हा कुन्तेन शिरो नीतं ममेत्येवं विवक्षतः । शिरसाऽजीवमित्येवं खे खगेनेव वाशितम् ॥ १८ ॥
hā kuntēna śirō nītaṁ mamētyēvaṁ vivakṣataḥ | śirasā’jīvamityēvaṁ khē khagēnēva vāśitam || 18 ||
Translation
One was about to say, "Alas, my head has been taken off by a lance!" and then his head said, "I am alive!" and it was heard in the sky like the cry of a bird.
Word by word
- hā
- alas
- kuntēna
- by a lance
- śirō
- (śiraḥ) head
- nītaṁ
- has been taken off
- mama
- my
- itya
- (iti) thus
- ēvaṁ
- so
- vivakṣataḥ
- of one about to say
- śirasā
- by the head
- ajīvam
- I am alive
- khē
- in the sky
- khagēna
- of a bird
- iva
- like
- vāśitam
- the cry
Meaning
A strange and telling moment. The man begins to lament his death; but as his head flies up, he finds himself alive, and cries it out. The first commentary: seeing the festival of going to heaven, he said in joy, "I have lived, not died." Death, seen from inside, is not an ending: the next sarga's teaching is already here.