Shloka 16
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
संज्ञालोपो निरूष्मत्वं सद्योमृत्युनिदर्शनम् अकस्माच्च स्रवेद् यस्य वाममक्षि नराधिप
saṃjñālopo nirūṣmatvaṃ sadyomṛtyunidarśanam akasmācca sraved yasya vāmamakṣi narādhipa
قال ياجنَفالكيا: «أيها الملك، إذا فقد المرء وعيه فجأة، وبرد جسده وزالت حرارته، وظهرت عليه علامات تنذر بموتٍ عاجل—ولا سيما إذا سالت دموع عينه اليسرى بغتةً من غير سببٍ ظاهر—فهذه نُذُرٌ عظيمة الشؤم».
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches discernment: certain sudden bodily changes are treated as serious portents, urging a ruler to recognize warning signs, act with prudence, and prepare ethically for consequences rather than ignoring clear indications of danger.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Yājñavalkya instructs a king by listing specific physical omens—loss of consciousness, coldness, and causeless watering of the left eye—as indicators associated with imminent death.