aśanirguṇasasyānāṃ phalitā śaradāpadām / himaṃ saṃvitsarojānāṃ tamasāṃ dīrghayāminī // 
It burns away our good qualities as electric fire does the hay; it numbs our good sense as the frost freezes the lotus; it grows our evils as autumn does the grass; and it increases our ignorance as the winter prolongs the night.  