नयनाभ्यां प्रसुप्तोऽपि जागर्ति नयचक्षुषा।
व्यक्तक्रोधप्रसादश्च स राजा पूज्यते जनैः॥
nayanābhyāṁ prasupto ’pi jāgarti naya-cakṣuṣā
vyakta-krodha-prasādaś ca sa rājā pūjyate janaiḥ
nayanābhyām = with his two eyes [closed]; prasuptaḥ = he is asleep; api = though; jāgarti = who is awake; naya-cakṣuṣā = with his eye of wisdom [open]; vyakta-krodha-prasādaḥ = who [successfully] manifests his anger and satisfaction; ca = and; saḥ = a; rājā = king; pūjyate = is honored; janaiḥ = by people.
A king, who is awake with his eye of wisdom [open], though he is asleep with his two eyes [closed] and who [successfully] manifests his anger and satisfaction is honored by people.1
1 “[Successfully] manifests his anger and satisfaction” refers to a king who can successfully punish those he is angry with and successfully reward those he is satisfied with. A king who can’t do that is incompetent for all practical purposes.
“He is awake” means “He is alert.”