Shloka 19
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 85: Āṣṭaka–Yayāti संवादः
Merit-Exhaustion, Rebirth, and the Critique of Pride
दु्लुस्वाच नगजं न रथं नाश्वं जीर्णो भुड्धक्ते न च स्त्रियम् । वाक्सड्रश्नास्य भवति तां जरां नाभिकामये,द्रह्मु बोले--पिताजी! बूढ़ा मनुष्य हाथी, घोड़े और रथपर नहीं चढ़ सकता; स्त्रीका भी उपभोग नहीं कर सकता। उसकी वाणी भी लड़खड़ाने लगती है; अतः मैं वृद्धावस्था नहीं लेना चाहता
na hi vṛddhaḥ śaknoty āruḍhuṃ nāgaṃ na rathaṃ nāśvaṃ, na ca striyaṃ bhoktum; vāk ca tasya skhalati. tasmād ahaṃ na vṛddhatāṃ kāṅkṣe, jarāṃ nābhikāmaye.
قال فَيْشَمْبَايَنَة: «فأجاب دُرُهْيُو: يا أبتِ! إن الشيخ الضعيف لا يقدر أن يركب فيلاً ولا فرساً ولا مركبة؛ ولا يقدر أن ينعم بصحبة امرأة. وحتى كلامه يبدأ يتلعثم. لذلك لا أرغب في الشيخوخة—لا أريد أن أقبل عبئها».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitable decline of physical strength, sensual capacity, and even speech in old age, exposing the fragility of pleasure-based life. It implicitly urges reflection on impermanence and the need to ground one’s aims in what does not perish with the body.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker expresses aversion to old age by listing its losses—no longer being able to ride great vehicles (elephant, horse, chariot), enjoy sexual pleasure, or speak steadily—thereby motivating a wish to avoid senescence.