Shloka 35

Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda

Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped

Devanagari script

प्राक्‌ कृतेन ममत्वेन तासु तास्विह योनिषु । निर्ममस्य ममत्वेन कि कृतं तासु तासु च

Transliteration

prāk kṛtena mamatvena tāsu tāsv iha yoniṣu | nirmamasya mamatvena kiṁ kṛtaṁ tāsu tāsu ca ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha disse: “Antigamente, pelo hábito do ‘meu’, vaguei aqui de um ventre a outro. Agora, para quem está livre da possessividade, que se alcança ao apegar-se novamente ao ‘meu’, neste nascimento ou em qualquer outro?”

Word by Word

प्राक्formerly, earlier

कृतेनby/with the act (done)

ममत्वेनby possessiveness, by the sense of 'mine'

तासुin those (f.)

तासुin those (various) (f.)

इहhere, in this (world/condition)

योनिषुin wombs/births/species

निर्ममस्यof one who is without 'mine'-ness (non-possessive)

ममत्वेनby possessiveness

किम्what?

कृतम्done, made

तासुin those (f.)

तासुin those (various) (f.)

चand

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse critiques mamatva (the possessive sense of “mine”) as a cause of repeated births and suffering, and praises nirmamatva (freedom from possessiveness) as the ethical and spiritual stance that makes clinging pointless and unproductive.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha reflects on his own past entanglement in possessiveness that led him through many forms of birth, and he now argues—by rhetorical question—that for one who has become detached, re-adopting ‘mine-ness’ serves no meaningful purpose in any life.