CC Antya 16.129
TEXT 129
śuṣka bāṅśera lāṭhikhāna, eta kare apamāna,
ei daśā karila, gosāñi
nā sahi’ ki karite pāri, tāhe rahi mauna dhari’,
corāra māke ḍāki’ kāndite nāi
SYNONYMS
śuṣka—dry; bāṅśera—of bamboo; lāṭhi-khāna—a stick; eta—this; kare apamāna—insults; ei—this; daśā—condition; karila—made; gosāñi—the master; nā sahi’—not tolerating; ki—what; karite pāri—can we do; tāhe—at that time; rahi—we remain; mauna dhari’—keeping silent; corāra—of a thief; māke—for the mother; ḍāki’—calling; kāndite—to cry; nāi—is not possible.
TRANSLATION
“This flute is nothing but a dry stick of bamboo, but it becomes our master and insults us in so many ways that it forces us into a predicament. What can we do but tolerate it? The mother of a thief cannot cry loudly for justice when the thief is punished. Therefore we simply remain silent.