Shloka 3
Akṣara–Kṣara Viveka: Vasiṣṭha–Karāla-Janaka Saṃvāda (अक्षर-क्षर विवेकः)
Devanagari script
आयुर्न सुलभं लब्ध्वा नावकर्षेद् विशाम्पते । उत्कर्षार्थ प्रयतेत नर: पुण्येन कर्मणा
Transliteration
āyur na sulabhaṃ labdhvā nāvakārṣed viśāṃpate | utkarṣārthaṃ prayateta naraḥ puṇyena karmaṇā prajānātha ||
Translation
婆罗娑罗曰：民之主啊，人身之寿不易得，乃稀有之成就。既得此身，勿使自我下坠；当以修诸福业、行诸善行，恒常精进，以求内在之升举。
Word by Word
{'āyuḥ''life
{'āyuḥ':
lifespan', 'na sulabham''not easy to obtain
lifespan', 'na sulabham':
rare', 'labdhvā''having obtained
rare', 'labdhvā':
having gained', 'na avakārṣet (nāvakārṣet)''should not pull down
having gained', 'na avakārṣet (nāvakārṣet)':
should not degrade', 'viśāṃpate''O lord of the subjects/people (honorific address to a king)', 'utkarṣa': 'uplift
should not degrade', 'viśāṃpate':
excellence', 'artham''for the sake of
excellence', 'artham':
with the aim of', 'prayateta''should strive
with the aim of', 'prayateta':
should make effort', 'naraḥ''a man
should make effort', 'naraḥ':
a person', 'puṇyena''by merit
a person', 'puṇyena':
through virtuous merit', 'karmaṇā''by action
through virtuous merit', 'karmaṇā':
by deeds', 'prajānātha''O protector/lord of the people'}
by deeds', 'prajānātha':
Speaker
पराशर उवाच
Characters & Entities
P
ParāśaraV
viśāṃpati (king/lord of the people)P
prajānātha (protector of subjects)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Educational Q&A
Human life is a rare opportunity; one should not waste it in self-degrading conduct but should actively pursue moral and spiritual uplift through virtuous actions (puṇya-karma).
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, the sage Parāśara addresses a ruler (lord of the people), urging him to value the rarity of human life and to encourage continual ethical striving.