निगिरत्यागताः सेनाः स्रवन्तीरिव सागरः । समत्स्यमकरव्यूहा अहो नु विषमो भटः ॥ १६ ॥
nigiratyāgatāḥ sēnāḥ sravantīriva sāgaraḥ | samatsyamakaravyūhā ahō nu viṣamō bhaṭaḥ || 16 ||
Translation
"Ah, what a fearsome warrior! He swallows the armies that come at him, with their fish and makara formations, as the ocean swallows rivers."
Word by word
- nigiratya
- (nigirati) he swallows
- āgatāḥ
- that come
- sēnāḥ
- the armies
- sravantīr
- (sravantīḥ) rivers
- iva
- as
- sāgaraḥ
- the ocean
- sa
- with
- matsya
- fish
- makara
- and makara
- vyūhā
- formations
- ahō
- ah
- nu
- indeed
- viṣamō
- (viṣamaḥ) fearsome
- bhaṭaḥ
- warrior
Meaning
Rivers flow into the ocean full of fish and crocodiles, and the ocean takes them all without growing. So this warrior takes in the armies arrayed against him; the pun on the fish and makara formations (vyūha) is the same as in 3.32.18.