SB 11.23.39 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अहो एष महासारो धृतिमान् गिरिराडिव । मौनेन साधयत्यर्थं बकवद् द‍ृढनिश्चय: ॥ ३८ ॥ इत्येके विहसन्त्येनमेके दुर्वातयन्ति च । तं बबन्धुर्निरुरुधुर्यथा क्रीडनकं द्विजम् ॥ ३९ ॥

Verse text

aho eṣa mahā-sāro dhṛtimān giri-rāḍ iva maunena sādhayaty arthaṁ baka-vad dṛḍha-niścayaḥ ity eke vihasanty enam eke durvātayanti ca taṁ babandhur nirurudhur yathā krīḍanakaṁ dvijam

Synonyms

aho — just see ; eṣaḥ — this person ; mahā — sāraḥ — very powerful ; dhṛtimān — steadfast ; giri — rāṭ — the Himālaya Mountains ; iva — just like ; maunena — with his vow of silence ; sādhayati — he is striving ; artham — for his goal ; baka — vat — just like a heron ; dṛḍha — firm ; niścayaḥ — his determination ; iti — thus speaking ; eke — some ; vihasanti — ridicule ; enam — him ; eke — some ; durvātayanti — pass foul air ; ca — and ; tam — him ; babandhuḥ — they bound in chains ; nirurudhuḥ — kept captive ; yathā — as ; krīḍanakam — a pet animal ; dvijam — that brāhmaṇa. .

Translation

Some would ridicule him by saying, “Just see this greatly powerful sage! He is as steadfast as the Himālaya Mountains. By practice of silence he strives for his goal with great determination, just like a heron.” Other persons would pass foul air upon him, and sometimes others would bind this twice-born brāhmaṇa in chains and keep him captive like a pet animal.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Some would ridicule him by saying, “Just see this greatly powerful sage! He is as steady as the Himalaya Mountains. By practice of silence he strives for his goal with great determination, just like a duck.” Other persons would pass foul air upon him, and sometimes others would bind him in chains and keep him captive like a pet bird. Mahā-sāraḥ means a person desiring great gain. They passed air on him (durvātayanti). They bound him in chains in prisons like a parrot or sārika bird (dvijam).