Shloka 5
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
ग्रीवया तु मुनिश्रेष्ठ नरमाप्रोत्यनुत्तमम् । विश्वेदवान् मुखेनाथ दिश: श्रोत्रेण चाप्रुयात्
grīvayā tu muniśreṣṭha naram āprotya anuttamam | viśvedevān mukhenātha diśaḥ śrotreṇa cāpruyāt ||
Yājñavalkya dit : «Ô le meilleur des sages, lorsque le souffle vital s’en va par le cou, l’homme atteint la présence de l’incomparable “Meilleur des Hommes”. S’il rend le dernier souffle par la bouche, il parvient aux Viśvedevas ; et s’il s’en va par l’oreille, il va vers les divinités qui président aux directions.»
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the ‘exit-route’ of the life-breath at death with distinct post-mortem destinations, presenting a karmic-cosmological map in which the manner of departure corresponds to specific divine realms or presences.
In a didactic discourse attributed to Yājñavalkya, the speaker instructs a revered sage about outcomes after death, specifying what divine association is attained when prāṇa departs via the neck, mouth, or ear.