11.28 As rivers run to the sea Arjuna speaks
यथा नदीनां बहवोऽम्बुवेगाः समुद्रमेवाभिमुखाः द्रवन्ति
तथा तवामी नरलोकवीरा विशन्ति वक्त्राण्यभिविज्वलन्ति
yathā nadīnāṁ bahavo ’mbu-vegāḥ
samudram evābhimukhā dravanti
tathā tavāmī nara-loka-vīrā
viśhanti vaktrāṇy abhivijvalanti
As the many currents of rivers run toward the sea, so these heroes of the world of men enter your blazing mouths.
Explanation
As rivers run to the sea.
So these heroes of the world of men enter your blazing mouths.
The first of two similes, and it is the gentler one — rivers reach the sea by their own nature, without being driven. The dying is being described as something they are doing.
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- nadīnām
- of the rivers
- bahavaḥ
- many
- ambu-vegāḥ
- water waves
- samudram
- the ocean
- eva
- indeed
- abhimukhāḥ
- toward
- dravanti
- flowing rapidly
- tathā
- similarly
- tava
- your
- amī
- these
- nara-loka-vīrāḥ
- kings of human society
- viśhanti
- enter
- vaktrāṇi
- mouths
- abhivijvalanti
- blazing
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