Shloka 12
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 90 — Pūror Vaṃśa, Kuru-Pravara, and the Janamejaya Line
Genealogical Recitation
अनित्यतां सुखदु:खस्य बुद्ध्वा कस्मात् संतापमष्टकाहं भजेयम् | कि कुर्या वै कि च कृत्वा न तप्ये तस्मात् संतापं वर्जयाम्यप्रमत्त:,अष्टक! मैं सुख तथा दुःख दोनोंकी अनित्यताको जानता हूँ, फिर मुझे संताप हो तो कैसे? मैं क्या करूँ: और क्या करके संतप्त न होऊँ, इन बातोंकी चिन्ता छोड़ चुका हूँ। अतः सावधान रहकर शोक-संतापको अपनेसे दूर रखता हूँ
anityatāṁ sukha-duḥkhasya buddhvā kasmāt santāpam aṣṭakāhaṁ bhajeyam | ki kuryā vai ki ca kṛtvā na tapye tasmāt santāpaṁ varjayāmy apramattaḥ |
Having understood the impermanent nature of both pleasure and pain, how could I, O Aṣṭaka, give myself over to grief? What could I do—and what could I do—that would leave me entirely free from regret? Therefore I have abandoned such anxious brooding; remaining vigilant, I keep sorrow and torment at a distance from myself.
जटद्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The speaker teaches that since pleasure and pain are transient, one should not cling to them or be consumed by grief. Recognizing that no action can guarantee a life without regret, he chooses vigilant renunciation of anxious sorrow and cultivates steadiness of mind.
In a dialogue addressed to Aṣṭaka, Jaṭadṭaka articulates a reflective stance on human experience: understanding the fleeting nature of sukha and duḥkha, he refuses to indulge in santāpa (distress) and declares his resolve to remain apramatta—alert and self-controlled—rather than trapped in worry.