योधो यम इवाऽऽभाति याम्यादायाति दिक्तटात् । सर्वतः संहरन्सेनामेहि यामो यथागतम् ॥ १३ ॥
yōdhō yama ivā’’bhāti yāmyādāyāti diktaṭāt | sarvataḥ saṁharansēnāmēhi yāmō yathāgatam || 13 ||
Translation
that warrior looks like Yama coming from the edge of the southern quarter, destroying the army on every side. Come, let us go back the way we came."
Word by word
- yōdhō
- (yodhaḥ) that warrior
- yama
- Yama
- iva
- like
- ābhāti
- looks
- yāmyād
- (yāmyāt) southern
- āyāti
- coming
- dik
- of the quarter
- taṭāt
- from the edge
- sarvataḥ
- on every side
- saṁharan
- destroying
- sēnām
- the army
- ēhi
- come
- yāmō
- (yāmaḥ) let us go
- yathāgatam
- back the way we came
Meaning
The south is Yama's quarter, the direction of death. The coward sees the warrior as Death himself and wants only to leave. The sarga lets him speak without blame: he is one more mind seeing the same field.