Shloka 96
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
खण्डाभासं दक्षिणतस्ते5पि संवत्सरायुष: । जो कभी पहलेकी देखी हुई अरुन्धती और ध्रुवको न देख पाता हो तथा पूर्णचन्द्रमाका मण्डल और दीपककी शिखा जिसे दाहिने भागसे खण्डित जान पड़े
khaṇḍābhāsaṃ dakṣiṇatas te 'pi saṃvatsarāyuṣaḥ | yaḥ kadācid pūrvadṛṣṭām aruṇdhatīṃ dhruvaṃ ca na paśyati tathā pūrṇacandramaso maṇḍalaṃ dīpakasya śikhāṃ ca yasya dakṣiṇato khaṇḍitaṃ pratibhāti, te kevalaṃ saṃvatsaram eva jīvanti |
Yājñavalkya said: “Those too are destined to live only for a year—who, though they have seen them before, can no longer behold Arundhatī and Dhruva; and to whom the disk of the full moon and the flame of a lamp appear as if broken on the right side. Such omens are taught as signs of a life nearing its end, urging vigilance, restraint, and timely pursuit of dharma.”
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain perceptual omens—no longer seeing Arundhatī and Dhruva despite having seen them before, and perceiving the full moon’s disk or a lamp’s flame as broken on the right—are traditional signs of imminent death (about a year). The ethical implication is to awaken urgency: one should turn toward dharma, restraint, and spiritual preparation rather than complacency.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yājñavalkya is describing prognostic signs (nimitta) connected with lifespan. He lists specific celestial and visual indicators and states their consequence—those who experience them are said to have only a year to live.