁśānta
- stilled
- kallōla
- of waves
- ravaṁ
- its roar
- nidrā
- by sleep
- mudra
- sealed
- pura
- a city
- upamam
- like
Meaning
The noise of v. 8 is gone. The army that roared like the sea is silent, because everyone is holding his breath. The image of a city at night, every house shut and asleep, is the sound of that silence. Another commentary: as everyone watched to see who would strike first, the whole uproar fell quiet.