योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-4, chapter-53, verse-23

यथा कुसूले मार्जारो भस्त्रायां भुजगो यथा ।
मुक्ताफलं यथा वेणावहङ्कारस्तथा तनौ ॥ २३ ॥

yathā kusūle mārjāro bhastrāyāṃ bhujago yathā ,
muktāphalaṃ yathā veṇāvahaṅkārastathā tanau 23

23. yathā kusūle mārjāraḥ bhastrāyām bhujagaḥ yathā
muktāphalam yathā veṇau ahaṅkāraḥ tathā tanau

23. yathā mārjāraḥ kusūle,
yathā bhujagaḥ bhastrāyām,
yathā muktāphalam veṇau,
tathā ahaṅkāraḥ tanau

23. Just as a cat is found in a granary, a snake in a bellows, and a pearl in a bamboo, similarly the ego (ahaṅkāra) resides within the body.

Words meanings summery:

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

• कुसूले (kusūle) - in a granary, in a container

• मार्जारः (mārjāraḥ) - a cat

• भस्त्रायाम् (bhastrāyām) - in a bellows, in a leather bag

• भुजगः (bhujagaḥ) - a snake

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

• मुक्ताफलम् (muktāphalam) - a pearl

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

• वेणौ (veṇau) - in a bamboo, in a flute

• अहङ्कारः (ahaṅkāraḥ) - ego

• तथा (tathā) - similarly, so too, thus

• तनौ (tanau) - in the body

Words meanings and morphology

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

(indeclinable)

कुसूले (kusūle) - in a granary, in a container

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of kusūla

kusūla - a granary, a hole in the ground for storing grain, a silo

मार्जारः (mārjāraḥ) - a cat

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mārjāra

mārjāra - a cat

भस्त्रायाम् (bhastrāyām) - in a bellows, in a leather bag

(noun)

Locative, feminine, singular of bhastrā

bhastrā - a leather bag, a bellows, a purse

भुजगः (bhujagaḥ) - a snake

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhujaga

bhujaga - a snake (literally 'moving on its arm/shoulder')

Compound type : upapada-tatpuruṣa (bhujā+ga)

• bhujā – arm, hand, shoulder
  noun (feminine)
• ga – going, moving
  adjective
  From root gam (to go)
  Root: gam (class 1)

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

(indeclinable)

मुक्ताफलम् (muktāphalam) - a pearl

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of muktāphala

muktāphala - a pearl (literally 'detached fruit' or 'liberated fruit' - referring to its detachment from the shell)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (muktā+phala)

• muktā – a pearl (feminine noun); liberated, freed (past passive participle of muc)
  noun (feminine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From root muc (to release, to free)
  Root: muc (class 6)
• phala – fruit, result, consequence
  noun (neuter)

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

(indeclinable)

वेणौ (veṇau) - in a bamboo, in a flute

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of veṇu

veṇu - bamboo, a bamboo flute

अहङ्कारः (ahaṅkāraḥ) - ego

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ahaṅkāra

ahaṅkāra - ego, self-consciousness, the sense of 'I-ness'

Formed from aham (I) + kāra (maker/doing)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (aham+kāra)

• aham – I
  pronoun
• kāra – maker, doing, act, sound
  noun (masculine)
  From root kṛ (to do, make)
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

तथा (tathā) - similarly, so too, thus

(indeclinable)

तनौ (tanau) - in the body

(noun)

Locative, feminine, singular of tanu

tanu - body, person, form