ह्रद इव तिमिनागसंवृतः स्तिमितजलो मणिशङ्खशर्करः।
दशरथसुतशोभिता सभा सदशरथेव बभौ यथा पुरा॥
hrada iva timi-nāga-saṁvṛtaḥ
stimita-jalo maṇi-śaṅkha-śarkaraḥ
daśaratha-suta-śobhitā sabhā
sadaśaratheva babhau yathā purā
hradaḥ iva = resembling a lake; timi-nāga-saṁvṛtaḥ = containing whales and serpents; stimita-jalaḥ = with still water; maṇi-śaṅkha-śarkaraḥ = and filled with jewels, conches and gravel; daśaratha-suta-śobhitā = beautified by Daśaratha’s son; sabhā = the assembly hall; sadaśarathaḥ = with Daśaratha; iva = like it did; babhau = shone; yathā purā = in the past.
Beautified by Daśaratha’s son, the assembly hall shone like it did in the past with Daśaratha resembling a lake with still water containing whales and serpents, and filled with jewels, conches and gravel.
[1] ratnaṁ sva-jāti-śreṣṭhe ’pi (Amara).
[2] maṇi-dvayor aśma-jātau muktādike ’pi ca (Amara).
The lake referred to here is one connected to a sea for it is said to contain whales, conches and so on.
Here Vasiṣṭha is compared to the still waters, whales and serpents are compared to Bharata and Śatrughna, and jewels and so on are compared to the ministers and others.