Shloka 28
Dehānta (Cyavana) and Upapatti: Kāśyapa’s Questions and the Siddha’s Account of Death, Pain, and Karmic Re-embodiment
ततः सचेतनो जनन््तुर्नाभिजानाति किंचन । तमसा संवृतज्ञान: संवृतेष्वेव मर्मसु । स जीवो निरधिष्ठानक्षाल्यते मातरिश्वना
tataḥ sacetano jantur nābhijānāti kiṃcana | tamasā saṃvṛtajñānaḥ saṃvṛteṣv eva marmaṣu | sa jīvo niradhiṣṭhānaḥ kṣālyate mātariśvanā ||
Kemudian, walaupun makhluk itu masih sedar, dia tidak memahami apa-apa sama sekali. Daya mengetahui diselubungi oleh kegelapan (kejahilan), dan bahkan titik-titik hayat di dalam tubuh seolah-olah tertutup. Pada saat terakhir itu, jīva tidak lagi mempunyai sandaran, dan angin (nafas hayat) menggoncangnya keluar dari tempatnya—maka diri yang berjasad itu diheret, tidak berdaya, oleh kuasa-kuasa yang memerintah kematian.
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
At the time of death, ignorance (tamas/avidyā) can eclipse discernment so thoroughly that even a conscious being cannot comprehend what is happening. The verse highlights human helplessness when inner clarity is absent, implying an ethical urgency: cultivate knowledge, self-control, and spiritual steadiness before the final moment, rather than relying on lucidity at the end.
A Siddha describes the dying condition: the creature’s cognition is covered by tamas, the vital junctions (marmas) are obstructed, and the jīva—lacking a stable support—is swept away by Mātariśvan (the wind/life-breath), i.e., the departing prāṇa dislodges the embodied self from its bodily seat.