Text 17
śayānaḥ pariśocadbhiḥ
parivītaḥ sva-bandhubhiḥ
vācyamāno ’pi na brūte
kāla-pāśa-vaśaṁ gataḥ
śayānaḥ — lying down; pariśocadbhiḥ — lamenting; parivītaḥ — surrounded; sva-bandhubhiḥ — by his relatives and friends; vācyamānaḥ — being urged to speak; api — although; na — not; brūte — he speaks; kāla — of time; pāśa — the noose; vaśam — under the control of; gataḥ — gone.
In this way he comes under the clutches of death and lies down, surrounded by lamenting friends and relatives, and although he wants to speak with them, he no longer can because he is under the control of time.
For formality’s sake, when a man is lying on his deathbed, his relatives come to him, and sometimes they cry very loudly, addressing the dying man: “Oh, my father!” “Oh, my friend!” or “Oh, my husband!” In that pitiable condition the dying man wants to speak with them and instruct them of his desires, but because he is fully under the control of the time factor, death, he cannot express himself, and that causes him inconceivable pain. He is already in a painful condition because of disease, and his glands and throat are choked up with mucus. He is already in a very difficult position, and when he is addressed by his relatives in that way, his grief increases.