Devanagari
वृषं मृणालधवलं मेहन्तमिव बिभ्यतम् ।
वेपमानं पदैकेन सीदन्तं शूद्रताडितम् ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
vṛṣaṁ mṛṇāla-dhavalaṁ
mehantam iva bibhyatam
vepamānaṁ padaikena
sīdantaṁ śūdra-tāḍitam
Synonyms
vṛṣam
—
the bull
;
mṛṇāla
—
dhavalam — as white as a white lotus
;
mehantam
—
urinating
;
iva
—
as if
;
bibhyatam
—
being too afraid
;
vepamānam
—
trembling
;
padā ekena
—
standing on only one leg
;
sīdantam
—
terrified
;
śūdra
—
tāḍitam — being beaten by a śūdra. .
Translation
The bull was as white as a white lotus flower. He was terrified of the śūdra who was beating him, and he was so afraid that he was standing on one leg, trembling and urinating.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The śūdra was beating the bull, white like a water lily, fearful, trembling, weak and standing on one leg, who appeared to be urinating.
Purport
The next symptom of the Age of Kali is that principles of religion, which are all spotlessly white, like the white lotus flower, will be attacked by the uncultured
śūdra
population of the age. They may be descendants of
brāhmaṇa
or
kṣatriya
forefathers, but in the Age of Kali, for want of sufficient education and culture of Vedic wisdom, such a
śūdra-
like population will defy the principles of religion, and persons who are religiously endowed will be terrified by such men. They will declare themselves as adherents of no religious principles, and many “isms” and cults will spring up in Kali-yuga only to kill the spotless bull of religion. The state will be declared to be secular, or without any particular principle of religion, and as a result there will be total indifference to the principles of religion. The citizens will be free to act as they like, without respect for
sādhu, śāstra
and
guru.
The bull standing on one leg indicates that the principles of religion are gradually diminishing. Even the fragmental existence of religious principles will be embarrassed by so many obstacles as if in the trembling condition of falling down at any time.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Mehantam iva means “as if urinating.” This means that Dharma, standing on one leg, was at every moment flowing away. It is a metaphor to express a perishing condition. Trembling of the bull indicated that the bull did not create an opposition to the actions of Kali.