SAUNDARANANDA 6.36: Mysteries

baaShpeNa taaH klinna-viShaNNa-vaktraa
varShena padminya iv' aardra-padmaaH
sthaan'-aanuruupeNa yath"-aabhimaanaM
nililyire taam anu dahyamaanaaH

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6.36
Their depressed faces wet with tears,

Like lotus ponds with rain-soaked lotuses,

They settled alongside her,
according to rank and as they wished,

And along with her were consumed by grief.

COMMENT:
This verse as I read it is saying something about natural order, harmony, and solidarity establishing itself in a group of women.

Again, this is by no means my specialist subject, but while learning in the field of sound therapy about entrainment and sympathetic resonance, I came across the fact that when women sleep together in a dormitory, after a certain period of time their menstrual cycles naturally start to coincide with each other. Again, it is said that a skillful cowherd can increase his cows' milk yield by keeping the herd together.

A similar mystery of entrainment is that if several grandfather clocks are put together in a room, after some time their pendulae will begin to swing in synch with each other.

How mysterious nature is. How mysterious the Dharma is. And how mysterious women are.

EH Johnston:
Much troubled, and with downcast faces streaming with tears as if they were lotus-ponds when the lotuses are dripping with rain, they sat down beside her according to their position and rank.

FN taam anu also means that they were much troubled in sympathy with her trouble.

Linda Covill:
Distressed, they settled down next to her according to their rank and status, their downcast faces wet with tears, like lotus-pools with rain-soaked lotuses.

VOCABULARY:
baaShpeNa (inst. sg.): m. tears
taaH (nom. pl. f.): they
klinna-viShaNNa-vaktraaH (nom. pl. f.): their sorrowful faces moistened
klinna: mfn. moistened , wet
viShaNNa: mfn. dejected , sad , desponding , sorrowful , downcast
viShad: (vsad) to be exhausted or dejected , despond , despair ; to sink down , be immersed in
vaktra: face

varShena (inst. sg.): m. rain
padminyaH = nom. pl. padminii: f. a multitude of lotuses or a lotus-pond
padmin: mfn. possessing lotuses
iva: like
aardra-padmaaH (nom. pl. f.): wet-lotused
aardra: mfn. wet , moist , damp
padma: m. lotus

sthaan'-aanuruupeNa (inst.): ind. according to station
sthaana: n. act of standing; position ; station , rank , office
anuruupa: mfn. following the form , conformable , corresponding , according to
yath"-aabhimaanam (acc. sg. n.): according to self-esteem / desire
yathaa: ind. according to
abhimaana: m. high opinion of one's self , self-conceit , pride , haughtiness ; conception (especially an erroneous one regarding one's self) ; affection, desire
abhi- √ man: to think of , long for , desire ; to think of self ; to think , suppose , imagine , take for (acc.)

nililyire = 3rd. pers. pl. ni- √ lii : to settle down (esp. applied to the alighting of birds) , alight , descend
taam (acc. sg. f.): her
anu: (As a separable preposition , with accusative) after , along , over , near to , through , to , towards , at , according to , in order , agreeably to , in regard to , inferior to ; (As a separable adverb) after , afterwards , thereupon , again , further , then , next.
dahyamaanaaH = nom. pl. f. pres. part. passive dah: to be burnt, to be consumed by internal heat or grief , suffer pain , be distressed or vexed