Shloka 23
Dehānta (Cyavana) and Upapatti: Kāśyapa’s Questions and the Siddha’s Account of Death, Pain, and Karmic Re-embodiment
शरीरं च जहात्येवं निरुच्छवासश्व दृश्यते । स निरूष्मा निरुच्छवासो नि:श्रीको हतचेतन:
śarīraṃ ca jahāty evaṃ nirucchvāsaś ca dṛśyate | sa nirūṣmā nirucchvāso niḥśrīko hatacetanaḥ ||
Ainsi l’être quitte le corps ; et l’on voit alors celui-ci gisant, sans souffle. Dépourvu de chaleur et de respiration, privé d’éclat, la conscience éteinte, il n’est plus qu’une forme inanimée.
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the distinction between the living principle and the body: when life departs, the body becomes breathless, cold, and devoid of consciousness and luster. This supports dharmic reflection—reducing attachment, pride, and grief rooted in mere physicality.
A Siddha describes the observable signs of death: the body is abandoned, breath ceases, warmth disappears, radiance fades, and consciousness is no longer present—presented as a contemplative instruction within the Ashvamedhika Parva.