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.

19. ברגע שהיא רואה אותו, הזקנה אוחזת בראשו בלהט וקורעת את גופו כהרף עין, ממש כמו נערה הקוטפת חבצלת מים.

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)

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