Shloka 30
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
अनयाहं वशीभूत: कालमेतं न बुद्धवान् । उच्चमध्यमनीचानां तामहं कथमावसे,“इसने मुझे इस तरह वशमें कर लिया था कि मुझे आजतकके समयका पता ही न चला। यह तो उच्च, मध्यम तथा नीच सब श्रेणीके लोगोंके साथ रहती है। भला, इसके साथ मैं कैसे रह सकता हूँ?
anayāhaṁ vaśībhūtaḥ kālam etaṁ na buddhavān | uccamadhyamanīcānāṁ tām ahaṁ katham āvase ||
ఆమె నన్ను అలా వశపరచుకుంది; ఇంత కాలం ఎలా గడిచిందో కూడా నాకు తెలియలేదు. ఆమె ఉన్నత, మధ్యమ, నీచ—అన్ని స్థాయిల వారితో కలిసే ఉంటుంది; అలాంటప్పుడు నేను ఆమెతో ఎలా కలిసి నివసించగలను?
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment or a seductive influence can quietly dominate a person, making them lose awareness of time and judgment. Ethically, it warns that what freely associates with all social types (high, middling, low) is not guided by discernment, and thus a seeker of discipline should be cautious about living in close association with such an influence.
Vasiṣṭha reflects on having been overpowered by ‘her’—an implied personified force such as attachment, desire, or a distracting association—so thoroughly that he failed to notice the passage of time. Observing that she mingles indiscriminately with all ranks of people, he questions the possibility of continuing to live with her.