महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-309, verse-18

तिष्ठन्तं च शयानं च मृत्युरन्वेषते यदा ।
निर्वृतिं लभसे कस्मादकस्मान्मृत्युनाशितः ॥१८॥

18. tiṣṭhantaṁ ca śayānaṁ ca mṛtyuranveṣate yadā ,
nirvṛtiṁ labhase kasmādakasmānmṛtyunāśitaḥ.

18. tiṣṭhantam ca śayānam ca mṛtyuḥ anveṣate yadā
nirvṛtim labhase kasmāt akasmāt mṛtyunāśitaḥ

18. yadā mṛtyuḥ tiṣṭhantam ca śayānam ca (naram) anveṣate,
(tarhi) kasmāt akasmāt mṛtyunāśitaḥ nirvṛtim labhase

18. When Death pursues (all beings), whether standing or sleeping, why do you seek tranquility (nirvṛti), you who are suddenly destroyed by Death?

Words meanings summery:

• तिष्ठन्तम् (tiṣṭhantam) - a person who is active or awake (standing, staying, existing)

• च (ca) - conjunction (and, also)

• शयानम् (śayānam) - a person who is inactive or asleep (sleeping, lying down, resting)

• च (ca) - conjunction (and, also)

• मृत्युः (mṛtyuḥ) - the personified force of death (death)

• अन्वेषते (anveṣate) - Death actively hunts for beings (seeks, pursues, searches for)

• यदा (yadā) - introduces a temporal clause (when, at what time)

• निर्वृतिम् (nirvṛtim) - ultimate peace, freedom from suffering (nirvāṇa) (cessation, tranquility, happiness, liberation (nirvāṇa))

• लभसे (labhase) - why do you expect to gain, or why are you satisfied with getting (you obtain, you gain, you get)

• कस्मात् (kasmāt) - introduces a rhetorical question: 'for what reason?' (from what, why)

• अकस्मात् (akasmāt) - Death strikes without warning or apparent reason (suddenly, unexpectedly, without cause)

• मृत्युनाशितः (mṛtyunāśitaḥ) - one who is destined to be destroyed by death (destroyed by death)

Words meanings and morphology

तिष्ठन्तम् (tiṣṭhantam) - a person who is active or awake (standing, staying, existing)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of tiṣṭhat

tiṣṭhat - standing, staying, existing, remaining

Present Active Participle

From root 'sthā' (to stand) + śatṛ suffix

Root: sthā (class 1)

च (ca) - conjunction (and, also)

(indeclinable)

शयानम् (śayānam) - a person who is inactive or asleep (sleeping, lying down, resting)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of śayāna

śayāna - sleeping, lying down, resting, being at ease

Present Active Participle (Ātmanepada)

From root 'śī' (to lie down, sleep) + śānac suffix

Root: śī (class 2)

च (ca) - conjunction (and, also)

(indeclinable)

मृत्युः (mṛtyuḥ) - the personified force of death (death)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mṛtyu

mṛtyu - death, mortality, the god of death

From root 'mṛ' (to die)

Root: mṛ (class 6)

अन्वेषते (anveṣate) - Death actively hunts for beings (seeks, pursues, searches for)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of anveṣ

Present 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada)

From root 'iṣ' (to seek) with prefix 'anu-', 4th class

Prefix: anu

Root: iṣ (class 4)

यदा (yadā) - introduces a temporal clause (when, at what time)

(indeclinable)

From 'ya' (relative pronoun) + 'dā' suffix

निर्वृतिम् (nirvṛtim) - ultimate peace, freedom from suffering (nirvāṇa) (cessation, tranquility, happiness, liberation (nirvāṇa))

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of nirvṛti

nirvṛti - cessation, completion, final beatitude, tranquility, happiness, liberation

From root 'vṛt' (to be, exist) with prefix 'nir-' (out, cessation)

Prefix: nis

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Object of 'labhase'

लभसे (labhase) - why do you expect to gain, or why are you satisfied with getting (you obtain, you gain, you get)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of labh

Present 2nd person singular (Ātmanepada)

Root 'labh', 1st class, middle voice

Root: labh (class 1)

Note: Subject is implied 'you'

कस्मात् (kasmāt) - introduces a rhetorical question: 'for what reason?' (from what, why)

(pronoun)

Ablative, singular of kim

kim - what, who, which

Ablative singular of 'kim' (what/who)

Note: Used to ask 'why'

अकस्मात् (akasmāt) - Death strikes without warning or apparent reason (suddenly, unexpectedly, without cause)

(indeclinable)

Formed from 'a' (not) + 'kasmāt' (from what cause) implying 'without any specific cause'

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+kasmāt)

• a – not, un-
  indeclinable
  Negative prefix
• kasmāt – from what, why
  indeclinable
  Ablative of 'kim'

Note: Modifies 'mṛtyunāśitaḥ'

मृत्युनाशितः (mṛtyunāśitaḥ) - one who is destined to be destroyed by death (destroyed by death)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mṛtyunāśita

mṛtyunāśita - destroyed by death

Compound of 'mṛtyu' (death) and 'nāśita' (destroyed), which is a Past Passive Participle (from causative of root 'naś')

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (mṛtyu+nāśita)

• mṛtyu – death, mortality
  noun (masculine)
  From root 'mṛ' (to die)
  Root: mṛ (class 6)
• nāśita – destroyed, ruined, caused to perish
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle (Causative)
  From causative of root 'naś' (to perish) + kta suffix
  Root: naś (class 4)

Note: Appositive to the implicit 'you'