Shloka 66
Adhyāya 6: Vidura’s Saṃsāra-Upamā
The Allegory of the Well, Time, and Desire
तामाहुस्तु जरां प्राज्ञा रूपवर्णविनाशिनीम् । जो सर्प कहे गये हैं, वे नाना प्रकारके रोग हैं। उस वनकी सीमापर जो विशालकाय नारी खड़ी थी, उसे विद्वान पुरुष रूप और कान्तिका विनाश करनेवाली वृद्धावस्था बताते हैं
tām āhus tu jarāṃ prājñā rūpavarṇavināśinīm |
Vidura explica que os sábios identificam a mulher gigantesca de pé na fronteira daquela floresta alegórica como Jarā — a Velhice, força que destrói a beleza e o viço do semblante. No enquadramento moral da passagem, ela assinala o declínio inevitável que alcança toda vida encarnada, lembrando-nos de agir com discernimento e desapego antes que o tempo corroa todo esplendor exterior.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Outward beauty and social power are fragile; old age inevitably destroys them. Therefore one should ground life in dharma and inner discipline rather than in transient appearance.
Within an allegorical description, a gigantic woman seen at the forest’s boundary is interpreted by the wise as Jarā (Old Age), personifying the unavoidable decline that confronts all beings.