Shloka 20
Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)
गन्धवर्णरसस्पर्शा निवर्तन्ते स्वभावत: । तथैव सुखदुःखानि विधानमनुवर्तते,जैसे शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप, रस और गन्ध स्वभावत: आते-जाते रहते हैं, उसी प्रकार मनुष्य सुख और दु:खोंको प्रारब्धानुसार पाता रहता है
gandha-varṇa-rasa-sparśā nivartante svabhāvataḥ | tathaiva sukha-duḥkhāni vidhānam anuvartate ||
Vua Janaka nói: “Hương, sắc, vị và xúc chạm tự nhiên sinh rồi tự nhiên diệt. Cũng như thế, vui và khổ đến với con người theo đúng lộ trình đã được an bài (định mệnh).”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense-experiences (smell, color/form, taste, touch) naturally arise and pass away; likewise, pleasure and pain arrive according to the ordained order (vidhāna). The ethical implication is to cultivate steadiness and non-attachment rather than being driven by changing sensations and fortunes.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right conduct, King Janaka speaks as a teacher-figure, using the transient nature of sensory contact as an analogy to explain why one should remain even-minded when confronted with happiness and suffering.