Yoga Vashishtha 1.22.1–13
(Inevitability of old age)
श्रीराम उवाच ।
अपर्याप्तं हि बालत्वं बलात्पिबति यौवनम् ।
यौवनं च जरा पश्चात्पश्य कर्कशतां मिथः ॥ १ ॥
हिमाशनिरिवाम्भोजं वात्येव शरदम्बुकम् ।
देहं जरा नाशयति नदी तीरतरुं यथा ॥ २ ॥
जर्जरीकृतसर्वाङ्गी जरा जरठरूपिणी ।
विरूपतां नयत्याशु देहं विषलवो यथा ॥ ३ ॥
शिथिलादीर्णसर्वाङ्गं जराजीर्णकलेवरम्।
समं पश्यन्ति कामिन्यः पुरुषं करभं यथा ॥ ४ ॥
अनायासकदर्थिन्या गृहीते जरसा जने ।
पलाय्य गच्छति प्रज्ञा सपत्न्येवाहताङ्गना ॥ ५ ॥
दासाः पुत्राः स्त्रियश्चैव बान्धवाः सुहृदस्तथा ।
हसन्त्युन्मत्तकमिव नरं वार्धककम्पितम् ॥ ६ ॥
दुष्प्रेक्ष्यं जरठं दीनं हीनं गुणपराक्रमैः ।
गृध्रो वृक्षमिवादीर्घं गर्धो ह्यभ्येति वृद्धकम् ॥ ७ ॥
दैन्यदोषमयी दीर्घा हृदि दाहप्रदायिनी ।
सर्वापदामेकसखी वार्धके वर्धते स्पृहा ॥ ८ ॥
कर्तव्यं किं मया कष्टं परत्रेत्यतिदारुणम्।
अप्रतीकारयोग्यं हि वर्धते वार्धके भयम् ॥ ९ ॥
कोऽहं वराकः किमिव करोमि कथमेव च।
तिष्ठामि मौनमेवेति दीनतोदेति वार्धके ॥ १० ॥
कथं कदा मे किमिव स्वादु स्याद्भोजनं जनात् ।
इत्यजस्रं जरा चैषा चेतो दहति वार्धके ॥ ११ ॥
गर्धोऽभ्युदेति सोल्लासमुपभोक्तुं न शक्यते ।
हृदयं दह्यते नूनं शक्तिदौस्थ्येन वार्धके ॥ १२ ॥
जराजीर्णबकी यावत्कायक्लेशापकारिणी ।
रौति रोगोरगाकीर्णा कायद्रुमशिरःस्थिता ॥ १३ ॥
Sriram said:
1. "O Sage, childhood is insufficient and weak; youth comes and devours it with force. Then youth is in turn consumed by old age. Observe how harshly these phases succeed each other."
2. "Old age destroys the body like snow and hail withering a lotus, or like a strong wind dispersing the autumn clouds—just as a river erodes a tree standing on its banks."
3. "Old age, appearing in the terrifying form of degeneration, withers all limbs and quickly makes the body disfigured—like poison turning even something wholesome into a destructive agent."
4. "With limbs slack and broken, the body worn out by age is looked upon by lustful women just as they would regard a withered elephant—useless and unappealing."
5. "When old age seizes a person without effort, it drives away wisdom, just as a co-wife expels the favored consort from the heart of her husband."
6. "Slaves, sons, wives, relatives, and even friends mock the man trembling with the palsy of age, as if he were a madman."
7. "The old man, poor in virtue and valor, miserable and hard to look at, is approached only by death, just as a vulture hovers over a dying tree."
8. "Desire—which is full of misery and distress, long-lasting and burning in the heart—becomes the only companion that grows stronger in old age."
9. In advanced years, fear arises—terrible and unavoidable—about the unknown afterlife. One suffers, thinking, “What painful deeds have I done that I must now reap?”
10. In the despair of old age, one thinks: “Who am I, this wretched soul? What shall I do, and how? Better I remain silent”—and thus, he becomes dejected and withdrawn.
11. “When will I ever again taste something delicious? How will I ever get it?”—thus, old age continually burns the mind with such ceaseless worries.
12. "Though desire (lust) arises joyfully, the body lacks the strength to enjoy. The heart is scorched with pain because of the impotence that age brings."
13. "Old age is like a vulture perched atop the tree of the body, shrieking in pain as it is overwhelmed by diseases—just as serpents coil around its limbs, bringing constant suffering."
Summary of the Teachings:
These verses from the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha offer a deeply contemplative meditation on the nature and consequences of aging. Through vivid imagery and comparisons, the scripture portrays the inevitability and severity of old age, revealing how it overtakes youth and bodily strength with silent but relentless force. Each stage of life is shown as being devoured by the next, culminating in a state of helplessness and deterioration that none can avoid.
The text does not romanticize aging. Instead, it presents it as a ruthless force that strips a person of beauty, strength, dignity, and even wisdom. The aged body becomes an object of pity or ridicule, abandoned by those once dear. Companions, relatives, and even the intellect itself leave the old man behind,
portraying the isolating and humbling effects of bodily decline.
At the psychological level, the verses capture how desires—especially those unfulfilled—do not lessen with age but rather intensify, tormenting the mind that no longer has the means to satisfy them. The heart burns with longing, frustration, and fears about the future, especially the afterlife. This spiritual anguish becomes more unbearable than physical pain.
Socially, the old man loses status and is mocked, marginalized, or ignored. Dependence replaces independence, and the once-proud individual is reduced to a silent, brooding figure filled with self-doubt, remorse, and fear.
This points to the illusion of worldly attainments, which fade as the body decays, revealing the transient nature of all external achievements.
Finally, the metaphor of the body as a dying tree haunted by vultures and snakes powerfully conveys the message that the body is not a lasting refuge. Disease, debility, and desire converge upon it like predators. These verses serve as a profound warning and invitation to dispassion (vairāgya), urging the aspirant to seek what is eternal rather than what inevitably perishes.
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