उल्काश्चापि सनिर्धाता निपेतुर्घोरदर्शनाः।
प्रचचाल मही सर्वा सशैलवनकानना॥
ulkāś cāpi sanirghātā nipetur ghora-darśanāḥ
pracacāla mahī sarvā saśaila-vana-kānanā
ulkāḥ ca api = bright meteors; sanirghātāḥ = with a nirghāta; nipetuḥ = fell; ghora-darśanāḥ = that were terrible to behold; pracacāla = shook; mahī = earth; sarvā = the entire; sa-śaila-vana-kānanā = with its mountains, forests and orchards.
Bright meteors that were terrible to behold fell with a nirghāta. The entire earth shook with its mountains, forests and orchards.
1 This translation also takes into consideration the definition of nirghāta presented in the commentary to Rāmāyaṇa 1.67.18: vāyunābhihato vāyur gaganāt patati kṣitau, yadā dīptaḥ khaga-rutaḥ sa nirghāto ’tidoṣakṛt: “Nirghāta is the phenomenon when wind clashes with wind and falls on the earth from the sky, and when the sound of the birds [in the sky under that circumstance] is excited. It creates extreme disturbance.”
Varāha Mihira states in this regard:
pavanābhihatā gaganād avanau ca yadā samāpatati
bhavati tadā nirghātaḥ sa ca pāpo dīrgha-khaga-virutaḥ
“When wind clashes [with wind] and falls from the sky to the earth, a nirghāta takes place. It is painful and causes the birds to cry out for a long [period of time].”1