Rig Veda 3.53.23

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

न साय॑कस्य चिकिते जनासो लो॒धं न॑यन्ति॒ पशु॒ मन्य॑मानाः । नावा॑जिनं वा॒जिना॑ हासयन्ति॒ न ग॑र्द॒भं पु॒रो अश्वा॑न्नयन्ति ॥
न सायकस्य चिकिते जनासो लोधं नयन्ति पशु मन्यमानाः । नावाजिनं वाजिना हासयन्ति न गर्दभं पुरो अश्वान्नयन्ति ॥
na sāyakasya cikite janāso lodhaṃ nayanti paśu manyamānāḥ | nāvājinaṃ vājinā hāsayanti na gardabham puro aśvān nayanti ||

English translation:

“Men, (the might) of the destroyer is not known toyou; regarding him as a mere animal, they lead him away desirous (silently to complete his devotions); the wise condescend not to turn the foolish into ridicule, they do not lead the ass before the horse.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Legend: Viśvāmitra was seized and bound by the followers of Vasiṣṭha, when observing a vow of silence. These were the reflections of the sage on the occasion: disparaging the rivalry of Vasiṣṭha with himself, as if between an ass and a horse: sāyakasya = of an arrow;here explained, to destroy, avasānakāriṇaḥ; lodham nayanti = they lead the sage;

Lodha = from lubdham, desirous that his penance might not be frustrated, tapasaḥ kṣayo mā bhūd iti, lobhena tuṣṇīm sthitam ṛṣim paśum manyamāna, thinking the ṛṣi silent through his desire, to be an animal, i.e., stupid; another interpretation in Nirukta:lubdham ṛṣim nayanti paśum manyamānaḥ, they take away the desiring ṛṣi, thinking him an animal; na avājinam vājinā hāsayanti: vājina = from vac, speed, with ina affix; interpreted as srvajña, all knowing; the contrary avajina = mūrkha, a fool

Details:

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): gopavana ātreyaḥ saptavadhrirvā [gopavana ātreya saptavadhrirvā];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): indra:;
Chandas (meter): triṣṭup ;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

न । साय॑कस्य । चि॒कि॒ते॒ । ज॒ना॒सः॒ । लो॒धम् । न॒य॒न्ति॒ । पशु॑ । मन्य॑मानाः । न । अवा॑जिनम् । वा॒जिना॑ । हा॒स॒य॒न्ति॒ । न । ग॒र्द॒भम् । पु॒रः । अश्वा॑त् । न॒य॒न्ति॒ ॥
न । सायकस्य । चिकिते । जनासः । लोधम् । नयन्ति । पशु । मन्यमानाः । न । अवाजिनम् । वाजिना । हासयन्ति । न । गर्दभम् । पुरः । अश्वात् । नयन्ति ॥
na | sāyakasya | cikite | janāsaḥ | lodham | nayanti | paśu | manyamānāḥ | na | avājinam | vājinā | hāsayanti | na | gardabham | puraḥ | aśvāt | nayanti

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 3.53.23 English analysis of grammar]