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 ||
ഹേ അനഘ മുനേ! നിന്റെ ജന്മത്തിനു ലക്ഷവർഷങ്ങൾ കഴിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. ഹേ ബ്രാഹ്മണാ! ദീർഘജീവികൾക്കുള്ള ദുഃഖം എന്താണെന്ന് എനിക്ക് പറഞ്ഞുതരിക.
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.