जराकर्पूरधवलं देहकर्पूरपादपम् । मुने मरणमातङ्गो नूनमुद्धरति क्षणात् ॥ २९ ॥
jarākarpūradhavalaṁ dēhakarpūrapādapam | munē maraṇamātaṅgō nūnamuddharati kṣaṇāt || 29 ||
Translation
The camphor tree of the body, white with the camphor of age, the elephant of death surely uproots in a moment, O sage.
Word by word
- jarā
- of age
- karpūra
- with the camphor (repeated: camphor)
- dhavalaṁ
- white
- dēha
- of the body
- pādapam
- tree
- munē
- O sage
- maraṇa
- of death
- mātaṅgō
- (mātaṅgaḥ) the elephant
- nūnam
- surely
- uddharati
- uproots
- kṣaṇāt
- in a moment
Meaning
Camphor is white; age whitens the body as if with camphor; and death, a great elephant, tears the tree out by the roots in an instant. the commentaries agree. Slow whitening, sudden uprooting: the two speeds of the end.