Shloka 41

देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship

Devanagari script

पुरा जरा कलेवरं विजर्जरीकरोति ते | बलाड्ररूपहारिणी निधत्स्व केवलं निधिम्‌,देखो, बल, अंग और रूपका विनाश करनेवाली वृद्धावस्था एक दिन तुम्हारे शरीरको जर्जर कर डालेगी, उसके पहले ही तुम अपने लिये ज्ञानका भण्डार भर लो

Transliteration

purā jarā kalevaraṁ vijarjarīkaroti te | balād rūpahāriṇī nidhatsva kevalaṁ nidhim |

Translation

Vyāsa said: “In time, old age will surely make your body worn and broken. It steals strength and beauty. Therefore, before that day arrives, store up for yourself the only true treasure—the wealth of knowledge.”

Word by Word

पुराformerly; beforehand

जराold age

कलेवरम्body

विजर्जरीकरोतिmakes very decrepit; utterly enfeebles

तेof you; your

बलात्from strength; in respect of strength (i.e., taking away strength)

रूपbeauty; form

हारिणीtaking away; depriving

निधत्स्वplace; deposit; store up

केवलम्only; solely

निधिम्treasure; store

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

jarā (Old Age, personified)

kalevara (the body)

jñāna (knowledge, implied as the ‘treasure’)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Old age inevitably erodes the body, strength, and beauty; therefore one should invest early in lasting inner wealth—knowledge and wisdom—rather than relying on perishable physical advantages.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa delivers a moral exhortation: anticipating the certainty of aging, the listener is urged to ‘deposit’ the only enduring treasure—knowledge—before bodily decline arrives.