Shloka 23
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
कि मया कृतमेतावद् यो5हं कालमिमं जनम् | मत्स्यो जाल ह्ुविज्ञानादनुवर्तितवानिह
kiṁ mayā kṛtam etāvad yo ’haṁ kālam imaṁ janam | matsyo jāla-hv-ajñānād anuvartitavān iha ||
瓦西什塔说道：“唉！我这些年来究竟做了什么？在这段时日里，我竟在此一直追随这个‘人’——这具身的境况。正如鱼因无明自投罗网而被缚，我也同样，直到如今仍追逐并顺从这自然的、肉身的生活。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights remorse born of discernment: once true understanding arises, one sees how ignorance makes the self cling to bodily, worldly patterns—like a fish entering a net—and turns toward detachment and right knowledge.
Vasiṣṭha voices an inner awakening: he reflects on his past conduct and recognizes that, for a long time, he merely followed the embodied, natural life without insight, just as a fish is trapped by a net through ignorance.