Shloka 17
मधुकैटभवधोपाख्यानम्
The Account of the Slaying of Madhu and Kaiṭabha
शतं वर्षसहस्राणि मुने जातस्य तेडनघ । समाख्याहि मम ब्रद्मयन् कि दुःखं चिरजीविनाम्
śataṁ varṣa-sahasrāṇi mune jātasya te 'n-agha | samākhyāhi mama brahman kiṁ duḥkhaṁ cirajīvinām ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「罪なき牟尼よ、汝は十万年を生きた。告げよ、バラモンよ——長く生きる者には、いかなる憂いがあるのか。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into the paradox of longevity: whether long life brings greater wisdom and peace, or accumulates grief through witnessing loss, change, and the burdens of time.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a venerable, long-lived sage and asks him to explain what kind of suffering is characteristic of those who live for an extraordinarily long time, setting up a reflective discourse on human experience and the weight of time.