जराभिभूतोपि जंतुः पत्नीपुत्रादिबांधवैः । अशक्तत्वाद्दुराचारैर्भृत्यैश्च परिभूयते
Even when overcome by old age, a person is scorned by wife, son, and other relatives, and, being powerless, is insulted by wicked servants.
न धर्ममर्थं कामं च मोक्षं च जरयायुतः । शक्तः साधयितुं तस्माद्युवा धर्मं समाचरेत्
One afflicted by old age is unable to accomplish righteousness, wealth, desire, or liberation; therefore, a young man should practice righteousness.
वातपित्तकफादीनां वैषम्यं व्याधिरुच्यते । वातादीनां समूहेन देहोयं परिकीर्तितः
Disease is said to be the imbalance of wind, bile, and phlegm; this body is described as a combination of wind and the others.
तस्माद्व्याधिमयं ज्ञेयं शरीरमिदमात्मनः । वाताद्यव्यतिरिक्तत्वाद्व्याधीनां पंजरस्य च
Therefore, this body of one's own should be known as full of disease, since it is not separate from wind and the rest, nor from the cage of diseases.
रोगैर्नानाविधैर्याति देही दुःखान्यनेकधा । तानि च स्वात्मवेद्यानि किमन्यत्कथयाम्यहम्
Afflicted by various diseases, the embodied one experiences many kinds of suffering; these are known by oneself—what else should I say?
एकोत्तरं मृत्युशतमस्मिन्देहे प्रतिष्ठितम् । तत्रैकः कालसंयुक्तः शेषाश्चागंतवः स्मृताः
In this body, one hundred and one forms of death are established; among them, one is joined with time, the rest are considered incidental.
ये त्विहागंतवः प्रोक्तास्ते प्रशाम्यंति भेषजैः । जपहोमप्रदानैश्च कालमृत्युर्न शाम्यति
Those diseases mentioned here can be pacified by medicines, by recitation, offerings, and gifts; but death ordained by time cannot be appeased by these means.
यदि वापमृत्युर्न स्याद्विषास्वादादशंकितः । न चात्ति पुरुषस्तस्मादपमृत्योर्बिभेति सः
If untimely death did not exist, marked by the tasting of poison and the like, then a person would not fear it, nor would he avoid consuming such things.
विविधा व्याधयस्तत्र सर्पाद्याः प्राणिनस्तथा । विषाणि चाभिचाराश्च मृत्योर्द्वाराणि देहिनाम्
Various diseases, serpents and other creatures, poisons, and acts of sorcery—these are the doors to death for embodied beings.
पीडितं सर्वरोगाद्यैरपि धन्वंतरिः स्वयम् । स्वस्थीकर्तुं न शक्नोति कालप्राप्तं न चान्यथा
Even Dhanvantari himself cannot restore to health one afflicted by all diseases, if the destined time has come; it cannot be otherwise.
नौषधं न तपो दानं न माता न च बांधवाः । शक्नुवंति परित्रातुं नरं कालेन पीडितम्
No medicine, no austerity, no gift, neither mother nor relatives, can save a man afflicted by time.
रसायन तपो जाप्ययोगसिद्धैर्महात्मभिः । अवांतरितशांतिः स्यात्कालमृत्युमवाप्नुयात्
Through elixirs, austerity, recitation, and yogic accomplishments by great souls, only temporary relief is possible; but death ordained by time will still be attained.
जायते योनिकीटेषु मृतः कर्मवशात्पुनः । देहभेदेन यः पश्येद्वियोगं कर्मसंक्षयात्
One who dies is born again among wombs of insects and the like, according to karma; he perceives separation through the dissolution of karma, with a change of body.
मरणं तद्विनिर्दिष्टं न नाशः परमार्थतः । महातमः प्रविष्टस्य छिद्यमानेषु मर्मसु
That which is called death is only so designated; in truth, there is no destruction, even when vital points are severed and one enters deep darkness.
यद्दुःखं मरणे जंतोर्न तस्येहोपमा क्वचित् । हा तात मातः कांतेति क्रंदत्येवं सुदुःखितः
There is no suffering in existence to compare with the pain of death for a living being; in such deep distress, he cries out, 'Alas, father! Mother! Beloved!'
मंडूक इव सर्पेण ग्रस्यते मृत्युना जगत् । बांधवैः स परित्यक्तः प्रियैश्च परिवारितः
Just as a frog is swallowed by a serpent, so the world is seized by death; abandoned by relatives, yet surrounded by loved ones.
निःश्वसन्दीर्घमुष्णं च मुखेन परिशुष्यता । खट्वायां परिवृत्तो हि मुह्यते च मुहुर्मुहुः
Breathing long and hot through a parched mouth, lying on a bed, he turns restlessly and loses consciousness again and again.
संमूढः क्षिपतेत्यर्थं हस्तपादावितस्ततः । खट्वातो वांछते भूमिं भूमेः खट्वां पुनर्महीम्
Confused, he flings his hands and feet about aimlessly; from the bed he longs for the ground, and from the ground he again desires the bed.
विवशस्त्यक्तलज्जश्च मूत्रविष्ठानुलेपितः । याचमानश्च सलिलं शुष्ककंठोष्ठतालुकः
Helpless, having lost all shame, smeared with urine and feces, he begs for water, his throat, lips, and palate dried up.
चिंतयानः स्ववित्तानि कस्यैतानि मृते मयि । यमदूतैर्नीयमानः कालपाशेन कर्षितः
Reflecting on his wealth—'To whom will these belong when I am gone?'—he is dragged by the noose of time, led away by the messengers of Yama.
म्रियते पश्यतामेवं गलो घुरुघुरायते । जीवस्तृणजलौकेव देहाद्देहं विशेत्क्रमात्
He dies before the very eyes of those present, his throat making a gurgling sound; the life force, like a leech or a blade of grass in water, gradually leaves the body.
प्राप्नोत्युत्तरमंगं च देहं त्यजति पूर्वकम् । मरणात्प्रार्थनाद्दुःखमधिकं हि विवेकिनाम्
It reaches the upper limbs and leaves the former body; for the wise, the suffering of death is greater than that of desire.
क्षणिकं मरणे दुःखमनंतं प्रार्थनाकृतम् । जगतां पतिरर्थित्वाद्विष्णुर्वामनतां गतः
The suffering at death is momentary, but that caused by desire is endless; even Vishnu, lord of the worlds, became a dwarf because of a request.
अधिकः कोपरस्तस्माद्यो न यास्यति लाघवम् । ज्ञातं मयेदमधुना मृत्योर्भवति यद्गुरुः
Therefore, anger is greater than these, for it will not be set aside lightly; now I have understood what is truly weighty about death.
न परं प्रार्थयेद्भूयस्तृष्णालाघवकारणम् । आदौ दुःखं तथा मध्ये दुःखमंते च दारुणम्
One should not desire more, for it is caused by the lightness of craving; in the beginning there is suffering, in the middle likewise suffering, and in the end, severe pain.
निसर्गात्सर्वभूतानामिति दुःख परंपरा । वर्तमानान्यतीतानि दुःखान्येतानि यानि तु
Thus, for all beings by their very nature, there is an unbroken succession of suffering—these present, past, and whatever other pains there are.
न नरः शोचयेज्जन्म न विरज्यति तेन वै । अत्याहारान्महद्दुःखमल्पाहारात्तदंतरम्
A man should not grieve over birth, nor does he become detached by it; from overeating comes great suffering, from eating little, a different kind.
त्रुटते भोजने कंठो भोजने च कुतः सुखम् । क्षुधा हि सर्वरोगाणां व्याधिः श्रेष्ठतमः स्मृतः
The throat is strained by eating, so how can there be happiness in eating? For hunger is remembered as the foremost disease among all illnesses.
सच्छांतौषधलेपेन क्षणमात्रं प्रशाम्यति । क्षुद्व्याधि वेदना तीव्रा निःशेषबलकृंतनी
By the application of good food or medicine, it is calmed only for a moment; the pain of the disease of hunger is intense, destroying all strength.
तयाभिभूतो म्रियते यथान्यैर्व्याधिभिर्नरः । तद्रसेपि हि किं सौख्यं जिह्वाग्रपरिवर्तिनि
Overcome by it, a man dies just as by other diseases; and even in the taste, what happiness is there, as it turns at the tip of the tongue?