Yoga Vashishtha 1.22.26–38
(The inevitability and universality of aging)
श्रीराम उवाच ।
काचिदस्ति जगत्यस्मिन्नामङ्गलकरी तथा ।
यथा जराक्रोशकरी देहजङ्गलजम्बुकी ॥ २६ ॥
कासश्वासससीत्कारा दुःखधूमतमोमयी।
जराज्वाला ज्वलत्येषा यस्यासौ दग्ध एव हि ॥ २७ ॥
जरसा वक्रतामेति शुक्लावयवपल्लवा ।
तात तन्वी तनुर्नृणां लता पुष्पानता यथा ॥ २८ ॥
जराकर्पूरधवलं देहकर्पूरपादपम् ।
मुने मरणमातङ्गो नूनमुद्धरति क्षणात् ॥ २९ ॥
मरणस्य मुने राज्ञो जराधवलचामरा ।
आगच्छतोऽग्रे निर्याति स्वाधिव्याधिपताकिनी ॥ ३० ॥
न जिताः शत्रुभिः संख्ये प्रविष्टा येऽद्रिकोटरे ।
ते जराजीर्णराक्षस्या पश्याशु विजिता मुने ॥ ३१ ॥
जरातुषारवलिते शरीरसदनान्तरे ।
शक्नुवन्त्यक्षशिशवः स्पन्दितुं न मनागपि ॥ ३२ ॥
दण्डतृतीयपादेन प्रस्खलन्ती मुहुर्मुहुः।
कासाधोवायुमुरजा जरा योषित्प्रनृत्यति ॥ ३३ ॥
संसारसंसृतेरस्या गन्धकुट्यां शिरोगता।
देहयष्ट्यां जरानाम्नी चामरश्रीर्विराजते ॥ ३४ ॥
जराचन्द्रोदयसिते शरीरनगरे स्थिते ।
क्षणाद्विकासमायाति मुने मरणकैरवम् ॥ ३५ ॥
जरासुधालेपसिते शरीरान्तःपुरान्तरे ।
अशक्तिरार्तिरापच्च तिष्ठन्ति सुखमङ्गनाः ॥ ३६ ॥
अभावोऽग्रेसरी यत्र जरा जयति जन्तुषु ।
कस्तत्रेह समाश्वासो मम मन्दमतेर्मुने ॥ ३७ ॥
किं तेन दुर्जीवितदुर्ग्रहेण जरागतेनापि हि जीव्यते यत् ।
जराजगत्यामजिता जनानां सर्वैषणास्तात तिरस्करोति ॥ ३८ ॥
Sriram said:
26. "There exists in this world a certain inauspicious force, O Sage, as ominous as the shrieking of a jackal roaming the wilderness of the body—this force is called old age."
27. "Wheezing, coughing, and labored breathing are her cries, and her very presence is like a cloud of suffering and darkness. Whom she touches is as if already burnt."
28. "Through her, the once supple and youthful body becomes crooked and bent, like a flowering creeper that droops under its own weight."
29. "When old age whitens the body like camphor dust covering a tree, then surely, O Sage, the elephant of death rises swiftly to uproot it."
30. "The white fan of old age precedes the arrival of death, the king, and heralds him with banners of disease and affliction."
31. "Even those warriors who could not be conquered in battle and who had hidden in caves among the mountains—see how quickly they are overcome by the demoness of old age!"
32. "Within the house of the body, covered with the frost of old age, even the fingers of the hand can hardly stir; the life force flickers feebly."
33. "With a third leg of a stick, stumbling again and again, accompanied by the breath of cough and the music of gasping—thus does old age, like a dancing woman, perform her dreadful dance."
34. "In the perfumed chamber of the head, the force of old age rises and shines like a royal fan waving over the form of the body."
35. "When the moon of old age has risen over the city of the body, then at once the death-lotus begins to bloom in full."
36. "In the inner palace of the body, coated with the nectar-paste of age, dwell helplessness, pain, and infirmity like royal courtesans."
37. "Where absence leads the way, and old age rules over beings, O Sage, what hope of peace can exist there for me, dull-minded as I am?"
38. "What is the use of that unfortunate life which, even after old age has arrived, still clings on? Old age, the unconquered enemy of all beings, casts aside all pursuits and desires, O Father."
Overall Summary of the Teachings:
These verses from the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha present a vivid, poetic, and philosophical reflection on the nature of old age (jarā) and its inescapable impact on human life. The speaker, Sri Rama, meditates on the gradual decay of the human body, portraying old age as a creeping, uninvited guest who brings with her disease, helplessness, and sorrow. Through a series of metaphors and similes, old age is personified as a haunting, almost demonic figure that dances, shrieks, and overwhelms all beings without exception.
The body, once youthful and full of life, is shown to be like a garden losing its blossoms. The onset of aging is marked by signs such as white hair, coughs, trembling limbs, and the use of walking sticks—symbols of the body's decline. These verses highlight the inevitability and universality of aging, making even the strongest warriors succumb to its power. There is an underlying sense of urgency and disillusionment with the body's transitory nature.
In describing old age as the harbinger of death, the verses emphasize the close relationship between jarā (old age) and mṛtyu (death). Old age fans the arrival of death like a royal herald, and where it dwells, comfort and strength abandon the body. These images underscore the futility of worldly pride in youth, strength, or beauty. The progression from strength to helplessness mirrors the impermanence (anityatā) taught in Vedantic and yogic philosophy.
Sri Rama’s lament serves a deeper spiritual purpose: to awaken vairāgya (dispassion) and a turning inward toward Higher Truth. He sees old age as a natural disqualification for sensory and worldly pleasures, encouraging detachment from temporal pursuits. The verses warn that once old age arrives, even the pursuit of desires becomes hollow, and Realization of Truth becomes the only worthy path.
Finally, the teachings suggest that life lived without awareness of its transient nature is deluded and misguided. The wise must recognize old age not as a misfortune, but as a call to seek liberation (mokṣa) before it is too late. By contemplating the unavoidable decay of the body, one is urged to transcend attachment and prepare for Inner Freedom.
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