Shloka 9
धृतराष्ट उवाच शतायुरुक्त: पुरुष: सर्ववेदेषु वै यदा । नाप्रोत्यथ च तत् सर्वमायु: केनेह हेतुना,धृतराष्ट्रने कहा--विदुर! जब सभी वेदोंमें पुरुषको सौ वर्षकी आयुवाला बताया गया है, तब वह किस कारणसे अपनी पूर्ण आयुको नहीं पाता?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | śatāyur uktaḥ puruṣaḥ sarvavedeṣu vai yadā | nāpnoty atha ca tat sarvam āyuḥ keneha hetunā ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Vidura, when in all the Vedas a man is spoken of as having a lifespan of a hundred years, why is it that he does not, in fact, attain that full span here? What is the cause?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into the gap between scriptural ideal (a full hundred-year life) and lived reality, inviting reflection on causes such as conduct, self-discipline, and karmic conditions that shorten or sustain life.
In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-setting, Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Vidura about human longevity: if the Vedas speak of a hundred-year lifespan, why do people fail to reach it, and what explains premature death.