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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.98.30
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 98: Bharata’s appeal and Rāma’s answer. Bharata asks him to restore the Kingdom, Rāma teaches the inevitability of loss, separation and death
In the sequence: relationships come together and part like pieces of wood meeting at sea; grief cannot reverse death
2.98.30
vayasaḥ patamānasya srotaso vānivartinaḥ
ātmā sukhe niyoktavyaḥ sukhabhājaḥ prajāḥ smṛtāḥ
As one's lifetime slips away like a stream that never turns back, the self should be set upon happiness; for creatures are ordained to have their share of joy.
Words: vayasaḥ — of (one's) age, lifetime; patamānasya — falling, slipping away; srotaso — of a stream; vānivartinaḥ — or non-returning; ātmā — the self; sukhe — upon happiness; niyoktavyaḥ — should be applied, engaged; sukhabhājaḥ — partaking of happiness; prajāḥ — creatures, people; smṛtāḥ — are declared, held (in tradition)
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.