ओष्ठौ परिलिहञ्शुष्कौ नेत्रैरनिमिषैरिव।
मृतभूत इवार्तस्तु रावणं समुदैक्षत॥
oṣṭhau parilihañ śuṣkau netrair animiṣair iva
mṛta-bhūta ivārtas tu rāvaṇaṁ samudaikṣata
oṣṭhau = lips; parilihan = licking; śuṣkau = his dry; netraiḥ = eyes; animiṣaiḥ iva = with unblinking; mṛta-bhūtaḥ = he was a dead creature; iva = as if; ārtaḥ tu = in distress; rāvaṇam = at Rāvaṇa; samudaikṣata = he looked up.
Licking his dry lips, he looked up at Rāvaṇa as if he was a dead creature in distress with unblinking eyes.
1 Because Mārīca repeatedly whirled about his head in fear, he appeared to have many eyes, not just two. In Sanskrit grammar, plural number refers to three or more things or persons.
2 Many unblinking eyes refers to twenty eyes—two for each head since he had ten heads. Rāmāyaṇa-bhāva-dīpa: yad vā animiṣair netrair upalakṣmitaṁ rāvaṇaṁ samudaikṣatety adhyāhāreṇānvayaḥ.
GLOSS. Netraiḥ appears in the plural number [and not in the dual number] because [Mārīca] repeatedly whirled about in fear.1 [Netrair animiṣair iva can also be connected to rāvaṇam which indicates that] Mārīca looked up at Rāvaṇa who had many unblinking eyes.2