Shloka 2
Śānti-parva Adhyāya 30: Nārada–Parvata Samaya-bhaṅga, Śāpa, and the Marriage of Sukumārī
यदा वर्षसहस्रायुसतदा भवति मानव: । कथमप्राप्तकौमार: सृंजयस्य सुतो मृत:,जब उस समय मनुष्यकी एक हजार वर्षकी आयु होती थी, तब सूंजयका पुत्र कुमारावस्था आनेसे पहले ही क्यों मर गया?
yadā varṣasahasrāyus tadā bhavati mānavaḥ | katham aprāptakaumāraḥ sṛñjayasya suto mṛtaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Noong panahong yaon, kung kailan sinasabing ang tao’y nabubuhay nang isang libong taon, bakit namatay ang anak ni Sṛñjaya bago pa man umabot sa gulang ng kabataan? Anong sanhi ang makapagpapadali sa pagdating ng kamatayan sa kabila ng gayong kahabaan ng buhay?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into the apparent contradiction between a proclaimed long human lifespan and the reality of untimely death, pointing toward deeper causes such as karma, destiny, and the limits of general rules when individual circumstances intervene.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions the tradition that humans once lived for a thousand years and asks how Sṛñjaya’s son could nevertheless die before reaching boyhood, prompting an explanation about the causes of premature death.