Shloka 11
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
आत्मच्छायाकृती भूतं ते5पि संवत्सरायुष: । पृथ्वीनाथ! जो लोग दूसरेके नेत्रोंमें अपनी परछाईं न देख सकें, उनकी आयु भी एक ही वर्षतक शेष समझनी चाहिये ।। १० $ ।। अतिथद्युतिरतिप्रज्ञा अप्रज्ञा चाद्युतिस्तथा
ātmacchāyākṛtī bhūtaṁ te ’pi saṁvatsarāyuṣaḥ | pṛthvīnātha! ye lokāḥ pareṣāṁ netreṣu svacchāyāṁ na paśyanti, teṣām āyur api kevalaṁ varṣamātraśeṣaṁ mantavyam ||
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच—हे पृथ्वीनाथ! येषां भूतानां परनेत्रेषु स्वात्मच्छाया न दृश्यते, तेषामायुरपि संवत्सरमात्रं शिष्टमिति विज्ञेयम्।
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an omen: if a person’s reflection is not perceived in another’s eyes, it signals that death is near (about a year remaining). Ethically, it urges urgency in right conduct—settling duties, practicing restraint, and turning toward dharma before time runs out.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king (“lord of the earth”) and teaches diagnostic signs connected with life and death. This line is one such sign, framed as counsel for a ruler to understand human frailty and govern with awareness of impermanence.