योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-1, chapter-22, verse-19

दृष्ट्वैव सोत्सुकेवाशु प्रगृह्य शिरसि क्षणम् ।
प्रलुनाति जरा देहं कुमारी कैरवं यथा ॥ १९ ॥

dṛṣṭvaiva sotsukevāśu pragṛhya śirasi kṣaṇam ,
pralunāti jarā dehaṃ kumārī kairavaṃ yathā 19

19. dṛṣṭvā eva sa-utsukā iva āśu pragṛhya śirasi
kṣaṇam pralunāti jarā deham kumārī kairavam yathā

19. jarā,
kumārī kairavam yathā (pralunāti),
[tathā] dṛṣṭvā eva,
sa-utsukā iva,
āśu,
kṣaṇam śirasi pragṛhya,
deham pralunāti

19. Just as a young girl, having quickly spotted a water lily and eagerly seized its head for a moment, plucks it, so too does old age swiftly tear apart the body after merely seeing it.

Words meanings summery:

• दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā) - having seen, seeing

• एव (eva) - emphasizes immediacy: 'as soon as it sees' (only, just, indeed, as soon as)

• स-उत्सुका (sa-utsukā) - eager, excited, longing

• इव (iva) - like, as, as if

• आशु (āśu) - quickly, swiftly

• प्रगृह्य (pragṛhya) - having seized, grasping, holding

• शिरसि (śirasi) - Refers to the head of the lotus in the simile, and metaphorically to the initial attack on a man by old age. (on the head, at the top)

• क्षणम् (kṣaṇam) - a moment, for a moment

• प्रलुनाति (pralunāti) - cuts down, tears apart, destroys

• जरा (jarā) - old age, decrepitude

• देहम् (deham) - body

• कुमारी (kumārī) - young girl, maiden

• कैरवम् (kairavam) - white water lily, lotus

• यथा (yathā) - as, just as, in the manner that

Words meanings and morphology

दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā) - having seen, seeing

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed from root dṛś with suffix -tvā

Root: dṛś (class 1)

एव (eva) - emphasizes immediacy: 'as soon as it sees' (only, just, indeed, as soon as)

(indeclinable)

स-उत्सुका (sa-utsukā) - eager, excited, longing

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of sa-utsuka

sa-utsuka - eager, excited, anxious, longing

Compound type : bahuvrihi (sa+utsuka)

• sa – with, together with
  indeclinable
• utsuka – eager, longing, desirous, excited
  adjective (masculine)
  Prefix: ud

Note: Feminine form, referring to 'jarā' (old age) or 'kumārī' (young girl) in the simile.

इव (iva) - like, as, as if

(indeclinable)

आशु (āśu) - quickly, swiftly

(indeclinable)

प्रगृह्य (pragṛhya) - having seized, grasping, holding

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed from root grah with prefix pra, suffix -ya

Prefix: pra

Root: grah (class 9)

शिरसि (śirasi) - Refers to the head of the lotus in the simile, and metaphorically to the initial attack on a man by old age. (on the head, at the top)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of śiras

śiras - head, top, peak

क्षणम् (kṣaṇam) - a moment, for a moment

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of kṣaṇa

kṣaṇa - a moment, instant, twinkling of an eye

Note: Used adverbially to mean 'for a moment'.

प्रलुनाति (pralunāti) - cuts down, tears apart, destroys

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of pralunāti

Root lū (to cut) with prefix pra

Prefix: pra

Root: lū (class 9)

जरा (jarā) - old age, decrepitude

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of jarā

jarā - old age, decrepitude, decay

देहम् (deham) - body

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of deha

deha - body, form, mass

कुमारी (kumārī) - young girl, maiden

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kumārī

kumārī - a young girl, maiden, daughter

Feminine of kumāra

कैरवम् (kairavam) - white water lily, lotus

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of kairava

kairava - a white water lily, a lotus

यथा (yathā) - as, just as, in the manner that

(indeclinable)