Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
परचक्षुषि चात्मानं ये न पश्यन्ति पार्थिव
paracakṣuṣi cātmānaṃ ye na paśyanti pārthiva
ヤージュニャヴァルキヤは言った。「おお王よ、『他者の眼を通して見られるもの』のうちに自己(アートマン)を観ず—すなわち外の評判や姿形にのみ己の同一性を求める者—は、まことに自らを知らぬ。」
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
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.