Shloka 23
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
कि मया कृतमेतावद् यो5हं कालमिमं जनम् | मत्स्यो जाल ह्ुविज्ञानादनुवर्तितवानिह
kiṁ mayā kṛtam etāvad yo ’haṁ kālam imaṁ janam | matsyo jāla-hv-ajñānād anuvartitavān iha ||
‘हाय! मैंने इतने समय तक क्या किया? मैं यहाँ इस देह-भाव (इस “जन” का) ही अनुसरण करता रहा। जैसे मछली अज्ञानवश स्वयं जाकर जाल में फँस जाती है, वैसे ही मैं भी अब तक इस प्राकृत देह-जीवन के पीछे लगा रहा।’
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights remorse born of discernment: once true understanding arises, one sees how ignorance makes the self cling to bodily, worldly patterns—like a fish entering a net—and turns toward detachment and right knowledge.
Vasiṣṭha voices an inner awakening: he reflects on his past conduct and recognizes that, for a long time, he merely followed the embodied, natural life without insight, just as a fish is trapped by a net through ignorance.