योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-4, chapter-32, verse-51

व्यवहारो यथाशास्त्रं क्रियतां मा विनश्यताम् ।
जीवो जीर्णान्धकूपेषु भवेष्वन्तमिवागतः ॥ ५१ ॥

vyavahāro yathāśāstraṃ kriyatāṃ mā vinaśyatām ,
jīvo jīrṇāndhakūpeṣu bhaveṣvantamivāgataḥ 51

51. vyavahāraḥ yathāśāstram kriyatām mā vinaśyatām
jīvaḥ jīrṇāndhakūpeṣu bhaveṣu antam iva āgataḥ

51. yathāśāstram vyavahāraḥ kriyatām mā vinaśyatām
jīvaḥ jīrṇāndhakūpeṣu bhaveṣu antam iva āgataḥ

51. Let your conduct be in accordance with the scriptures (śāstra); do not perish. It is as if the individual soul (jīva) has reached its end in the old, dark wells of repeated worldly existences (saṃsāra).

Words meanings summery:

• व्यवहारः (vyavahāraḥ) - proper conduct or practice (conduct, behavior, practice, custom, transaction)

• यथाशास्त्रम् (yathāśāstram) - according to the scriptures, in accordance with the rules of sacred texts

• क्रियताम् (kriyatām) - let (proper conduct) be carried out (let it be done, it should be done)

• मा (mā) - not, do not (prohibitive)

• विनश्यताम् (vinaśyatām) - do not let (yourself/your efforts) be destroyed/wasted (let it perish, let it be destroyed, let it be wasted)

• जीवः (jīvaḥ) - the individual soul (jīva) (a living being, the soul, the individual soul)

• जीर्णान्धकूपेषु (jīrṇāndhakūpeṣu) - metaphorically, in difficult, dark, inescapable situations within worldly existence (in old, blind wells)

• भवेषु (bhaveṣu) - in the cycles of worldly existence (saṃsāra) (in existences, in worldly lives, in states of being)

• अन्तम् (antam) - its end, its destruction (end, limit, boundary, destruction, death)

• इव (iva) - like, as, as if

• आगतः (āgataḥ) - reached its end (arrived, come, reached)

Words meanings and morphology

व्यवहारः (vyavahāraḥ) - proper conduct or practice (conduct, behavior, practice, custom, transaction)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vyavahāra

vyavahāra - conduct, behavior, custom, practice, transaction, lawsuit

From vi-ava-hṛ (to carry, to act) with suffix -a.

Prefixes: vi+ava

Root: hṛ (class 1)

यथाशास्त्रम् (yathāśāstram) - according to the scriptures, in accordance with the rules of sacred texts

(indeclinable)

Avyayībhāva compound: yathā (as, according to) + śāstra (scripture).

Compound type : avyayībhāva (yathā+śāstra)

• yathā – as, like, according to, in such a manner as
  indeclinable
• śāstra – sacred text, scripture, treatise, rule, instruction
  noun (neuter)
  From śās (to command, instruct) with suffix -tra.
  Root: śās (class 2)

Note: Functions as an adverb here.

क्रियताम् (kriyatām) - let (proper conduct) be carried out (let it be done, it should be done)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, imperative (loṭ) of kṛ

Passive Imperative 3rd person singular

Root kṛ, passive stem kriya-, Imperative ending -tām.

Root: kṛ (class 8)

मा (mā) - not, do not (prohibitive)

(indeclinable)

Prohibitive particle.

Note: Used with injunctive or imperative for prohibition.

विनश्यताम् (vinaśyatām) - do not let (yourself/your efforts) be destroyed/wasted (let it perish, let it be destroyed, let it be wasted)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of vinaś

Imperative 3rd person singular

From vi-naś (root naś, class 4 P, to perish). Imperative ending -tām.

Prefix: vi

Root: naś (class 4)

जीवः (jīvaḥ) - the individual soul (jīva) (a living being, the soul, the individual soul)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jīva

jīva - living, existing; (as noun) a living being, soul, individual soul

From root jīv (to live).

Root: jīv (class 1)

जीर्णान्धकूपेषु (jīrṇāndhakūpeṣu) - metaphorically, in difficult, dark, inescapable situations within worldly existence (in old, blind wells)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, plural of jīrṇāndhakūpa

jīrṇāndhakūpa - old blind well

Karmadhāraya compound: jīrṇa (old) + andha (blind) + kūpa (well).

Compound type : karmadhāraya (jīrṇa+andha+kūpa)

• jīrṇa – old, decayed, worn out, digested
  adjective
  Past Passive Participle
  From root jṛ (to decay, grow old) with suffix -ta.
  Root: jṛ (class 1)
• andha – blind, dark, obscured, ignorant
  adjective
• kūpa – well, pit
  noun (masculine)

Note: Refers to the 'wells' of saṃsāra, implying darkness, entrapment, and decay.

भवेषु (bhaveṣu) - in the cycles of worldly existence (saṃsāra) (in existences, in worldly lives, in states of being)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, plural of bhava

bhava - being, existence, worldly existence, birth, becoming, state, condition

From root bhū (to be, become) with suffix -a.

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: The 'wells' are metaphorical for these existences.

अन्तम् (antam) - its end, its destruction (end, limit, boundary, destruction, death)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of anta

anta - end, limit, boundary, edge, vicinity, destruction

Note: Object of āgataḥ.

इव (iva) - like, as, as if

(indeclinable)

Particle of comparison.

आगतः (āgataḥ) - reached its end (arrived, come, reached)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of āgata

āgata - come, arrived, reached, obtained

Past Passive Participle

From ā-gam (to come, to go to) with suffix -ta.

Prefix: ā

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Functions adjectivally to describe the jīva.