Shloka 35
नौषधानि न मन्त्राश्न न होमा न पुनर्जपा: | त्रायन्ते मृत्युनोपेतं जरया चापि मानवम्
nauṣadhāni na mantrāś ca na homā na punar japāḥ | trāyante mṛtyunopetaṃ jarayā cāpi mānavam ||
Janaka said: “Neither medicines, nor mantras, nor sacrificial fire-offerings, nor repeated recitations can truly save a human being who has been overtaken by death—and likewise by old age.”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
That death and old age are inevitable and cannot ultimately be averted by medicine, mantra, ritual sacrifice, or repeated recitation; therefore one should prioritize enduring spiritual aims such as dharma, detachment, and self-knowledge.
King Janaka is speaking in a didactic context within the Śānti Parva, emphasizing the limits of worldly and ritual means when confronted with mortality, thereby steering the listener toward deeper ethical and spiritual reflection.