Shloka 10
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
परचक्षुषि चात्मानं ये न पश्यन्ति पार्थिव
paracakṣuṣi cātmānaṃ ye na paśyanti pārthiva
Yājñavalkya dit : « Ô roi, ceux qui ne perçoivent pas le Soi (Ātman) dans ce qui est “vu par les yeux d’autrui” — c’est-à-dire ceux qui ne cherchent leur identité que dans les regards extérieurs et les apparences — ne se connaissent pas véritablement. »
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True self-knowledge is inward: one must recognize the Ātman directly, not define oneself by external appearances or by how others see and judge.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king and delivers a reflective teaching on self-perception—warning against mistaking external viewpoints for the reality of the Self.