Shloka 13
Aśoka-śāstra: Nārada’s Instruction on the Cessation of Śoka
Grief
Devanagari script
ऊर्णनाभेर्यथा चक्र छिद्रें सोम॑ं प्रपश्यति
Transliteration
ūrṇanābher yathā cakra-chidre somaṃ prapaśyati
Translation
耶若那伐迦说道：“正如蜘蛛从网心的孔隙望去而见月轮，明辨之人亦能借由一处微妙的‘孔径’——在世间织构之中炼净的一点洞见——而观照更高的真实。”
Word by Word
ūrṇanābheḥof the spider
ūrṇanābheḥ:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootūrṇanābhi
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
yathāas/just as
yathā:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyathā
cakrawheel/circle (web-like circle)
cakra:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootcakra
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
chidrein the hole/opening
chidre:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootchidra
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
somamthe moon (Soma)
somam:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootsoma
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
prapaśyatisees/beholds
prapaśyati:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootpra√paś (paś)
FormPresent, Third, Singular
Speaker
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Characters & Entities
य
याज्ञवल्क्य (Yājñavalkya)ऊ
ऊर्णनाभि (spider)स
सोम (the Moon/Soma)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
True understanding is not gained by grasping the whole ‘web’ of appearances, but by cultivating a subtle, focused insight—through which one can directly perceive the higher truth beyond worldly constructions.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Yājñavalkya instructs through a vivid analogy: the spider and its web illustrate how the mind’s structures can both obscure and, when rightly ‘opened’ by discernment, become a means to perceive what is otherwise distant or hidden.