यथा नदीनां बहवोऽम्बुवेगाः समुद्रमेवाभिमुखा द्रवन्ति ।तथा तवामी नरलोकवीरा विशन्ति वक्त्राण्यभिविज्वलन्ति ॥
yathā nadīnāṃ bahavo 'mbu-vegāḥ samudram evābhimukhā dravanti |tathā tavāmī nara-loka-vīrā viśanti vaktrāṇy abhivijvalanti ||
- यथा · yathā
- as
- नदीनाम् · nadīnām
- of rivers
- अम्बुवेगाः · ambu-vegāḥ
- torrents of water
- समुद्रम् · samudram
- the ocean
- अभिमुखाः · abhimukhāḥ
- facing toward
- द्रवन्ति · dravanti
- they rush
- नरलोकवीराः · nara-loka-vīrāḥ
- heroes of the world of men
- अभिविज्वलन्ति · abhivijvalanti
- blazing forth
“As the many torrents of rivers rush facing toward the ocean alone, so these heroes of the human world enter your blazing mouths.”
— Original plain-language translation
The first of two famous similes: rivers seeking the sea. The image is double-edged — natural, inevitable motion, yet ending in dissolution. All striving flows one way, into the one mouth.
— Reader's notes (original)