यदा यदा पाकमुपैति नूनं तदा तदेयं रतिमातनोति । जराभराऽनल्पनवप्रसूना विजर्जरा कायलता नराणाम् ॥ ४ ॥
yadā yadā pākamupaiti nūnaṁ tadā tadēyaṁ ratimātanōti | jarābharā’nalpanavaprasūnā vijarjarā kāyalatā narāṇām || 4 ||
Translation
Whenever the creeper of men's bodies, decrepit, bowed with the weight of the many fresh flowers of age, comes to ripeness, it surely gives delight to Death.
Word by word
- yadā
- whenever
- pākam
- to ripeness
- upaiti
- comes
- nūnaṁ
- surely
- tadā
- then
- iyaṁ
- it
- ratim
- delight
- ātanōti
- gives
- jarā
- of age
- bharā
- with the weight
- analpa
- of the many
- nava
- fresh
- prasūnā
- flowers
- vijarjarā
- decrepit
- kāya
- of bodies
- latā
- the creeper
- narāṇām
- men's
Meaning
A creeper heavy with white flowers bends; the grey hairs of age are those flowers; and when the creeper is ripe, the commentary says, Death rejoices to see it. The image of age as blossom (1.22.16, 28) returns, with Death as the one who enjoys the harvest.