वसिष्ठस्याश्रमपदं शून्यमासीन्महात्मनः।
मुहूर्तमिव निःशब्दमासीद् ईरिणसन्निभम्॥
वदतो वै वसिष्ठस्य मा भैरिति मुहुर्मुहुः।
नाशयाम्यद्य गाधेयं नीहारमिव भास्करः॥
vasiṣṭhasyāśrama-padaṁ śūnyam āsīn mahātmanaḥ
muhūrtam iva niḥśabdam āsīd īriṇa-sannibham
vadato vai vasiṣṭhasya mā bhair iti muhur muhuḥ
nāśayāmy adya gādheyaṁ nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
vasiṣṭhasya āśrama-padam = Vasiṣṭha’s forest; śūnyam āsīt = became devoid of life; mahā ātmanaḥ = the great soul; muhūrtam iva = for a while; niḥśabdam = and sound; āsīt īriṇa-sannibham = and resembled a barren land; vadataḥ vai = despite telling them [they fled away]; vasiṣṭhasya = Vasiṣṭha; mā bhaiḥ iti = do not fear; muhuḥ muhuḥ = repeatedly; nāśayāmi = I will destroy; adya = today; gādheyam = the son of Gādhi; nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ = just as the sun destroys the mist.
Despite Vasiṣṭha repeatedly telling them, “Do not fear. I will destroy the son of Gādhi today just as the sun destroys the mist,” [they fled away]. For a while, the great soul Vasiṣṭha’s forest became devoid of life and sound, and resembled a barren land.
The forest became devoid of life, that is, it was bereft of even trees and bushes.