Shloka 17

Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)

Devanagari script

पूर्वे वयसि मध्ये वाप्युत्तरे वा नराधिप । अवर्जनीयास्ते<र्था वै कांक्षिता ये ततो5न्यथा

Transliteration

janaka uvāca | pūrve vayasi madhye vāpy uttare vā narādhipa | avarjanīyās te 'rthā vai kāṅkṣitā ye tato 'nyathā nareśvara ||

Translation

阇那迦王说：“噫，人中之主！无论少壮、中年或老年，皆有若干结果不可回避。那些人所盼望本应相反之事——只愿安乐——仍会以艰难之形到来，因为苦亦是人生不可脱的分分。”

Word by Word

• {'janaka uvāca': 'Janaka said', 'pūrve vayasi': 'in the earlier stage of life

• in youth', 'madhye': 'in the middle (stage)

• in midlife', 'uttare': 'in the later (stage)

• in old age', 'narādhipa': 'O king

• ruler of men', 'avarjanīyāḥ': 'unavoidable

• not to be warded off', 'te': 'those', 'arthāḥ': 'things

• circumstances', 'vai': 'indeed

• surely', 'kāṅkṣitāḥ': 'desired

• longed for', 'anyathā': 'otherwise

• in a different way (than they actually occur)', 'nareśvara': 'O lord of men

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janaka
• narādhipa (a king addressed)
• nareśvara (a king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Janaka teaches realism and detachment: across all stages of life, some hardships are inevitable, even when one wishes for only pleasure. Wisdom lies in accepting the unavoidable and not grounding one’s peace in the demand that life be only सुख (comfort).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, King Janaka addresses a king, offering counsel about life’s inescapable difficulties and the ethical need for steadiness of mind amid changing circumstances.