Shloka 13
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
ऊर्णनाभेर्यथा चक्र छिद्रें सोम॑ं प्रपश्यति
ūrṇanābher yathā cakra-chidre somaṃ prapaśyati
Yājñavalkya berkata: “Sebagaimana laba-laba, memandang melalui lubang pada pusat jaringnya, melihat bulan, demikian pula orang yang arif menangkap kenyataan tertinggi melalui celah halus di tengah anyaman dunia.”
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True understanding is not gained by grasping the whole ‘web’ of appearances, but by cultivating a subtle, focused insight—through which one can directly perceive the higher truth beyond worldly constructions.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Yājñavalkya instructs through a vivid analogy: the spider and its web illustrate how the mind’s structures can both obscure and, when rightly ‘opened’ by discernment, become a means to perceive what is otherwise distant or hidden.