Shloka 2
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
जनक उवाच भगवन् यदि न प्रेत्य संज्ञा भवति कस्यचित् | एवं सति किमज्ञानं ज्ञानं वा कि करिष्यति,जनकने पूछा--भगवन्! यदि मृत्युके पश्चात् किसीकी कोई विशेष संज्ञा नहीं रह जाती तो उस स्थितिमें अज्ञान अथवा ज्ञान क्या करेगा?
janaka uvāca bhagavan yadi na pretya saṃjñā bhavati kasyacit | evaṃ sati kim ajñānaṃ jñānaṃ vā kiṃ kariṣyati ||
ຊະນະກະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຂ້າແຕ່ພຣະອົງຜູ້ຈະເລີນ! ຖ້າຫຼັງຄວາມຕາຍ ບໍ່ມີຜູ້ໃດຫຼືສິ່ງໃດຄົງເຫຼືອຄວາມຮູ້ສຶກຈໍາແນກຕົນ ຫຼືອັດຕະລັກພິເສດໄວ້ເລີຍ ແລ້ວໃນສະພາບນັ້ນ ອະວິຊາ ຫຼືແມ່ນແຕ່ ວິຊາ ຈະເຮັດອັນໃດໄດ້?»
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key mokṣa-oriented problem: if personal continuity (saṃjñā) does not persist after death, then the usual motivations for pursuing knowledge over ignorance seem to collapse. It pushes the discussion toward clarifying what truly persists (or what liberation means) and why knowledge matters beyond merely securing a post-mortem personal outcome.
King Janaka, in dialogue with a revered teacher, raises a philosophical doubt about the afterlife: if no distinct awareness remains after death for anyone, then what practical or moral efficacy can be attributed to ignorance or knowledge? The question invites the teacher’s response on self, continuity, and the purpose of wisdom.