पूर्वं निर्जित्य षड्वर्गं जेष्यामो राजमन्त्रिण: । तत: सचिवपौराप्तकरीन्द्रानस्य कण्टकान् ॥ ३ ॥ एवं क्रमेण जेष्याम: पृथ्वीं सागरमेखलाम् । इत्याशाबद्धहृदया न पश्यन्त्यन्तिकेऽन्तकम् ॥ ४ ॥
pūrvaṁ nirjitya ṣaḍ-vargaṁ jeṣyāmo rāja-mantriṇaḥ tataḥ saciva-paurāpta- karīndrān asya kaṇṭakān evaṁ krameṇa jeṣyāmaḥ pṛthvīṁ sāgara-mekhalām ity āśā-baddha-hṛdayā na paśyanty antike ’ntakam
- pūrvam
- first of all
- nirjitya
- conquering
- ṣaṭ-vargam
- the five senses and the mind
- jeṣyāmaḥ
- we will conquer
- rāja-mantriṇaḥ
- the royal ministers
- tataḥ
- then
- saciva
- the personal secretaries
- paura
- the citizens of the capital
- āpta
- the friends
- kari-indrān
- the elephant keepers
- asya
- ridding ourselves of
- kaṇṭakān
- the thorns
- evam
- in this way
- krameṇa
- gradually
- jeṣyāmaḥ
- we shall conquer
- pṛthvīm
- the earth
- sāgara
- the ocean
- mekhalām
- whose girdle
- iti
- thus thinking
- āśā
- by hopes
- baddha
- bound up
- hṛdayāḥ
- their hearts
- na paśyanti
- they do not see
- antike
- nearby
- antakam
- their own end
“Kings and politicians imagine: ‘First I will conquer my senses and mind; then I will subdue my chief ministers and rid myself of the thorn-pricks of my advisors, citizens, friends and relatives, as well as the keepers of my elephants. In this way I will gradually conquer the entire earth.’ Because the hearts of these leaders are bound by great expectations, they fail to see death waiting nearby.