तरत्तरलधाराग्ररेखाङ्कितनभस्तलः । ध्वनत्कणकणाशब्दमध्यलक्षितटाङ्कृतिः ॥ ६ ॥
tarattaraladhārāgrarēkhāṅkitanabhastalaḥ | dhvanatkaṇakaṇāśabdamadhyalakṣitaṭāṅkṛtiḥ || 6 ||
Translation
the vault of the sky scored with lines by the tips of swift, flickering blades; the twang of bows heard in the midst of the ringing "kaṇa-kaṇa" of steel;
Word by word
- tarat
- swift
- tarala
- flickering
- dhārā
- of blades
- agra
- by the tips
- rēkhā
- with lines
- aṅkita
- scored
- nabhastalaḥ
- the vault of the sky
- dhvanat
- ringing
- kaṇakaṇā
- "kaṇa-kaṇa"
- śabda
- the sound
- madhya
- in the midst
- lakṣita
- heard
- ṭāṅkṛtiḥ
- the twang of bows
Meaning
The sky is criss-crossed with the bright lines of weapons in flight. And the sound: the clink of steel on steel (kaṇa-kaṇa), and through it the twang of bowstrings. The Sanskrit imitates the noises, as Indian battle poetry loves to do.