स ह प्रातः संजिहान उवाच यद्बतान्नस्य लभेमहि लभेमहि धनमात्रांराजासौ यक्ष्यते स मा सर्वैरार्त्विज्यैर्वृणीतेति ॥ १.१०.६ ॥
sa ha prātaḥ saṃjihāna uvāca yadbatānnasya labhemahi labhemahi dhanamātrāṃrājāsau yakṣyate sa mā sarvairārtvijyairvṛṇīteti || 1.10.6 ||
6. While leaving bed the next morning, Uṣasti said to his wife: ‘Oh, if only I could get something to eat, I could then earn some money. The king over there is going to perform a sacrifice, and very likely he would have entrusted to me all the work of a ṛtvik [a priest at a sacrifice]’.
Word-for-word explanation:
Saḥ, he [Uṣasti]; prātaḥ, in the morning; sañjihānaḥ, while getting up from bed; ha uvāca, said [to his wife]; yat bata, oh, if only; annasya labhemahi, I could get some food; labhemahi dhanamātrām, I could earn a little money; asau, over there; rājā, the king; yakṣyate, is performing a sacrifice; saḥ, he [the king]; mā, me; sarvaiḥ ārtvijyaiḥ, all the work of a ṛtvik [a priest who sings hymns or otherwise helps with the performance of a sacrifice]; vṛṇīta iti, would have appointed.
Commentary:
Uṣasti was a highly qualified ṛtvik, and he hoped the king would appoint him to assist at the sacrifice he was going to perform. If that hope of his materialized, he would then be able to earn some money. The snag was, however, that he was too weak from hunger to do anything. If he could only get something to eat!