Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.17.11
खराश्च कर्कशै: क्षत्त: खुरैर्घ्नन्तो धरातलम् ।
खार्काररभसा मत्ता: पर्यधावन् वरूथश: ॥ ११ ॥
kharāś ca karkaśaiḥ kṣattaḥ
[kharaash cha karkashaih kshattah]
khurair ghnanto dharā-talam
[khurair ghnanto dharaa-talam]
khārkāra-rabhasā mattāḥ
[khaarkaara-rabhasaa mattaah]
paryadhāvan varūthaśaḥ
[paryadhaavan varoothashah]
Word-for-word
kharāḥ
—
asses
ca
—
and
karkaśaiḥ
—
hard
kṣattaḥ
—
O Vidura
khuraiḥ
—
with their hooves
ghnantaḥ
—
striking
dharā-talam
—
the surface of the earth
khāḥ-kāra
—
braying
rabhasāḥ
—
wildly engaged in
mattāḥ
—
mad
paryadhāvan
—
ran hither and thither
varūthaśaḥ
—
in herds.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kharāś ca karkaśaiḥ kṣattaḥ
kharāḥ
asses
ca
and
karkaśaiḥ
hard
kṣattaḥ
O Vidura
khurair ghnanto dharā-talam
khuraiḥ
with their hooves
ghnantaḥ
striking
dharā-talam
the surface of the earth
khārkāra-rabhasā mattāḥ
khāḥ-kāra
braying
rabhasāḥ
wildly engaged in
mattāḥ
mad
paryadhāvan varūthaśaḥ
paryadhāvan
ran hither and thither
varūthaśaḥ
in herds.
O Vidura, the asses ran hither and thither in herds, striking the earth with their hard hooves and wildly braying.
Purport
Asses also feel very respectable as a race, and when they run in flocks hither and thither in so-called jollity, it is understood to be a bad sign for human society.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O Vidura! Wild Asses ran about in herds, striking the earth with their hard hooves and braying in glee.
O Vidura! The asses were joyful (rabhasā), making braying sounds.
Personal Guidance
The verse points beyond impersonal abstraction to a Lord who hears, acts, and relates. Spiritual life gets real once we stop talking about Him and start talking to Him.
Reflection Questions
- What in your life are you treating as 'mine' that the verse would call 'His'?
- What would change if you treated one possession this week as belonging to the Lord and on loan to you?
My note
Source: vedabase.io