Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
जीर्णेन वयसा पुत्र न मां क्षुद् बाधतेडपि च । दीर्घकालं तपस्तप्तं न मे मरणतो भयम्
jīrṇena vayasā putra na māṃ kṣud bādhate ’pi ca | dīrghakālaṃ tapas taptaṃ na me maraṇato bhayam ||
மகன் கூறினான்—மகனே, முதுமையால் பசி எனக்கு அதிகம் துன்பமளிப்பதில்லை. மேலும் நான் நீண்ட காலம் தவம் செய்துள்ளேன்; ஆகவே மரணத்திற்குப் பயமில்லை.
पुत्र उवाच
Long practice of tapas and inner discipline can lessen attachment to the body and reduce fear of death; with maturity and detachment, even basic hardships like hunger lose their power to disturb the mind.
In a dialogue, the speaker (introduced as ‘the son’) addresses someone affectionately as ‘putra’ (“my child”) and explains his condition: advanced age makes hunger less oppressive, and his long austerities have made him unafraid of dying.