संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
वेतनं तस्य विहितं शालिवाहस्य भोजनम्vetanaṃ tasya vihitaṃ śālivāhasya bhojanamthe payment set for him is a cartload of rice food,
महिषौ पुरुषः च एकः यः तत् आदाय गच्छतिmahiṣau puruṣaḥ ca ekaḥ yaḥ tat ādāya gacchatitwo buffaloes and one man who, taking this, goes to him;
एकैकः च एव पुरुषः तत् प्रयच्छति भोजनम्ekaikaḥ ca eva puruṣaḥ tat prayacchati bhojanamand each man in turn delivers that food;
सः वारः बहुभिः वर्षैः भवति असुतरः नरैःsaḥ vāraḥ bahubhiḥ varṣaiḥ bhavati asutaraḥ naraiḥthat turn, coming round through many years, becomes unavoidable for the people;
तद्विमोक्षाय ये च अपि यतन्ते पुरुषाः क्व चित्tadvimokṣāya ye ca api yatante puruṣāḥ kva citand those people who anywhere strive to escape it,
सपुत्रदारान् तान् हत्वा तत् रक्षः भक्षयति उतsaputradārān tān hatvā tat rakṣaḥ bhakṣayati utathose, together with their sons and wives, that rakshasa kills and devours;
पुरुषश्puruṣaśoriginal form "puruṣaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैकोcaikooriginal form "caiko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यस्yasoriginal form "yas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एकैकश्ekaikaśoriginal form "ekaikaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुरुषस्puruṣasoriginal form "puruṣas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वारोvārooriginal form "vāro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बहुभिर्bahubhiroriginal form "bahubhir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वर्षैर्varṣairoriginal form "varṣair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवत्य्bhavatyoriginal form "bhavaty", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
असुतरोasutarooriginal form "asutaro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सपुत्रदारांस्saputradārāṃsoriginal form "saputradārāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
रक्षोrakṣooriginal form "rakṣo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भक्षयत्य्bhakṣayatyoriginal form "bhakṣayaty", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the machinery of tyrannical tribute lays itself bare — doom dressed up as order. It is significant that the horror is set into a rotation "in turn," as if it were a lawful tax: evil that has become custom ceases to horrify and is accepted as inevitable. It is significant, too, that flight is punished by the destruction of the whole family: tyranny leaves no way out, holding its subjects by fear. Habituation to evil, as this arrangement shows, is itself a calamity: a people grown used to handing over their own to be devoured has lost even the thought of resistance. Thus the verse shows how submission to wrong corrupts; and all the brighter will shine the one who dares to break that submission.