न जरा सदृशो व्याधिर्न दुःखं जरया समम् । कारयित्र्यपमानस्य जरैव मरणं नृणाम्
na jarā sadṛśo vyādhirna duḥkhaṃ jarayā samam | kārayitryapamānasya jaraiva maraṇaṃ nṛṇām
Il n’est point de maladie comme la vieillesse, ni de peine égale à la vieillesse ; elle est l’artisane de l’humiliation, et pour les hommes la vieillesse est elle-même la mort.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Allegorical portrayal of Old Age as a withering force bringing humiliation: a figure of Jarā touching a man whose ornaments slip, posture collapses, and onlookers avert their gaze.
Old age brings suffering and loss of dignity; thus one should seek the deathless goal—mokṣa—through dharma and sacred refuge.
Kāśī is the Adhyāya’s praised mokṣa-kṣetra, though not named in this verse.
No specific ritual is stated; the verse strengthens the call to liberation-focused practice.