Shloka 39

Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech

Devanagari script

वलीपलितसंयोगे कार्श्य॑ वैवर्ण्यमेव च । कुब्जभावं च जरया य: पश्यति स मुच्यते,“बुढ़ापा आनेपर इस शरीरमें झुर्रियाँ पड़ जाती हैं। सिरके बाल सफेद हो जाते हैं। देह दुबली-पतली एवं कान्तिहीन हो जाती है तथा कमर झुक जानेके कारण मुनष्य कुबड़ा-सा हो जाता है। इन सब बातोंकी ओर जिसकी सदा ही दृष्टि रहती है, वह मुक्त हो जाता है!

Transliteration

valīpalitasaṃyoge kārśyaṃ vaivarṇyam eva ca | kubjabhāvaṃ ca jarayā yaḥ paśyati sa mucyate ||

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຜູ້ໃດທີ່ຄອຍເຫັນເຄື່ອງໝາຍແຫ່ງຄວາມແກ່—ຮອຍຍັບແລະຜົມຫງອກ, ຄວາມຜອມແຫ້ງແລະການເສຍສີຜິວ, ແລະສະພາບຫຼັງງໍ້ງໍ້ທີ່ເກີດຈາກຊະລາ—ຜູ້ນັ້ນຍ່ອມຫຼຸດພົ້ນ. ດ້ວຍການພິຈາລະນາຢ່າງສະເໝີກ່ຽວກັບຄວາມເສື່ອມຖອຍທີ່ຫຼີກບໍ່ພົ້ນຂອງຮ່າງກາຍ, ຄວາມຍຶດຕິດຈະຄ່ອຍໆຄາຍ ແລະເຂົ້າໃກ້ການຫຼຸດພົ້ນ.»

Word by Word

• {'valī': 'wrinkle, fold of skin', 'palita': 'grey/white hair

• hoariness', 'saṃyoga': 'conjunction, occurrence, coming together (here: the onset/appearance of signs)', 'kārśya': 'leanness, emaciation', 'vaivarṇya': 'loss/change of color

• loss of luster/complexion', 'eva': 'indeed, just, emphatically', 'kubjabhāva': 'hunched condition

• becoming bent or hump-backed', 'jarā': 'old age, senescence', 'yaḥ': 'who(ever)', 'paśyati': 'sees, observes, keeps in view, contemplates', 'saḥ': 'he, that person', 'mucyate': 'is released, is freed (from bondage/samsara)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

To cultivate dispassion by repeatedly reflecting on the body’s inevitable deterioration—wrinkles, greying, weakness, loss of beauty, and stooping—so that attachment to bodily identity fades and liberation becomes possible.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira practical contemplations that generate vairagya (detachment). Here he points to observable signs of aging as a meditative reminder of impermanence.