महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-73, verse-19

अनित्यं किल मर्त्यस्य चित्तं पार्थ चलाचलम् ।
वातवेगप्रचलिता अष्ठीला शाल्मलेरिव ॥१९॥

19. anityaṁ kila martyasya cittaṁ pārtha calācalam ,
vātavegapracalitā aṣṭhīlā śālmaleriva.

19. anityam kila martyasya cittam pārtha calācalam
vātavegāpracalitā aṣṭhīlā śālmaleḥ iva

19. O Pārtha, the mind (citta) of a mortal being is indeed impermanent and extremely unsteady, like a hard block (aṣṭhīlā) from a silk-cotton tree that is agitated by the force of the wind.

Words meanings summery:

• अनित्यम् (anityam) - impermanent, transient, not eternal

• किल (kila) - Emphasizes certainty or common knowledge. (indeed, certainly, perhaps, it is said)

• मर्त्यस्य (martyasya) - of a mortal, belonging to a mortal

• चित्तम् (cittam) - mind, thought, consciousness, heart

• पार्थ (pārtha) - A vocative address to Arjuna. (O son of Pṛthā)

• चलाचलम् (calācalam) - extremely unsteady, restless, oscillating

• वातवेगाप्रचलिता (vātavegāpracalitā) - agitated/moved by the force of the wind

• अष्ठीला (aṣṭhīlā) - a hard block, a stone, a rock, a lump

• शाल्मलेः (śālmaleḥ) - of the silk-cotton tree

• इव (iva) - like, as, as if

Words meanings and morphology

अनित्यम् (anityam) - impermanent, transient, not eternal

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of anitya

anitya - impermanent, transient, not eternal, perishable

From a (negation) + nitya (eternal, constant).

Note: Agrees with cittam.

किल (kila) - Emphasizes certainty or common knowledge. (indeed, certainly, perhaps, it is said)

(indeclinable)

Particle.

मर्त्यस्य (martyasya) - of a mortal, belonging to a mortal

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of martya

martya - mortal, human being, a mortal man

From mṛta (dead) or mṛ (to die).

Root: √mṛ (class 6)

Note: Possessive, referring to the mind of a mortal.

चित्तम् (cittam) - mind, thought, consciousness, heart

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of citta

citta - mind, thought, consciousness, intellect, heart

Past Passive Participle

From root √cit (to perceive, to be conscious).

Root: √cit (class 1)

Note: Subject of the sentence.

पार्थ (pārtha) - A vocative address to Arjuna. (O son of Pṛthā)

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pārtha

pārtha - son of Pṛthā (Kuntī), an epithet of Arjuna

From Pṛthā (mother of Arjuna) + aṇ suffix.

चलाचलम् (calācalam) - extremely unsteady, restless, oscillating

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of calācala

calācala - moving and not moving, unsteady, restless, oscillating

Reduplicative compound from cala (moving).

Note: Agrees with cittam.

वातवेगाप्रचलिता (vātavegāpracalitā) - agitated/moved by the force of the wind

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of vātavegāpracalitā

vātavegāpracalitā - moved by the speed/force of the wind

Past Passive Participle

Compound: vāta (wind) + vega (speed/force) + pracalitā (moved, agitated).

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (vāta+vega+pracalitā)

• vāta – wind, air
  noun (masculine)
• vega – speed, force, velocity, impulse
  noun (masculine)
  From root √vij (to move rapidly).
  Root: √vij (class 6)
• pracalitā – moved, agitated, set in motion
  adjective (feminine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From pra (prefix) + root √cal (to move) + -ta suffix.
  Prefix: pra
  Root: √cal (class 1)

Note: Agrees with aṣṭhīlā.

अष्ठीला (aṣṭhīlā) - a hard block, a stone, a rock, a lump

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of aṣṭhīlā

aṣṭhīlā - a stone, a rock, a hard lump, an anvil

Note: Subject of the simile.

शाल्मलेः (śālmaleḥ) - of the silk-cotton tree

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, singular of śālmalī

śālmalī - silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba)

Note: Possessive, indicating the origin of the block.

इव (iva) - like, as, as if

(indeclinable)

Particle used for comparison.