योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-7, chapter-93, verse-89

जीवितं गलति क्षिप्रं जलमञ्जलिना यथा ।
प्रवाह इव वाहिन्या गतं न विनिवर्तते ॥ ८९ ॥

jīvitaṃ galati kṣipraṃ jalamañjalinā yathā ,
pravāha iva vāhinyā gataṃ na vinivartate 89

89. jīvitam galati kṣipram jalam añjalinā yathā |
pravāhaḥ iva vāhinyā gatam na vinivartate ||

89. jīvitam kṣipram añjalinā jalam yathā galati.
vāhinyā pravāhaḥ iva gatam na vinivartate.

89. Life (jīvitam) quickly slips away, just like water (jalam) from cupped hands. Once it is gone, it does not return, similar to a current (pravāha) in a river (vāhinī).

Words meanings summery:

• जीवितम् (jīvitam) - life (jīvitam) (life, living, existence)

• गलति (galati) - flows away, slips away (flows, drips, melts, slips away)

• क्षिप्रम् (kṣipram) - swiftly, quickly (quickly, swiftly, rapidly)

• जलम् (jalam) - water (jalam) (water)

• अञ्जलिना (añjalinā) - from cupped hands (by cupped hands, with a hollow formed by the two hands)

• यथा (yathā) - just as (as, just as, like)

• प्रवाहः (pravāhaḥ) - current (pravāha) (current, flow, stream)

• इव (iva) - like, similar to (like, as, as it were)

• वाहिन्या (vāhinyā) - in a river (vāhinī) (of a river, by a river)

• गतम् (gatam) - once gone (gone, past, departed)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• विनिवर्तते (vinivartate) - does not return (returns, turns back)

Words meanings and morphology

जीवितम् (jīvitam) - life (jīvitam) (life, living, existence)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jīvita

jīvita - life, living, existence, animated

Past Passive Participle

from root `jīv` (to live)

Root: jīv (class 1)

Note: Subject of `galati`.

गलति (galati) - flows away, slips away (flows, drips, melts, slips away)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of gal

Present active indicative

Root: gal (class 1)

Note: Verb for `jīvitam`.

क्षिप्रम् (kṣipram) - swiftly, quickly (quickly, swiftly, rapidly)

(indeclinable)

Note: Adverb modifying `galati`.

जलम् (jalam) - water (jalam) (water)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jala

jala - water

Root: jal (class 1)

Note: Subject of the simile.

अञ्जलिना (añjalinā) - from cupped hands (by cupped hands, with a hollow formed by the two hands)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of añjali

añjali - cupped hands (for holding water or offering salutations), hollow of the hands

Root: añj (class 7)

Note: Used to express the source of the water slipping.

यथा (yathā) - just as (as, just as, like)

(indeclinable)

प्रवाहः (pravāhaḥ) - current (pravāha) (current, flow, stream)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of pravāha

pravāha - current, flow, stream, course

from root `vah` (to carry) with prefix `pra`

Prefix: pra

Root: vah (class 1)

Note: Part of the simile.

इव (iva) - like, similar to (like, as, as it were)

(indeclinable)

particle of comparison

वाहिन्या (vāhinyā) - in a river (vāhinī) (of a river, by a river)

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, singular of vāhinī

vāhinī - river, stream, current, army

from root `vah` (to flow, carry)

Root: vah (class 1)

Note: Specifies the river for the current.

गतम् (gatam) - once gone (gone, past, departed)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of gata

gata - gone, moved, attained, past, departed

Past Passive Participle

from root `gam` (to go)

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Refers to `jīvitam` implicitly.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

negation particle

Note: Negates `vinivartate`.

विनिवर्तते (vinivartate) - does not return (returns, turns back)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of vi-ni-vṛt

Present middle indicative

from root `vṛt` with prefixes `vi` and `ni`

Prefixes: vi+ni

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Verb, implied subject is `jīvitam` or `gatam`.