Shloka 33
Adhyaya 43 — Portents of Death (Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇas) and the Yogin’s Response; Alarka Renounces Kingship
स्ववस्त्रममलं शुक्लं रक्तं पश्यत्यथासितम् ।
यः पुमान् मृत्युमासन्नं तस्यापि हि विनिर्दिशेत् ॥
svavastram amalaṃ śuklaṃ raktaṃ paśyaty athāsitam / yaḥ pumān mṛtyum āsannaṃ tasyāpi hi vinirdiśet
Si un homme voit son propre vêtement blanc et pur apparaître rouge, ou bien noir, il faut déclarer que la mort s’approche aussi de lui.
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FAQs
When perception itself becomes unreliable, the text reads it as a sign of life’s instability. The ethical lesson is vigilance and humility: do not assume control; prepare spiritually and socially for departure.
Ancillary human-life instruction; not part of the five defining characteristics.
White (śukla) turning red/black suggests the guṇic balance tipping toward rajas/tamas and the fading of sattvic clarity—symbolizing the dimming of inner illumination preceding death.