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 ||
یاجنولکیہ نے کہا—اے زمین کے مالک! جن جانداروں کا اپنا عکس دوسروں کی آنکھوں میں نظر نہ آئے، سمجھو کہ ان کی عمر بھی صرف ایک سال باقی رہ گئی ہے۔
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.