३.२८.२०

सर्वथा तु लघुत्वं ते कत्थनेन विदर्शितम् ।
सुवर्णप्रतिरूपेण तप्तेनेव कुशाग्निना ॥

अन्वयः

कत्थनेन by boasting, तप्तेन heated, सुवर्णप्रतिरूपेण looking like gold, कुशाग्निना इव by the fire of kusa grass, सर्वथैव by all means, ते your, लघुत्वम् meanness, विदर्शितम् is exhibited.

M N Dutt

As brass wearing the semblance of gold, displays its own defect on being heated*, with a fire lit with Kusa, so you have betrayed your own lightness by this speech of yours. i.c. becomes dusky, (Ramanuja).

Summary

All your meanness is exhibited by your boasting just as the kusa grass caught by fire appears like gold.

पदच्छेदः

सर्वथासर्वथा (अव्ययः)
तुतु (अव्ययः)
लघुत्वंलघु–त्व (१.१)
तेत्वद् (६.१)
कत्थनेनकत्थन (३.१)
विदर्शितम्विदर्शित (√वि-दर्शय् + क्त, १.१)
सुवर्णप्रतिरूपेणसुवर्ण–प्रतिरूप (३.१)
तप्तेनेवतप्त (√तप् + क्त, ३.१)–इव (अव्ययः)
कुशाग्निनाकुश–अग्नि (३.१)

छन्दः

अनुष्टुप् [८]

छन्दोविश्लेषणम्

र्व थातु घु त्वं ते
त्थ नेविर्शि तम्
सु र्णप्रति रू पे
प्ते नेकु शाग्नि ना