paryaṭan ratham āsthāya
niraṅkuśa iva dvipaḥ
paryaṭan ratham āsthāya
kampayann iva rodasī
Blind, intoxicated, proud and uncontrollable, like and elephant, he traveled on his chariot around the earth, causing the earth and sky to tremble.
|| 4.14.6 ||
na yaṣṭavyaṁ na dātavyaṁ
na hotavyaṁ dvijāḥ kvacit
iti nyavārayad dharmaṁ
bherī-ghoṣeṇa sarvaśaḥ
“O brāhmaṇas! No more sacrifice, no more charity, nor more oblations!” He stopped performance of dharma with the sound of drums everywhere.
|| 4.14.7 ||
venasyāvekṣya munayo
durvṛttasya viceṣṭitam
vimṛśya loka-vyasanaṁ
kṛpayocuḥ sma satriṇaḥ
Seeing the activities of sinful Vena and considering the danger to the people, the sages, with compassion, spoke among themselves.
|| 4.14.8 ||
aho ubhayataḥ prāptaṁ
lokasya vyasanaṁ mahat
dāruṇy ubhayato dīpte
iva taskara-pālayoḥ
The people have great danger from both sides—from the thieves and from the King, like a log burning at both ends.
When a log burns from the root and the tip, the ants in the middle have danger from both sides. The citizens must flee to a fort out of fear of thieves and in the state they must fear their protector, the King.
|| 4.14.9 ||
arājaka-bhayād eṣa
kṛto rājātad-arhaṇaḥ
tato 'py āsīd bhayaṁ tv adya
kathaṁ syāt svasti dehinām
Fearing a state without a King, they had made Vena King though he was not qualified. Therefore there was now fear of him. How will the people be happy?
Atad-arhaṇaḥ means “not qualified to be King.”
|| 4.14.10 ||
aher iva payaḥ-poṣaḥ
poṣakasyāpy anartha-bhṛt
venaḥ prakṛtyaiva khalaḥ
sunīthā-garbha-sambhavaḥ
By nature Vena is wicked, being born from the womb of Sunīthā. He is like a snake nourished by milk, which is a cause of danger for its maintainer.
What to speak of being a danger to the citizens! We have made him the King but he now punishes us by announcing that we cannot perform sacrifice.
|| 4.14.11 ||
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