योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-5, chapter-71, verse-69

इतश्चेतश्च नीयन्ते जीवा वासनया स्वया ।
चिरं तदपिजीविन्या धूर्त्या धात्र्यैव बालकाः ॥ ६९ ॥

itaścetaśca nīyante jīvā vāsanayā svayā ,
ciraṃ tadapijīvinyā dhūrtyā dhātryaiva bālakāḥ 69

69. itaḥ ca itaḥ ca nīyante jīvāḥ vāsanayā svayā
ciram tat api jīvinyā dhūrtyā dhātryā eva bālakāḥ

69. svayā vāsanayā jīvāḥ itaḥ ca itaḥ ca nīyante;
dhūrtyā ciram tat api jīvinyā dhātryā eva bālakāḥ

69. Individual souls (jīva) are led here and there by their own mental impressions (vāsanā), just as children are perpetually guided by a cunning, long-lasting nurse.

Words meanings summery:

• इतः (itaḥ) - here (from here, hither, here)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• इतः (itaḥ) - there (from here, hither, here)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• नीयन्ते (nīyante) - are led (they are led, they are carried)

• जीवाः (jīvāḥ) - individual souls (jīva) (living beings, individual souls, creatures)

• वासनया (vāsanayā) - by mental impressions (vāsanā) (by mental impression, by desire, by habit)

• स्वया (svayā) - by their own (by one's own)

• चिरम् (ciram) - perpetually (for a long time, perpetually)

• तत् (tat) - long (as in 'long-lasting') (that, then)

• अपि (api) - even, still (also, even)

• जीविन्या (jīvinyā) - by a long-living/persistent one (by a living one, by a surviving one)

• धूर्त्या (dhūrtyā) - by a cunning (nurse) (by a cunning one, by a rogue)

• धात्र्या (dhātryā) - by a nurse (by a nurse, by a foster-mother)

• एव (eva) - just as, indeed (indeed, just, only, like)

• बालकाः (bālakāḥ) - children (children, boys)

Words meanings and morphology

इतः (itaḥ) - here (from here, hither, here)

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

Note: Part of the phrase 'itaś ca etaś ca' meaning 'here and there'.

इतः (itaḥ) - there (from here, hither, here)

(indeclinable)

Note: Part of the phrase 'itaś ca etaś ca' meaning 'here and there'.

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

नीयन्ते (nīyante) - are led (they are led, they are carried)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, passive, present indicative (laṭ) of nī

present passive indicative

3rd person plural present passive indicative of root nī (class 1)

Root: nī (class 1)

जीवाः (jīvāḥ) - individual souls (jīva) (living beings, individual souls, creatures)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of jīva

jīva - living being, individual soul, creature

Root: jīv (class 1)

वासनया (vāsanayā) - by mental impressions (vāsanā) (by mental impression, by desire, by habit)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of vāsanā

vāsanā - mental impression, latent tendency, desire, habit

स्वया (svayā) - by their own (by one's own)

(pronoun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of sva

sva - own, one's own

चिरम् (ciram) - perpetually (for a long time, perpetually)

(indeclinable)

तत् (tat) - long (as in 'long-lasting') (that, then)

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, it, then

Note: Part of the compound 'tat apijīvinyā'.

अपि (api) - even, still (also, even)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used within the compound 'tat apijīvinyā'.

जीविन्या (jīvinyā) - by a long-living/persistent one (by a living one, by a surviving one)

(adjective)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of jīvinī

jīvinī - living, existing, long-living (feminine)

Agent noun/adjective

Feminine form of jīvin, from root jīv- (to live) + suffix -in.

Root: jīv (class 1)

धूर्त्या (dhūrtyā) - by a cunning (nurse) (by a cunning one, by a rogue)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of dhūrtī

dhūrtī - cunning woman, rogue, cheat

Feminine form of dhūrta (cunning, rogue).

धात्र्या (dhātryā) - by a nurse (by a nurse, by a foster-mother)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of dhātrī

dhātrī - nurse, foster-mother, governess

Root: dhā (class 3)

एव (eva) - just as, indeed (indeed, just, only, like)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used here for comparison.

बालकाः (bālakāḥ) - children (children, boys)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of bālaka

bālaka - child, boy, young one

Note: Subject of the implied verb of being led.