aho - alas; ubhayataḥ - from both directions; prāptam - received; lokasya - of the people in general; vyasanam - danger; mahat - great; dāruṇi - a log; ubhayataḥ - from both sides; dīpte - burning; iva - like; taskara - from thieves and rogues; pālayoḥ - and from the king.

When the great sages consulted one another, they saw that the people were in a dangerous position from both directions. When a fire blazes on both ends of a log, the ants in the middle are in a very dangerous situation. Similarly, at that time the people in general were in a dangerous position due to an irresponsible king on one side and thieves and rogues on the other.