Balkand - doha 290
Start of Dhanush Khand
प्रभुहि चितइ पुनि चितव महि राजत लोचन लोल ।
खेलत मनसिज मीन जुग जनु बिधु मंडल डोल ॥
| Word | Dissection | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| प्रभुहि | प्रभु + हि | To the Lord प्रभु को Grammar: (from हि) -> Object Marker -hi |
| चितइ | चित + इ | Having looked देखकर Grammar: (from इ) -> Short i rule |
| पुनि | पुनः -> पुनि | Again / then फिर Word Origin: A softened Tadbhav word coming directly from the ancient Sanskrit word पुनः (Punah). Grammar: (from इ) -> Dual Life of -i |
| चितव | चित + अव | Looks at देखती हैं Word Origin: (from चितव) -> chitav |
| महि | - | The earth / ground or to the actual मह्, it mean Great, Massive, or Sustaining. पृथ्वी Word Origin: (from महि) -> Mahi |
| राजत | राज + अत | To shine or glow continuously / look beautiful सुशोभित Grammar: (from अत) -> Present Participle -at |
| लोचन | लोच् + अन | Eyes नेत्र Word Origin: Pure Tatsama word from the Sanskrit root लोच् (Loch), meaning "to see or illuminate". |
| लोल | - | Restless / moving / trembling चंचल Word Origin: Pure Tatsama word from Sanskrit root लुल् (Lul) meaning 'to sway'. It shares its root with the modern Hindi word लोलक (Lolak - Pendulum), meaning Sita's eyes were actively swinging back and forth. |
| खेलत | खेल + अत | Playing continuously खेल रहे हे Grammar: (from अत) -> Present Participle -at |
| मनसिज | मनस + ज | Kamadev (the God of Love) कामदेव Word Origin: (from मनसिज) -> manasij |
| मीन | - | Fish मछली |
| जुग | - | Pair / two जोड़ा Word Origin: (from जुग) -> Jug |
| जनु | - | As if / as though मानो Word Origin: (from जनु) -> Janu |
| बिधु | - | Moon चंद्र Word Origin: An altered Tatsama word coming from the original Sanskrit word for the moon, विधु (Vidhu). Grammar: (from विधु) -> V to B rule |
| मंडल | - | Disc / orb घेरा/चक्र Word Origin: A pure Tatsama word coming directly from Sanskrit. |
| डोल | - | Swing / Vessel डोल Word Origin: A Tadbhav word from the Sanskrit root दोल (Dola) or दुल (Dul), meaning to swing or oscillate (where the soft 'द' hardened into the retroflex 'ड'). In Hindi, डोलना (Dolna) means "to swing". Because a bucket swung on a rope to draw water from a well, the vessel itself became known as a डोल (Dol). Thus, the word simultaneously means both a swinging motion and a water vessel / or just a vessel! |
प्रभुहि चितइ पुनि चितव महि राजत लोचन लोल ।
Having looked at the Lord, again looking at the earth, shining are the restless eyes.
खेलत मनसिज मीन जुग जनु बिधु मंडल डोल ॥
Playing are Kamdev's pair of fishes, as if the moon's orb is their water-vessel.
Now, this is exactly what I mean when I talk about the sheer beauty of the Manas. I honestly can't decide what is more breathtaking; the woman these words are describing, or the words themselves.
Take the fish, for example. They aren't just any fish; they are the fish of Kamdev, the god of love. And they aren't actually fish at all, but rather Sita's eyes. It's a pointer pointing to another pointer, which finally reveals the point.
And then, picturing them playing in the waters of the moon... again, it's that layered metaphor revealing a deeper truth. At its core, he is conveying the most fundamental aspect of beauty; simply that her eyes are gorgeous. But his metaphors elevate the thought to an entirely different realm. He never actually mentions her face, only a moon's orb acting as a water vessel for the fish of love.