Shloka 30
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
अनयाहं वशीभूत: कालमेतं न बुद्धवान् । उच्चमध्यमनीचानां तामहं कथमावसे
anayāhaṁ vaśībhūtaḥ kālam etaṁ na buddhavān | uccamadhyamanīcānāṁ tām ahaṁ katham āvase ||
Vasiṣṭha nói: “Bởi nàng mà ta bị chế ngự; ta thậm chí chẳng hay thời gian này đã trôi qua thế nào. Nàng kết giao với mọi hạng người—cao, trung, thấp. Vậy thì làm sao ta có thể sống chung với nàng?”
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.