Shloka 6
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 85: Āṣṭaka–Yayāti संवादः
Merit-Exhaustion, Rebirth, and the Critique of Pride
सितश्मश्रुर्निरानन्दो जरया शिथिलीकृत: । वलीसंगतगाज्रस्तु दुर्दर्शो दुर्बल: कृशः,महाराज! मैं उस बुढ़ापेको लेनेकी इच्छा नहीं करता, जिसके आनेपर दाढ़ी-मूँछके बाल सफेद हो जाते हैं; जीवनका आनन्द चला जाता है। वृद्धावस्था एकदम शिथिल कर देती है। सारे शरीरमें झुर्रियाँ पड़ जाती हैं और मनुष्य इतना दुर्बल तथा कृशकाय हो जाता है कि उसकी ओर देखते नहीं बनता
sitaśmaśrur nirānando jarayā śithilīkṛtaḥ | valīsaṅgatagātrast tu durdarśo durbalaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “I do not desire that old age in which one’s beard and moustache turn white, the joy of life departs, and the body is loosened and enfeebled by senescence. With limbs covered in wrinkles, a person becomes so weak and emaciated that he is scarcely fit to be looked upon.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects a classical Mahābhārata theme: the inevitability and distress of bodily decline (jarā). By vividly describing the loss of vigor and dignity in old age, it prompts ethical reflection on impermanence and the need to seek lasting values beyond physical pleasure and appearance.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker laments the onset of old age, describing its visible signs—white facial hair, loss of joy, slackened body, wrinkles, weakness, and emaciation—framing old age as something undesirable and pitiable.