Verse 6.4.4

यद्विद्युतो रोहितंरूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं तदन्नस्यापागाद्विद्युतो विद्युत्त्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम् ॥ ६.४.४ ॥

yadvidyuto rohitaṃrūpaṃ tejasastadrūpaṃ yacchuklaṃ tadapāṃ yatkṛṣṇaṃ tadannasyāpāgādvidyuto vidyuttvaṃ vācārambhaṇaṃ vikāro nāmadheyaṃ trīṇi rūpāṇītyeva satyam || 6.4.4 ||

4. The red colour of lightning is from fire, the white colour is from water, and the dark colour is from earth. Thus that which constitutes the ‘lightning’-ness of lightning is gone. All changes are mere words, in name only. The three colours are the reality.

Word-for-word explanation:

Yat vidyutaḥ rohitam rūpam, that red colour of lightning; tat rūpam tejasaḥ, that colour is from fire; yat śuklam, that which is white; tat apām, that is from water; yat kṛṣṇam, that which is dark; tat annasya, that is from earth [lit., food]; vidyutaḥ vidyuttvam apāgāt, [thus] the ‘lightning’-ness of lightning is gone; vācārambhaṇam nāmadheyam vikāraḥ, all changes are mere words, in name only; trīṇi rūpāṇi iti eva satyam, only the three colours are the reality [i.e., outside of the three colours, there is no lightning].

Commentary:

There is no commentary available for this verse.