सीत्कारकारिणी पांसुपरुषा परिजर्जरम् । शरीरं शातयत्येषा वात्येव तरुपल्लवम् ॥ २० ॥
sītkārakāriṇī pāṁsuparuṣā parijarjaram | śarīraṁ śātayatyēṣā vātyēva tarupallavam || 20 ||
Translation
Hissing, rough with dust, she shreds the worn body, as a gale shreds the leaves of a tree.
Word by word
- sītkāra
- hissing
- kāriṇī
- making
- pāṁsu
- with dust
- paruṣā
- rough
- parijarjaram
- the worn
- śarīraṁ
- body
- śātayati
- shreds
- ēṣā
- she
- vātyā
- a gale
- iva
- as
- taru
- of a tree
- pallavam
- the leaves
Meaning
A cold winter wind whistles, carries dust, and strips the leaves. Old age, with its wheezing breath and its dry, rough skin, strips the body the same way. Another commentary gives the winter wind. The reader may hear in it the sound of an old person's breathing.