वलीपलितनिर्मुक्तं पूर्वभार्याऽप्सराः सती । अङ्गीकरोति भर्तारं परिज्ञाय रणे हतम् ॥ २० ॥
valīpalitanirmuktaṁ pūrvabhāryā’psarāḥ satī | aṅgīkarōti bhartāraṁ parijñāya raṇē hatam || 20 ||
Translation
"His former wife, now an apsaras, a faithful woman, recognises her husband slain in battle, now free of wrinkles and grey hair, and takes him as her own."
Word by word
- valī
- of wrinkles
- palita
- and grey hair
- nirmuktaṁ
- free
- pūrva
- former
- bhāryā
- wife
- apsarāḥ
- an apsaras
- satī
- a faithful woman
- aṅgīkarōti
- takes as her own
- bhartāraṁ
- her husband
- parijñāya
- recognises
- raṇē
- in battle
- hatam
- slain
Meaning
A gentle scene in the midst of the killing: a wife who died before him and became an apsaras finds her husband among the dead and claims him. He has his heavenly body now, young again. Another commentary: a god's words. It is the theme of the whole tale: husband and wife finding each other again across death, as Līlā seeks Padma.