Shloka 49
Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)
न हाहानि निवर्तन्ते न मासा न पुन: समा: | जातानां सर्वभूतानां न पक्षा न पुन: क्षपा:,संसारमें जन्म लेनेवाले सभी प्राणियोंके दिन-रात, वर्ष, मास और पक्ष एक बार बीतकर फिर वापस नहीं लौटते हैं
na hāhāni nivartante na māsā na punaḥ samāḥ | jātānāṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ na pakṣā na punaḥ kṣapāḥ ||
Janaka said: For all beings born into saṃsāra, time does not turn back. Days do not return once they have passed; nor do months, nor years. Likewise, fortnights and nights, once gone, do not come again. Therefore, since life is steadily consumed by irreversible time, one should not postpone dharma, self-discipline, and the pursuit of liberation.
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time is irreversible: days, months, years, fortnights, and nights once spent never return. Therefore one should not delay dharma and inner discipline, but act wisely now, cultivating detachment and striving for liberation.
King Janaka is speaking in the Śānti Parva, offering reflective instruction. He emphasizes the relentless passage of time to motivate ethical living and spiritual effort rather than procrastination.