Valmiki Ramayana 2.105.18: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 105, Shloka 18
भरतस्य प्रार्थना · रामस्य कालधर्मोपदेशः
Bharata’s Petition and Rama’s Instruction on Time and Mortality
यथाऽगारं दृढस्थूणं जीर्णं भूत्वाऽवसीदति ।
तथैव सीदन्ति नरा जरामृत्युवशं गताः ॥१८॥
yathā 'gāraṃ dṛḍhasthūṇaṃ jīrṇaṃ bhūtvā 'vasīdati |
tathaiva sīdanti narā jarāmṛtyuvaśaṃ gatāḥ ||18||
जैसे कोई मज़बूत खंभा वाला घर भी जब पुराना हो जाता है, तो धीरे-धीरे गिरने लगता है। वैसे ही लोग भी जब बूढ़े हो जाते हैं और मौत के हाथ आते हैं, तो कमज़ोर हो जाते हैं।
Even a house constructed with sturdy pillars gets dilapidated and ultimately decays. In the same way people under the sway of old age and death are destroyed (at last).
FAQs
It supports non-attachment and responsibility: since decline is natural, dharma lies in right living now, not in clinging to the body’s permanence.
A comparison is drawn between structural decay and human aging to console and instruct in a time of sorrow.
Prājñatā (wisdom): the ability to interpret suffering through universal law rather than personal grievance.
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