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ŚB 4.14.8

Devanagari

अहो उभयत: प्राप्तं लोकस्य व्यसनं महत् ।
दारुण्युभयतो दीप्ते इव तस्करपालयो: ॥ ८ ॥

Text

aho ubhayataḥ prāptaṁ
lokasya vyasanaṁ mahat
dāruṇy ubhayato dīpte
iva taskara-pālayoḥ

Synonyms

aho — alas; ubhayataḥ — from both directions; prāptam — received; lokasya — of the people in general; vyasanam — danger; mahat — great; dāruṇi — a log; ubhayataḥ — from both sides; dīpte — burning; iva — like; taskara — from thieves and rogues; pālayoḥ — and from the king.

Translation

When the great sages consulted one another, they saw that the people were in a dangerous position from both directions. When a fire blazes on both ends of a log, the ants in the middle are in a very dangerous situation. Similarly, at that time the people in general were in a dangerous position due to an irresponsible king on one side and thieves and rogues on the other.