Shloka 31
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 85: Āṣṭaka–Yayāti संवादः
Merit-Exhaustion, Rebirth, and the Critique of Pride
(गुरोर्वे वचन पुण्यं स्वर्ग्यमायुष्करं नृणाम् | गुरुप्रसादात् त्रैलोक्यमन्वशासच्छतक्रतुः ।। गुरोरनुमतिं प्राप्य सर्वान् कामानवाप्लुयात् ।) “गुरुजनोंकी आज्ञाका पालन मनुष्योंके लिये पुण्य, स्वर्ग तथा आयु प्रदान करनेवाला है। गुरुके ही प्रसादसे इन्द्रने तीनों लोकोंका शासन किया है। गुरुस्वरूप पिताकी अनुमति प्राप्त करके मनुष्य सम्पूर्ण कामनाओंको पा लेता है। प्रतिपत्स्पामि ते राजन् पाप्मानं जरया सह । गृहाण यौवन मत्तश्चर कामान् यथेप्सितान्,“राजन! मैं बुढ़ापेके साथ आपका दोष ग्रहण कर लूँगा। आप मुझसे जवानी ले लें और इच्छानुसार विषयोंका उपभोग करें
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
guror vai vacanaṁ puṇyaṁ svargyam āyuṣkaraṁ nṛṇām |
guruprasādāt trailokyam anvāśāsac chatakratuḥ ||
guror anumatiṁ prāpya sarvān kāmān avāpnuyāt |
pratipatsyāmi te rājan pāpmānaṁ jarayā saha |
gṛhāṇa yauvanaṁ mattaś cara kāmān yathepsitān ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Indeed, obedience to the guru’s command is meritorious for human beings—granting heaven and length of life. By the guru’s grace, even Indra, the lord of a hundred sacrifices, came to rule the three worlds. Having obtained the guru—here, the father in the role of guru—one’s consent, a person may attain all desired ends. O King, I will take upon myself your fault together with your old age. Take youth from me, and enjoy the objects of desire as you wish.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates obedience to the guru’s instruction as a central dharmic principle: it generates merit, supports longevity, and leads to heavenly reward. It also frames the father as a ‘guru’ whose consent legitimizes the pursuit of life’s aims, implying that desire must be pursued within ethical authorization and respect for elders.
The speaker underscores the power of the guru’s grace by citing Indra’s sovereignty over the three worlds. Then, in the immediate story context, a younger person addresses a king and offers to take on the king’s old age and moral burden, asking the king to take the youth in return and enjoy desired pleasures—setting up a dramatic exchange centered on desire, responsibility, and dharma.