योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-3, chapter-66, verse-22

अपि प्राणांस्तृणमिव जयन्तीह महाशयाः ।
यत्राभिलाषस्तन्मात्रत्यागे कृपणता कथम् ॥ २२ ॥

api prāṇāṃstṛṇamiva jayantīha mahāśayāḥ ,
yatrābhilāṣastanmātratyāge kṛpaṇatā katham 22

22. api prāṇān tṛṇam iva jayanti iha mahāśayāḥ
yatra abhilāṣaḥ tat mātra tyāge kṛpaṇatā katham

22. iha mahāśayāḥ api prāṇān tṛṇam iva jayanti
yatra abhilāṣaḥ tat mātra tyāge kṛpaṇatā katham

22. Here, great-souled individuals easily overcome (treat as nothing) even their own lives as if they were grass. So, how can there be any reluctance or difficulty in merely giving up that towards which one has desire?

Words meanings summery:

• अपि (api) - even (even, also, too, particle of emphasis)

• प्राणान् (prāṇān) - lives (breaths, lives, vital airs)

• तृणम् (tṛṇam) - grass (as something worthless) (grass, blade of grass, straw)

• इव (iva) - like (like, as, as if)

• जयन्ति (jayanti) - they overcome (or disregard) (they conquer, they overcome, they win)

• इह (iha) - here (in this world/context) (here, in this world, now)

• महाशयाः (mahāśayāḥ) - great-souled individuals (great-souled ones, noble-minded ones)

• यत्र (yatra) - where (where, in which place)

• अभिलाषः (abhilāṣaḥ) - desire (desire, wish, longing)

• तत् (tat) - that (referring to the object of desire) (that, it)

• मात्र (mātra) - merely (only, mere, merely)

• त्यागे (tyāge) - in the abandonment (in abandoning, in giving up, in renunciation)

• कृपणता (kṛpaṇatā) - difficulty (or unwillingness/reluctance) (miserliness, poverty, wretchedness, meanness, difficulty)

• कथम् (katham) - how (can there be?) (how, why, in what manner)

Words meanings and morphology

अपि (api) - even (even, also, too, particle of emphasis)

(indeclinable)

प्राणान् (prāṇān) - lives (breaths, lives, vital airs)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of prāṇa

prāṇa - breath, life, vital air

From root √an (to breathe) with upasarga pra-

Prefix: pra

Root: √an (class 2)

Note: Object of 'jayanti'.

तृणम् (tṛṇam) - grass (as something worthless) (grass, blade of grass, straw)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tṛṇa

tṛṇa - grass, blade of grass, straw

Note: Acts as a standard for something insignificant.

इव (iva) - like (like, as, as if)

(indeclinable)

Particle expressing comparison

जयन्ति (jayanti) - they overcome (or disregard) (they conquer, they overcome, they win)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of √ji

Present Active

3rd person plural, present tense, active voice

Root: √ji (class 1)

इह (iha) - here (in this world/context) (here, in this world, now)

(indeclinable)

Adverb of place

महाशयाः (mahāśayāḥ) - great-souled individuals (great-souled ones, noble-minded ones)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of mahāśaya

mahāśaya - great-souled, noble-minded, exalted character

Compound: mahā (great) + āśaya (disposition, heart)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+āśaya)

• mahā – great, large, eminent
  adjective (feminine)
  Feminine form of mahat, here as prefix
• āśaya – intention, disposition, mind, abode
  noun (masculine)
  From root √śī (to lie) with upasarga ā-
  Prefix: ā
  Root: √śī (class 2)

Note: Subject of 'jayanti'.

यत्र (yatra) - where (where, in which place)

(indeclinable)

अभिलाषः (abhilāṣaḥ) - desire (desire, wish, longing)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of abhilāṣa

abhilāṣa - desire, wish, longing

From root √laṣ with upasargas abhi- + ā-

Prefixes: abhi+ā

Root: √laṣ (class 1)

तत् (tat) - that (referring to the object of desire) (that, it)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, it

Note: Refers to the object of desire, taken as neuter singular.

मात्र (mātra) - merely (only, mere, merely)

(indeclinable)

Used as an adverbial qualifier or suffix

Note: Acts adverbially, qualifying 'tyāge'.

त्यागे (tyāge) - in the abandonment (in abandoning, in giving up, in renunciation)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of tyāga

tyāga - abandoning, giving up, renunciation

From root √tyaj (to abandon) + suffix -a

Root: √tyaj (class 1)

Note: The context implies 'in the act of abandoning'.

कृपणता (kṛpaṇatā) - difficulty (or unwillingness/reluctance) (miserliness, poverty, wretchedness, meanness, difficulty)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kṛpaṇatā

kṛpaṇatā - miserliness, poverty, meanness, difficulty

Derived from 'kṛpaṇa' (miserly, poor) with suffix -tā

Note: Subject of the implicit verb 'is'.

कथम् (katham) - how (can there be?) (how, why, in what manner)

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb