Shloka 68
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
पंचभूतात्मकः कायो विषयैः पंचभिः श्रितः । यदात्मा त्यजते राजन्स कायः परिधक्ष्यते
paṃcabhūtātmakaḥ kāyo viṣayaiḥ paṃcabhiḥ śritaḥ | yadātmā tyajate rājansa kāyaḥ paridhakṣyate
الجسد مؤلَّف من العناصر الخمسة العظمى، ومستند إلى موضوعات الحواس الخمس. فإذا فارقه الآتمان (الذات)، أيها الملك، سُلِّم ذلك الجسد إلى الاحتراق.
Unspecified (addressing a king: 'rājan')
Concept: The Self is distinct from the elemental body; when ātman departs, the body returns to elements (cremation), so one should seek the imperishable through dharma and devotion.
Application: Practice daily remembrance of death (maraṇa-smṛti), reduce sense-object obsession, and invest effort in japa, charity, and vrata observance as enduring spiritual capital.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solemn cremation ground at twilight: a king stands with folded hands as a sage points to a funeral pyre where the body, depicted as a shell of the five elements, is offered to fire. Above, a faint luminous silhouette suggests the departing ātman rising beyond smoke, while the senses and their objects appear as fading, broken garlands around the corpse.","primary_figures":["a teaching sage (ṛṣi)","a king (rājan)","departing ātman as subtle light","Agni (as sacred fire)"],"setting":"śmaśāna (cremation ground) near a riverbank with distant trees and a small shrine-stone; ritual attendants in the background","lighting_mood":"moonlit with fire-glow","color_palette":["ash gray","ember orange","smoky indigo","sandalwood brown","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a sage instructing a crowned king beside a blazing funeral pyre, Agni personified within flames, the departing ātman shown as a small golden aura rising upward; heavy gold leaf halos, rich crimson and emerald textiles, ornate jewelry, temple-like border motifs, gem-studded embellishments, solemn South Indian iconographic faces.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: twilight cremation ground by a quiet river, delicate smoke curls, a calm sage gesturing toward the pyre while the king listens in humility; cool indigo sky, fine linework, lyrical trees and distant hills, restrained emotion, refined facial features and soft shading.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, Agni as a stylized deity in the flames, sage and king in profile with large expressive eyes; natural pigment palette of red, yellow, green; ritual objects (kuśa grass, water pot) clearly rendered on a temple-wall aesthetic background.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic rather than literal—Vishnu’s lotus and conch motifs framing a central scene of the king receiving instruction on impermanence; intricate floral borders, smoke rendered as stylized vines, deep blue ground with gold highlights, lotuses floating on a nearby river, devotional ambience."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["crackling fire","soft temple bell","night insects","distant conch shell","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यदात्मा = यदा + आत्मा; राजन्स = राजन् + सः; (पादान्ते) स कायः = सः + कायः
FAQs
It frames the body as a temporary compound of the five elements, sustained by sensory engagement; once the Self leaves, the body is treated as inert matter and is cremated—encouraging detachment.
They are the objects of the five senses: sound, touch, form, taste, and smell (śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha).
By stating that the body is burned after the Self departs, it aligns with the cremation rite as a practical acknowledgment that the living principle has left and the body returns to the elements.