योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-5, chapter-19, verse-35

शोचनीया यदि स्नेहान्मातापितृसुताः सुत ।
तदतीता न शोच्यन्ते किमजस्रं सहस्रशः ॥ ३५ ॥

śocanīyā yadi snehānmātāpitṛsutāḥ suta ,
tadatītā na śocyante kimajasraṃ sahasraśaḥ 35

35. śocanīyā yadi snehāt mātāpitṛsutāḥ suta tat
atītāḥ na śocyante kim ajasram sahasraśaḥ

35. suta yadi mātāpitṛsutāḥ snehāt śocanīyā,
tad ajasram sahasraśaḥ atītāḥ kim na śocyante

35. O son, if mothers, fathers, and children are to be grieved for out of affection, then why are thousands upon thousands of those who have passed away not lamented constantly?

Words meanings summery:

• शोचनीया (śocanīyā) - to be grieved for, lamentable, pitiable

• यदि (yadi) - if, whether

• स्नेहात् (snehāt) - from affection, out of love

• मातापितृसुताः (mātāpitṛsutāḥ) - mothers, fathers, and children/sons

• सुत (suta) - O son

• तत् (tat) - then, therefore

• अतीताः (atītāḥ) - passed, gone, deceased

• न (na) - not, no

• शोच्यन्ते (śocyante) - are grieved for, are lamented

• किम् (kim) - what? why?

• अजस्रम् (ajasram) - constantly, perpetually, incessantly

• सहस्रशः (sahasraśaḥ) - by thousands, in thousands

Words meanings and morphology

शोचनीया (śocanīyā) - to be grieved for, lamentable, pitiable

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of śocanīya

śocanīya - to be grieved for, lamentable, pitiable

Gerundive

From root 'śuc' (to grieve, to sorrow) with suffix '-anīya'.

Root: śuc (class 1)

Note: Grammatically, it might be expected to be plural (śocanīyāḥ) to directly agree with 'mātāpitṛsutāḥ'. However, it can refer to the collective concept or state of being lamentable.

यदि (yadi) - if, whether

(indeclinable)

स्नेहात् (snehāt) - from affection, out of love

(noun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of sneha

sneha - affection, love, tenderness, oil, unctuousness

Root: snih (class 4)

Note: Expresses cause or reason.

मातापितृसुताः (mātāpitṛsutāḥ) - mothers, fathers, and children/sons

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of mātāpitṛsuta

mātāpitṛsuta - mother, father, and son/child (collectively)

Compound type : dvandva (mātṛ+pitṛ+suta)

• mātṛ – mother
  noun (feminine)
• pitṛ – father
  noun (masculine)
• suta – son, child
  noun (masculine)
  Root: sū (class 4)

Note: Can be treated as an epicene plural.

सुत (suta) - O son

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of suta

suta - son, child

Root: sū (class 4)

तत् (tat) - then, therefore

(indeclinable)

Used here as an indeclinable correlative to 'yadi'.

Note: Correlative to 'yadi'.

अतीताः (atītāḥ) - passed, gone, deceased

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of atīta

atīta - passed, gone, elapsed, deceased

Past Passive Participle

From root 'i' (to go) with upasarga 'ati'.

Prefix: ati

Root: i (class 2)

Note: Agrees with an implied noun like 'people' or 'beings'.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Particle of negation.

शोच्यन्ते (śocyante) - are grieved for, are lamented

(verb)

3rd person , plural, passive, present (laṭ) of śuc

Present Middle Passive

Root 'śuc' (1st class) in passive voice, third person plural.

Root: śuc (class 1)

किम् (kim) - what? why?

(indeclinable)

Interrogative particle.

अजस्रम् (ajasram) - constantly, perpetually, incessantly

(indeclinable)

Adverbial form of 'ajasra' (continuous).

सहस्रशः (sahasraśaḥ) - by thousands, in thousands

(indeclinable)

Formed with suffix -śaḥ (denoting 'in groups of') from 'sahasra'.