दिनानि कतिचिद्येयं फलिता देहजङ्गले । युवता शरदस्यां हि न समाश्वासमर्हथ ॥ ३४ ॥
dināni katicidyēyaṁ phalitā dēhajaṅgalē | yuvatā śaradasyāṁ hi na samāśvāsamarhatha || 34 ||
Translation
For a few days this youth bears fruit in the jungle of the body: in this autumn, do not put your trust.
Word by word
- dināni
- days
- katicid
- (katicit) for a few
- yā
- which
- iyaṁ
- this
- phalitā
- bears fruit
- dēha
- of the body
- jaṅgalē
- in the jungle
- yuvatā
- youth
- śaradas
- (śaradi) autumn
- asyāṁ
- in this
- hi
- indeed
- na
- not
- samāśvāsam
- trust
- arhatha
- do put
Meaning
Autumn in India is the season of fruit and clear skies, and it is short. Youth is such an autumn in the jungle of the body: fruitful for a few days. "Do not put your trust in it" (na samāśvāsam arhatha), Rāma says to the assembly, in the plural: you, all of you. The reader is directly addressed. The fruit of youth is real; but no one should build their life on a season.