Shloka 15

Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka

Grief

Devanagari script

कर्णनासावनमनं दन्तदृष्टिविरागिता

Transliteration

karṇanāsāvanamanaṃ dantadṛṣṭivirāgitā

Translation

Yājñavalkya describes outward marks of inner discipline: the head slightly bowed with ears and nose inclined downward, and a dispassionate restraint of the gaze and teeth—signs of humility, self-control, and withdrawal from sensory agitation.

Word by Word

• कर्णनासावनमनम्: drooping of the ears and nose
• कर्णनासावनमनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण-नासा-अवनमन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• दन्तदृष्टिविरागिता: loss of luster/interest in the teeth and the gaze (dullness of teeth and eyes)
• दन्तदृष्टिविरागिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त-दृष्टि-विरागिता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yājñavalkya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True discipline shows in bodily and sensory restraint: a modest, lowered posture and a detached, controlled gaze and expression indicate humility and mastery over impulses.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Yājñavalkya is enumerating observable traits of a restrained, ethically grounded person—external comportment that reflects inner vairāgya and self-governance.