Shloka 4

Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)

Devanagari script

जनक उवाच आगमे यदि वापाये ज्ञातीनां द्रविणस्य च । नरेण प्रतिपत्तव्यं कल्याणं कथमिच्छता,जनक बोले--ब्रह्मन्‌! कुटुम्बीजन और धनकी उत्पत्ति या विनाश होनेपर कल्याण चाहनेवाले पुरुषको कैसा निश्चय करना चाहिये?

Transliteration

janaka uvāca | āgame yadi vāpāye jñātīnāṃ draviṇasya ca | nareṇa pratipattavyaṃ kalyāṇaṃ katham icchatā ||

Translation

Janaka berkata: “Wahai Brahmana, apabila kaum kerabat dan harta seseorang sama ada bertambah atau berkurang, apakah haluan tingkah laku yang teguh patut dipegang oleh seorang lelaki yang mencari keberkatan dan manfaat yang sebenar?”

Word by Word

जनकःJanaka

उवाचsaid

आगमेin the acquisition/coming (of)

यदिif

वाor

अपायेin the loss/decline (of)

ज्ञातीनाम्of kinsmen/relatives

द्रविणस्यof wealth

चand

नरेणby a man

प्रतिपत्तव्यम्should be adopted/decided upon

कल्याणम्welfare/good

कथम्how

इच्छताby (one) desiring

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janaka

Brahmin (addressed interlocutor)

jñāti (kinsmen/relatives)

draviṇa (wealth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry: a seeker of true welfare (kalyāṇa) must choose a steady, principled course of conduct that does not collapse under either prosperity (gain of wealth/relations) or adversity (their loss).

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janaka addresses a Brahmin interlocutor and asks for guidance on what resolution or practical stance a person should adopt when family circumstances and material fortunes fluctuate—seeking a path that leads to genuine good.