योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-5, chapter-19, verse-31

मातापितृसहस्राणि समतीतानि ते सुत ।
बहून्यम्बुप्रवाहस्य निम्नानीव वने वने ॥ ३१ ॥

mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi samatītāni te suta ,
bahūnyambupravāhasya nimnānīva vane vane 31

31. mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi samatītāni te suta bahūni
ambupravāhasya nimnāni iva vane vane

31. suta,
te mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi samatītāni.
bahūni ambupravāhasya nimnāni iva vane vane (tathā).

31. My son, thousands of mothers and fathers have passed for you, just like numerous hollows of a water stream (are found) in many a forest.

Words meanings summery:

• मातापितृसहस्राणि (mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi) - thousands of mothers and fathers

• समतीतानि (samatītāni) - passed away (passed away, gone by, elapsed)

• ते (te) - for you (dative) (for you, to you, by you, your)

• सुत (suta) - O son, dear one (vocative address) (son, dear one (vocative))

• बहूनि (bahūni) - numerous (many, numerous)

• अम्बुप्रवाहस्य (ambupravāhasya) - of a water stream/current

• निम्नानि (nimnāni) - hollows, depressions (in the ground) (depressions, hollows, low places)

• इव (iva) - like, just as (like, as, as if)

• वने (vane) - in a forest (in the forest)

• वने (vane) - in a forest (in the forest)

Words meanings and morphology

मातापितृसहस्राणि (mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi) - thousands of mothers and fathers

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of mātāpitṛsahasra

mātāpitṛsahasra - thousands of mothers and fathers, countless parents

Compound type : dvandva-tatpuruṣa (mātā+pitṛ+sahasra)

• mātā – mother
  noun (feminine)
• pitṛ – father
  noun (masculine)
• sahasra – thousand
  noun (neuter)

Note: Subject of the sentence.

समतीतानि (samatītāni) - passed away (passed away, gone by, elapsed)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, plural of samatīta

samatīta - passed away, gone by, elapsed, finished

Past Passive Participle

From `sam` (together) + `ati` (beyond) + root `i` (to go) + `kta` suffix.

Prefixes: sam+ati

Root: i (class 2)

Note: Predicate adjective for 'mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi'.

ते (te) - for you (dative) (for you, to you, by you, your)

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Indicates the beneficiary ('for you').

सुत (suta) - O son, dear one (vocative address) (son, dear one (vocative))

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of suta

suta - son, offspring, child

From root `sū` (to bring forth, beget).

Root: sū (class 2)

Note: A term of address.

बहूनि (bahūni) - numerous (many, numerous)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, plural of bahu

bahu - many, much, numerous, abundant, frequent

Note: Modifies 'nimnāni'.

अम्बुप्रवाहस्य (ambupravāhasya) - of a water stream/current

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of ambupravāha

ambupravāha - water stream, water current, flow of water

Compound type : tatpurusha (ambu+pravāha)

• ambu – water
  noun (neuter)
• pravāha – stream, flow, current, course, outpouring
  noun (masculine)
  From `pra` (forth) + root `vah` (to carry, flow).
  Prefix: pra
  Root: vah (class 1)

Note: Possessive, describing 'nimnāni'.

निम्नानि (nimnāni) - hollows, depressions (in the ground) (depressions, hollows, low places)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of nimna

nimna - low, deep, depressed, hollow, depression, low ground

From `ni` (down) + root `mā` (to measure) with `na` suffix, or derived from `ni` + root `nam` (to bend, sink).

Prefix: ni

Root: nam (class 1)

Note: Subject of the simile.

इव (iva) - like, just as (like, as, as if)

(indeclinable)

Particle expressing comparison.

Note: Connects the comparison.

वने (vane) - in a forest (in the forest)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of vana

vana - forest, wood, grove, thicket

Note: First occurrence, part of a distributive repetition.

वने (vane) - in a forest (in the forest)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of vana

vana - forest, wood, grove, thicket

Note: Second occurrence, together with the first 'vane', indicating 'in forest after forest' or 'in various forests'.