केशाः श्मशानवृक्षेषु यान्ति चामरलेखिकाम् । अस्थीन्युडुवदाभान्ति दिनैरवनिमण्डले ॥ २८ ॥
kēśāḥ śmaśānavṛkṣēṣu yānti cāmaralēkhikām | asthīnyuḍuvadābhānti dinairavanimaṇḍalē || 28 ||
Translation
The hair becomes fly-whisks in the trees of the burning ground; the bones shine like stars on the face of the earth in a few days.
Word by word
- kēśāḥ
- the hair
- śmaśāna
- of the burning ground
- vṛkṣēṣu
- in the trees
- yānti
- becomes
- ca
- and
- amara
- yak-tail
- lēkhikām
- fly-whisks
- asthīni
- the bones
- uḍuvad
- (uḍuvat) like stars
- ābhānti
- shine
- dinair
- (dinaiḥ) in days
- avani
- of the earth
- maṇḍalē
- on the face
Meaning
Hair, once braided and perfumed, hangs from the trees of the cremation ground like the yak-tail fans of a king; bones gleam white on the ground like stars. The images are strangely beautiful, and that is their force: even in its end the body takes the form of what it once was adorned with.