Shloka 12
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 85: Āṣṭaka–Yayāti संवादः
Merit-Exhaustion, Rebirth, and the Critique of Pride
वुर्वयुरुवाच न कामये जरां तात कामभोगप्रणाशिनीम् । बलरूपान्तकरणी बुद्धिप्राणप्रणाशिनीम्,तुर्वसु बोले--तात! काम-भोगका नाश करनेवाली वृद्धावस्था मुझे नहीं चाहिये। वह बल तथा रूपका अन्त कर देती है और बुद्धि एवं प्राणशक्तिका भी नाश करनेवाली है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | na kāmaye jarāṃ tāta kāmabhogapraṇāśinīm | balarūpāntakaraṇīṃ buddhiprāṇapraṇāśinīm ||
毗湿摩耶那说道：“慈爱的父亲啊，我不愿要衰老——那是毁灭诸般欢娱与享乐之物。它终结力量与美貌，也摧毁心智的清明与生命的元气。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitable decline caused by old age—loss of pleasure, strength, beauty, mental clarity, and vitality—prompting reflection on the fragility of sensual enjoyment and the need for wiser life-orientation beyond mere kāma (pleasure).
Within Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker addresses an elder (“tāta”) and expresses aversion to old age, describing it as a force that ends enjoyment and undermines bodily and mental powers.