Shloka 10
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
Devanagari script
परचक्षुषि चात्मानं ये न पश्यन्ति पार्थिव
Transliteration
paracakṣuṣi cātmānaṃ ye na paśyanti pārthiva
Translation
हे पार्थिव! जो लोग ‘पर-चक्षु’—अर्थात् दूसरों की दृष्टि में—अपने आत्मस्वरूप को नहीं देखते, जो बाह्य आधारों पर टिके रहते हैं, वे वास्तव में अपने-आपको नहीं जानते।
Word by Word
परचक्षुषिin another's eye/through another's sight
परचक्षुषि:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपर-चक्षुस्
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
आत्मानम्oneself/the self
आत्मानम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootआत्मन्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
येwho (those who)
ये:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
पश्यन्तिsee
पश्यन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootपश्
FormPresent (Lat), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
पार्थिवO king (earth-lord)
पार्थिव:
TypeNoun
Rootपार्थिव
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Characters & Entities
य
याज्ञवल्क्य (Yājñavalkya)प
पार्थिव (the king, addressed as ‘Pārthiva’)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
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.