Shloka 16
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
संज्ञालोपो निरूष्मत्वं सद्योमृत्युनिदर्शनम् अकस्माच्च स्रवेद् यस्य वाममक्षि नराधिप
saṃjñālopo nirūṣmatvaṃ sadyomṛtyunidarśanam akasmācca sraved yasya vāmamakṣi narādhipa
Yājñavalkya dit : «Ô roi, lorsqu’un homme perd soudain connaissance, devient froid, privé de la chaleur du corps, et manifeste des signes annonçant une mort imminente—surtout si, sans cause apparente, son œil gauche se met à pleurer—ce sont là de funestes présages».
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches discernment: certain sudden bodily changes are treated as serious portents, urging a ruler to recognize warning signs, act with prudence, and prepare ethically for consequences rather than ignoring clear indications of danger.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Yājñavalkya instructs a king by listing specific physical omens—loss of consciousness, coldness, and causeless watering of the left eye—as indicators associated with imminent death.