प्राक्तनी सा स्मृतिर्लुप्ता युवयोरुदिताऽन्यथा । स्वप्ने जाग्रत्स्मृतिर्यद्वदेतन्मरणमङ्गने ॥ १६ ॥
prāktanī sā smṛtirluptā yuvayōruditā’nyathā | svapnē jāgratsmṛtiryadvadētanmaraṇamaṅganē || 16 ||
Translation
That former memory of yours is lost, and another has risen, as in a dream the memory of waking: this, lady, is death.
Word by word
- prāktanī
- former
- sā
- that
- smṛtir
- (smṛtiḥ) memory; (smṛtiḥ) the memory
- luptā
- is lost
- yuvayōr
- (yuvayoḥ) of yours
- uditā
- has risen
- anyathā
- another
- svapnē
- in a dream
- jāgrat
- of waking
- yadvad
- (yadvat) as
- ētan
- (etat) this
- maraṇam
- is death
- aṅganē
- lady
Meaning
The commentary: if we are those two, why do we not remember it, and what is death? As in a dream the memory of waking is lost and another arises, so your memory of the former life is lost and a contrary memory has arisen: that is death. A definition worth holding: death is a change of memory.