महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-317, verse-22

निमेषमात्रमपि हि वयो गच्छन्न तिष्ठति ।
स्वशरीरेष्वनित्येषु नित्यं किमनुचिन्तयेत् ॥२२॥

22. nimeṣamātramapi hi vayo gacchanna tiṣṭhati ,
svaśarīreṣvanityeṣu nityaṁ kimanucintayet.

22. nimeṣamātram api hi vayaḥ gacchan na tiṣṭhati
svaśarīreṣu anityeṣu nityam kim anucintayet

22. hi nimeṣamātram api vayaḥ gacchan na tiṣṭhati
anityeṣu svaśarīreṣu kim nityam anucintayet

22. Indeed, life does not stand still even for a moment; it is constantly moving on. In one's own impermanent bodies, what lasting thing should one contemplate?

Words meanings summery:

• निमेषमात्रम् (nimeṣamātram) - just a wink, only a moment

• अपि (api) - even, also, too

• हि (hi) - indeed, surely, for

• वयः (vayaḥ) - life, lifespan (age, life, youth)

• गच्छन् (gacchan) - moving on, passing (going, moving, proceeding)

• न (na) - not, no

• तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati) - stands still, remains in place (stands, stays, remains, stands still)

• स्वशरीरेषु (svaśarīreṣu) - in one's own bodies

• अनित्येषु (anityeṣu) - in impermanent, in transient

• नित्यम् (nityam) - a lasting, permanent thing (permanently, eternally; a permanent thing)

• किम् (kim) - what?, which?, why?

• अनुचिन्तयेत् (anucintayet) - one should contemplate, one should reflect upon

Words meanings and morphology

निमेषमात्रम् (nimeṣamātram) - just a wink, only a moment

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of nimeṣamātra

nimeṣamātra - only a wink, just an instant, merely a moment

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nimeṣa+mātra)

• nimeṣa – a wink, a twinkle of the eye, an instant
  noun (masculine)
  from ni-√miṣ (to wink)
  Prefix: ni
  Root: miṣ (class 4)
• mātra – measure, quantity, only, merely
  adjective (neuter)

Note: Used adverbially, 'for a moment'.

अपि (api) - even, also, too

(indeclinable)

हि (hi) - indeed, surely, for

(indeclinable)

वयः (vayaḥ) - life, lifespan (age, life, youth)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of vayas

vayas - age, life, youth, strength, vigor

Note: Subject of `tiṣṭhati`.

गच्छन् (gacchan) - moving on, passing (going, moving, proceeding)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of gacchat

gacchat - going, moving, passing, reaching

present active participle

from √gam (to go)

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Qualifies `vayaḥ`. While `vayaḥ` is neuter, the participle `gacchan` (masculine) describes life acting as an agent.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati) - stands still, remains in place (stands, stays, remains, stands still)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present indicative (laṭ) of sthā

present indicative

3rd person singular present active, class 1 (Pāṇinian) with stem `tiṣṭha-`

Root: sthā (class 1)

स्वशरीरेषु (svaśarīreṣu) - in one's own bodies

(noun)

Locative, neuter, plural of svaśarīra

svaśarīra - one's own body

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sva+śarīra)

• sva – one's own, self
  pronoun (masculine)
• śarīra – body
  noun (neuter)

अनित्येषु (anityeṣu) - in impermanent, in transient

(adjective)

Locative, neuter, plural of anitya

anitya - impermanent, transient, non-eternal

Negative of `nitya`

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+nitya)

• a – not, non
  indeclinable
  Negative prefix
• nitya – eternal, permanent, constant, always
  adjective (masculine)

Note: Agrees with `svaśarīreṣu`.

नित्यम् (nityam) - a lasting, permanent thing (permanently, eternally; a permanent thing)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of nitya

nitya - eternal, permanent, constant, always, habitual

Note: Used substantively here, as the object of contemplation.

किम् (kim) - what?, which?, why?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - who?, what?, which?, why?

interrogative pronoun

Note: Can also be accusative here, functioning as the direct object of `anucintayet`.

अनुचिन्तयेत् (anucintayet) - one should contemplate, one should reflect upon

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi liṅ) of anucint

optative mood

3rd person singular optative active, from anu-√cit (class 10)

Prefix: anu

Root: cit (class 10)