Shloka 143
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
देवतायतनस्थस्तु सप्तरात्रेण मृत्युभाक् जो देवमन्दिरमें बैठकर वहाँकी सुगन्धित वस्तुमें सड़े मुर्देकी-सी दुर्गन्धका अनुभव करता है, वह सात दिनमें ही मृत्युको प्राप्त हो जाता है
devatāyatanasthas tu sapta-rātreṇa mṛtyu-bhāk
Yājñavalkya declares that one who remains seated within a deity’s shrine yet experiences, in place of its sacred fragrance, the stench of a decaying corpse, is destined to meet death within seven nights. The teaching underscores that irreverence, inner impurity, or sacrilegious conduct in a holy space brings swift and severe consequence, emphasizing the ethical demand for purity and proper disposition in acts of worship.
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred spaces demand inner and outer purity; perceiving foulness where sanctity should be felt signals grave impurity or sacrilege, bringing swift karmic consequence.
In a didactic passage, Yājñavalkya states a rule-like warning: a person who sits in a deity’s shrine yet encounters the stench of a corpse (instead of sacred fragrance) is said to die within seven nights, stressing the seriousness of improper conduct in worship.