आगमापायिना नित्यं दन्तकेसरशालिना । विकासस्मितपुष्पेण प्रतिक्षणमलङ्कृतः ॥ ५ ॥
āgamāpāyinā nityaṁ dantakēsaraśālinā | vikāsasmitapuṣpēṇa pratikṣaṇamalaṅkṛtaḥ || 5 ||
Translation
Adorned at every moment with the flowers of smiles in bloom, which come and go, and lovely with the stamens of its teeth:
Word by word
- āgama
- which come
- apāyinā
- and go
- nityaṁ
- ever
- danta
- of its teeth
- kēsara
- with the stamens
- śālinā
- lovely
- vikāsa
- in bloom
- smita
- of smiles
- puṣpēṇa
- with the flowers
- pratikṣaṇam
- at every moment
- alaṅkṛtaḥ
- adorned
Meaning
Verses 5 to 8 picture the body as a tree, and verses 12 to 17 again, more fully. The commentary: the body is to be looked on with detachment, and to show this it is described as a tree. Its blossoms are smiles, which open and fade (āgamāpāyin, "coming and going"); its stamens are the teeth that show when it smiles. The image is affectionate, even beautiful. That is the point: the body is a lovely tree, and its loveliness comes and goes like flowers. The reader may enjoy the flowers without mistaking them for the root.