Old Age

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ |
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṁ yo’nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.47; Manu-smṛti: 2.154)

“[The youthful Sārasvata Muni says to an assembly of elder ṛṣis who had requested him to teach them the Vedas after they had neglected to study them for many years during a prolonged famine and thus forgotten how to recite the Vedas in full and proper completion:] Neither by years, nor by grey hairs, nor by wealth, nor by relations have ṛṣis performed dharma. One who is devoted to learning [i.e., one who is well-versed in the śāstra so as to be able to read, repeat, and teach it to others] is the great one amongst us [i.e., a ṛṣi’s performance of dharma is constituted principally of learning, understanding, and teaching the śāstra].”

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yā dustyajā durmatibhir jīryato yā na jīryati

yā dustyajā durmatibhir jīryato yā na jīryati |
tāṁ tṛṣṇāṁ duḥkha-nivahāṁ śarma-kāmo drutaṁ tyajet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.19.16)

“One who has an interest in well-being should swiftly shun that constant [alt., extreme, or, invariable] bearer of miseries—desire—which is difficult to shun for the ill-minded and which does not age as a result of aging.”

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janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-vedanābhir upadrutam

janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-vedanābhir upadrutam |
saṁsāram imam utpannam asāraṁ tyajataḥ sukham ||
(Hitopadeśa: Sandhi, 94)

“Happiness comes from giving up this insubstantial world of saṁsāra which is overrun by birth, death, old age, disease, and sorrow.”

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na cainaṁ sahasākramya jarā samadhirohati

na cainaṁ sahasākramya jarā samadhirohati |
sthirībhavati māṁsaṁ ca vyāyāmābhiratasya ca ||
(Suśruta-saṁhitā: Cikitsā-sthāna, 4.42)

“Old age does not assail one suddenly. The flesh of one who engages in exercise remains firm.”

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vyarthayārthehayā vittaṁ

vyarthayārthehayā vittaṁ pramattasya vayo balam |
kuśalā yena sidhyanti jaraṭhaḥ kiṁ nu sādhaye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.23.25)

“Wealth, youth, and strength, by which the wise attain perfection—my bewildered self has lost these because of meaningless endeavors for wealth. Now, in old age, what can I attain?”

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