Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
परचक्षुषि चात्मानं ये न पश्यन्ति पार्थिव
paracakṣuṣi cātmānaṃ ye na paśyanti pārthiva
हे पार्थिवा! जे ‘परचक्षुषि’—म्हणजे दुसऱ्यांच्या नजरेत—आत्म्याला पाहत नाहीत, जे बाह्य आधारांवर अवलंबून असतात, ते खरेतर स्वतःला जाणत नाहीत.
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.