Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.14
न शेके सोऽवितुं तत्र पुरुकृच्छ्रोरुवेपथु: ।
गन्तुमैच्छत्ततो वृक्षकोटरादिव सानलात् ॥ १४ ॥
na śeke so ’vituṁ tatra
[na sheke so ’vitum tatra]
puru-kṛcchroru-vepathuḥ
[puru-krichchroru-vepathuh]
gantum aicchat tato vṛkṣa-
[gantum aichchat tato vriksha-]
koṭarād iva sānalāt
[kotaraad iva saanalaat]
Word-for-word
na
—
not
śeke
—
was able
saḥ
—
he
avitum
—
to protect
tatra
—
there
puru
—
very much
kṛcchra
—
difficulty
uru
—
great
vepathuḥ
—
suffering
gantum
—
to go out
aicchat
—
desired
tataḥ
—
from there
vṛkṣa
—
of a tree
koṭarāt
—
from the hollow
iva
—
like
sa-analāt
—
on fire.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na śeke so ’vituṁ tatra
na
not
śeke
was able
puru-kṛcchroru-vepathuḥ
gantum aicchat tato vṛkṣa-
saḥ
he
avitum
to protect
koṭarād iva sānalāt
tatra
there
puru
very much
kṛcchra
difficulty
uru
great
vepathuḥ
suffering
gantum
to go out
aicchat
desired
tataḥ
from there
vṛkṣa
of a tree
koṭarāt
from the hollow
iva
like
sa-analāt
on fire.
As a serpent living within the cavity of a tree wishes to leave when there is a forest fire, so the city’s police superintendent, the snake, wished to leave the city due to the fire’s severe heat.
Purport
It becomes very difficult for snakes to leave a forest when there is a fire. Other animals may flee due to their long legs, but serpents, only being able to crawl, are generally burnt in the fire. At the last stage, the limbs of the body are not as much affected as the life air.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
He could not protect the city. Undergoing great difficulty and quivering to the extreme, he desired to leave the city, just as a snake desires to leave hollow tree which is on fire.
He could not protect the city. He desired to leave just as a snake desire to leave a tree hole which is on fire.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Like a snake in a tree-hollow during a forest fire, the serpent wished to leave the burning city. The vital force naturally seeks to evacuate; you don't have to push it out, you just have to let it go.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I forcing the vital force to stay where it's ready to leave?
- What would 'allowing the snake to leave' look like in my dying-with-dignity preparation?
My note
Source: vedabase.io