Decayed is this body, a frail nest of diseases.
This foul mass breaks up. Indeed, the life ends in death.

parijiṇṇam idaṃ     rūpaṃ   roga+nīḷaṃ pabhaṅguraṃ
|                  |             |           |       |               |
Adj.n.     Pron.n.     N.n.    N.m. N.n.       Adj.n.
Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.   |   Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg.
|                  |_______|           |____|               |
|______________|                      |__________|
             |_________________________|

List of Abbreviations

bhijjati     pūti+sandeho maraṇa+antaṃ   hi    jīvitaṃ
|                 |         |            |           |         |         |
V.pas.in.  Adj.   N.m.     N.n.    Adj.n.   part.   N.n.
3.Sg.pres.   |    Nom.Sg.     |     Nom.Sg.   |    Nom.Sg.
|                 |_____|            |______|         |         |
|____________|                       |________|_____|

parijiṇṇam: parijiṇṇa-, Adj.: decayed, worn out. It is a p.p. of the verb root ji- (to fade, to decay) with the prefix pari- (completely). Nom.Sg.n. = parijiṇṇam.

idaṃ: idaṃ-, Pron.: this. Nom.Sg.n.: idaṃ.

rūpaṃ: rūpa-, N.n.: form, body, figure. Nom.Sg. = rūpaṃ.

roganīḷaṃ: roganīḷa-, Adj.: nest of diseases, seat of illnesses. It is a compound of:
    roga-, N.m.: disease, illness.
    nīḷa-, N.n.: nest, seat. Sometimes also spelled as niḍḍha-.
Nom.Sg.n. = roganīlaṃ.

pabhaṅguraṃ: pabhaṅgura-, Adj.: perishable, easily destroyed, frail. Acc.Sg.n. = pabhaṅguraṃ.

List of Abbreviations

bhijjati, V.: breaks up, is destroyed. The verb root is bhid-. 3.Sg.pas.in.pres. = bhijjati.

pūtisandeho: pūtisandeha-, N.m.: foul mass, rotten body. It is a compound of:
    pūti-, Adj.: rotten, foul, putrid.
    sandeha-, N.m.: accumulation, mass, body (even as a human body).
Nom.Sg. = pūtisandeho.

maraṇantaṃ: maraṇanta-, Adj.: ending in death. It is a compound of:
    maraṇa-, N.n.: death.
    anta-, N.n.: end.
Euphonic combination: maraṇa- + anta- = maraṇanta-.
Nom.Sg.n. = maraṇantaṃ.

hi, part.: indeed.

jīvitaṃ: jīvita-, N.n.: life. Originally it is a p.p. of the verb jīv- (to live). Nom.Sg. = jīvitaṃ.

List of Abbreviations

    This verse consists of three independent sentences. They are:
    1) parijiṇṇam idaṃ rūpaṃ roganīḷaṃ pabhaṅguraṃ (decayed is this body, a frail nest of diseases). The subject is the noun rūpaṃ (body, nominative singular). It has two attributes, the pronoun idaṃ (this, nominative singular) and the adjective parijiṇṇam (decayed, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the compound roganīḷaṃ (nest of diseases, nominative singular) with its attribute, the adjective pabhaṅguraṃ (frail, nominative singular).
    2) bhijjati pūtisandeho (this foul mass breaks up). The subject is the compound pūtisandeho (foul mass, nominative singular) and the verb is bhijjati (breaks up, 3^rd person, singular, passive, indicative, present tense).
    3) maraṇantaṃ hi jīvitaṃ (indeed, the life ends in death). The subject is the noun jīvitaṃ (life, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the compound adjective maraṇantaṃ (ending in death, nominative singular). The sentence is further stressed by the particle hi (indeed), which serves mainly for metrical reasons.

    Uttarā was a very old nun - she was one hundred and twenty years old. But se was very generous and respectful. Many times she shared her almsfood with monks, just out of her kindness.
    Once, while going on her almsround, she met the Buddha. Reverentially, she stepped out of his way and paid her homage. While she was doing that, she accidentally stepped on her own robe and fell down.
    The Buddha consoled her and told her to understand the condition of her body. She was very old and her body frail and sick - she should practice diligently to perfect her mind.
    Uttarā reflected on the Buddha's words and attained the first stage of Awakenment.

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

parijiṇṇam
idaṃ
rūpaṃ
roganīḷaṃ
roga
nīḷaṃ
pabhaṅguraṃ
bhijjati
pūtisandeho
pūti
sandeho
maraṇantaṃ
maraṇa
antaṃ
hi
jīvitaṃ