जराजीर्णबकी यावत् कायक्लेशापकारिणी । रौति रोगोरगाकीर्णा कायद्रुमशिरःस्थिता ॥ १३ ॥
jarājīrṇabakī yāvat kāyaklēśāpakāriṇī | rauti rōgōragākīrṇā kāyadrumaśiraḥsthitā || 13 ||
Translation
As long as the old crane of age, which harms the body with toil, cries out, perched at the top of the tree of the body, full of the snakes of disease,
Word by word
- jarā
- of age
- jīrṇa
- old
- bakī
- the crane
- yāvat
- as long as
- kāya
- the body (twice)
- klēśa
- with toil
- apakāriṇī
- which harms
- rauti
- cries out
- rōga
- of disease
- uraga
- with the snakes
- ākīrṇā
- full
- druma
- of the tree
- śiraḥ
- at the top
- sthitā
- perched
Meaning
Verses 13 and 14 form one sentence. A crane sits crying at the top of a tree whose trunk is full of snakes. Old age is the crane, perched on the head, the top of the body's tree, and crying out in coughs and groans, as the commentary says; the snakes are diseases. The image is almost comic, and it is true. The next verse says what comes after.