Verse 17

Yagyavalkya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

श्मशानेषु दिगन्तेषु स एव ललनास्तनः ।

श्वभिरास्वाद्यते काले लघुपिण्ड इवान्धसः ॥१७॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

श्मशानेषु । दिक्-अन्तेषु । सः । एव । ललना-स्तनः ।

श्वभिः । आस्वाद्यते । काले । लघु-पिण्डः । इव । अन्धसः ॥१७॥

IAST Transliteration

śmaśāneṣu diganteṣu sa eva lalanā-stanaḥ |

śvabhir āsvādyate kāle laghupiṇḍa ivāndhasaḥ ||17||

Translation

In cremation grounds, at the ends of the directions, that very woman’s breast is, in time, tasted by dogs—like a small lump of food.

Verse Context

• Vairāgya (dispassion) through contemplation of impermanence (anityatā) and the body’s perishability
• Mahavakya: Indirect: supports renunciation and inner turning required for stable inquiry into ‘tat tvam asi’/‘aham brahmāsmi’; not a direct mahāvākya exposition.
• Yajur
• Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasaneyī) Shakha
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)