Shloka 2

Adhyaya 43 — Portents of Death (Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇas) and the Yogin’s Response; Alarka Renounces Kingship

Sanskrit

देवमार्गं ध्रुवं शुक्रं सोमच्छायामरुन्धतीम् ।

यो न पश्येन्न जीवेत स नरः संवत्सरात् परम् ॥

Transliteration

deva-mārgaṃ dhruvaṃ śukraṃ soma-cchāyām arundhatīm /

yo na paśyen na jīvet sa naraḥ saṃvatsarāt param //

Translation

若有人不能见诸天之道（银河）、不能见德鲁瓦（北极星）、不能见舒克罗（金星）、不能见月之光环/阴影，亦不能见阿伦达蒂（Arundhatī）——此人寿命不逾一年。

Word by Word

• deva-mārgam: the path of the gods
• deva-mārgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); Tatpuruṣa: ‘devānāṃ mārgaḥ’

• dhruvam: Dhruva (Pole Star)
• dhruvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); (star-name Dhruva)

• śukram: Śukra (Venus)
• śukram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); (planet Venus)

• soma-chāyām: the Moon’s shadow
• soma-chāyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक) + chāyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); Tatpuruṣa: ‘somasya chāyā’

• arundhatīm: Arundhatī (star)
• arundhatīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arundhatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध निपात)

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, Optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध निपात)

• jīvet: should live
• jīvet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jīv (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, Optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• naraḥ: man/person
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• saṃvatsarāt: from a year
• saṃvatsarāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (पञ्चमी/5), Singular (एकवचन)

• param: beyond (that)
• param: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Adverbial accusative (द्वितीया-अव्ययवत्), ‘beyond/further’

Speakers

• Dattatreya to the king

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Ariṣṭa
• Astral omens
• Death within one year
• Yogic observation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Life is to be used wisely because its end can be near; the verse encourages vigilance and detachment. It also reflects a traditional belief that perceptual/physiological decline mirrors approaching death.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

It is a practical prognostic teaching (mokṣa-oriented discipline support), not a Pancalakṣaṇa element.

What is the esoteric significance?

In yogic reading, ‘not seeing’ can indicate dimming of sensory clarity and prāṇic imbalance; astral markers symbolize stable cosmic order, and losing their perception signifies the individual’s loosening connection to embodied orientation.