the deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the bee
नरःnaraḥ
the human being
पञ्चभिः अञ्चितःpañcabhiḥ añcitaḥ
equipped with all the five
किम्kim
what to talk of?
Translation
The five (hapless) beings – the deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the bee – merge in the five elements (die) bound by own nature (attachment to one sense object). What to talk of the human being who is equipped with all these five senses?
Annotation
Human behavior is not much different from that of animals with respect to sense gratification. Each of the five animals in the above verse exhibits preference to one particular sense object. The deer gets attracted by music, elephant loves touch, the beetle loves the red flame and runs into it, the fish loves the taste and the bee loves the smell. The five sense objects are mentioned here. The human being gets dragged by all the five.