Shloka 16
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
संज्ञालोपो निरूष्मत्वं सद्योमृत्युनिदर्शनम् अकस्माच्च स्रवेद् यस्य वाममक्षि नराधिप
saṃjñālopo nirūṣmatvaṃ sadyomṛtyunidarśanam akasmācca sraved yasya vāmamakṣi narādhipa
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच—नराधिप, यस्य पुरुषस्य संज्ञालोपो भवति, निरूष्मत्वं च जायते, सद्योमृत्युनिदर्शनानि च दृश्यन्ते—विशेषतः अकस्मादेव यस्य वाममक्षि स्रवति—एतानि घोराणि निमित्तानि।
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches discernment: certain sudden bodily changes are treated as serious portents, urging a ruler to recognize warning signs, act with prudence, and prepare ethically for consequences rather than ignoring clear indications of danger.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Yājñavalkya instructs a king by listing specific physical omens—loss of consciousness, coldness, and causeless watering of the left eye—as indicators associated with imminent death.