Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

सो<यं विपुलमध्वानं कालेन ध्रुवमश्चुव: । नरोडवश: समभ्येति सर्वभूतनिषेवितम्‌,मृत्युके इस विशाल मार्गका सेवन सभी प्राणियोंको करना पड़ता है। इस अनित्य मानवको भी कालसे विवश होकर कभी न टलनेवाले मृत्युके मार्गपर आना ही पड़ता है

Transliteration

so ’yaṁ vipulam adhvānaṁ kālena dhruvam aścuvaḥ | naro ’vaśaḥ samabhyeti sarvabhūta-niṣevitam mṛtyuṁ ||

Translation

Janaka berkata: Insan ini, di bawah paksaan Masa, pasti menempuh jalan yang luas, telah ditetapkan dan tidak dapat dielakkan. Tanpa daya, seseorang sampai kepada maut—jalan yang dilalui oleh semua makhluk.

Word by Word

सःhe/that (one)

अयम्this (one)

विपुलम्vast, extensive

अध्वानम्path, journey/road

कालेनby time

ध्रुवम्certain, inevitable

अश्नुतेattains/undergoes

नरःa man, human

अवशःhelpless, compelled

समभ्येतिapproaches, comes to

सर्वभूतनिषेवितम्frequented/visited by all beings

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janaka

kāla (Time)

mṛtyu (Death)

nara (human being)

sarvabhūta (all beings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time compels every being—especially the human who imagines control—to move toward an inevitable end. Recognizing death’s certainty supports ethical living, humility, and detachment from pride and possessiveness.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janaka is speaking in a reflective, instructive mode, emphasizing the universality of death. He frames mortality as a common path ‘frequented by all beings,’ setting a sober context for counsel on right conduct and inner renunciation.