कासश्वासससीत्कारा दुःखधूमतमोमयी । जराज्वाला ज्वलत्येषा यस्याऽसौ दग्ध एव हि ॥ २७ ॥
kāsaśvāsasasītkārā duḥkhadhūmatamōmayī | jarājvālā jvalatyēṣā yasyā’sau dagdha ēva hi || 27 ||
Translation
With the hiss of cough and breath, full of the smoke and darkness of sorrow, this flame of old age burns: the one it burns on is as good as burnt.
Word by word
- kāsa
- of cough
- śvāsa
- and breath
- sa
- with
- sītkārā
- the hiss
- duḥkha
- of sorrow
- dhūma
- of the smoke
- tamō
- (tamaḥ) and darkness
- mayī
- full
- jarā
- of old age
- jvālā
- flame
- jvalati
- burns
- ēṣā
- this
- yasya
- the one it burns on
- asau
- he
- dagdha
- (dagdhaḥ) burnt
- ēva
- as good as
- hi
- indeed
Meaning
Wet wood burns with a hiss and gives smoke and soot. The flame of old age hisses with coughing and breathing, and gives the smoke of sorrow. The one in whom it burns, the commentary says, is as if already reduced to ashes. The verse joins the images of fire from earlier sargas to the slow burning of the last years.