Shloka 20
Utkramaṇa-sthāna and Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇa: Yājñavalkya’s Instruction on Departure Pathways and Mortality Signs
त्वड्मांसं रुधिरं मेद: पित्तं मज्जा च स्नायु च । अथ चैन्द्रियकं तात तद् भवानिदमाह माम्
tvag-māṁsaṁ rudhiraṁ medaḥ pittaṁ majjā ca snāyu ca | atha caindriyakaṁ tāta tad bhavān idam āha mām ||
താതാ, ത്വക്ക്, മാംസം, രക്തം, മേദസ്, പിത്തം, മജ്ജ, സ്നായുക്കൾ—അതുപോലെ ഇന്ദ്രിയസമൂഹവും—ഇവയെല്ലാം നീ മുമ്പേ എനിക്കു പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുണ്ട്.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that the body is a collection of physical constituents and sensory functions; recognizing this composite nature supports ethical detachment and clearer discernment of the self as distinct from bodily materials.
Vasiṣṭha responds to the interlocutor by recapping what has already been said about the body’s components, setting up a continued instruction that moves from bodily analysis toward moral-spiritual insight.