Shloka 3
Āpava
Vasiṣṭha) and the Vasus: the Kāmadhenu Theft and the Curse (Śaṃtanu–Gaṅgā Saṃvāda
अवाप्य दीर्घमायुस्तु यः प्राप्तो विकृतिं चरेत् तप्यते यदि तत् कृत्वा चरेत् सो5न्यत् तपस्तत:,जो वानप्रस्थ बड़ी आयु पाकर भी विषयोंके प्राप्त होनेपर उनसे विकृत हो उन्हींमें विचरने लगता है, उसे यदि विषयोपभोगके अनन्तर पश्चात्ताप होता है तो उसे मोक्षके लिये पुन: तपका अनुष्ठान करना चाहिये
avāpya dīrgham āyus tu yaḥ prāpto vikṛtiṁ caret | tapyate yadi tat kṛtvā caret so 'nyat tapas tataḥ ||
Aun habiendo alcanzado larga vida, si un hombre—al entrar en contacto con los objetos de los sentidos—se pervierte en su conducta y vive absorto en ellos, y si después de gozarlos es abrasado por el remordimiento, entonces debe emprender de nuevo austeridades, en adelante, con la mira puesta en la liberación (moksha).
जटद्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Long life is not a guarantee of righteousness. If one is led astray by sense-pleasures and later feels genuine remorse, that remorse should be converted into disciplined austerity and self-restraint directed toward purification and liberation.
Jaṭāyus delivers a moral instruction: he describes a person who, despite longevity, becomes corrupted by sense-objects; if that person later repents after indulgence, he should undertake renewed tapas as a corrective path toward mokṣa.