Shloka 38

Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya

Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa

Devanagari script

मरुद्गण उपस्पृश्य पितृणामाश्रमे शुचि:

Transliteration

marudgaṇa upaspṛśya pitṝṇām āśrame śuciḥ

Translation

بعد أن أدّى طقس التطهّر بملامسة الماء، ظلّ طاهرًا ومضى إلى ناسكِيةِ الـPitṛs (الآباء الأسلاف) وهو في حالٍ مُقدَّسة—إشارةً إلى توقير نظام الأسلاف وإلى الضرورة الأخلاقية للطهارة الطقسية قبل الإقبال على الشأن المقدّس.

Word by Word

• मरुद्गणः: the host/group of Maruts (wind-gods)
• मरुद्गणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरुत् + गण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उपस्पृश्य: having touched/after touching (i.e., having performed ablution by touching water)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + स्पृश्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage as avyaya-kriyāviśeṣaṇa)

• पितृणाम्: of the Pitṛs (manes/ancestors)
• पितृणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• आश्रमे: in the hermitage/āśrama
• आश्रमे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• शुचिः: pure/clean
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

अजड्रिय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Marudgaṇa (host of the Maruts)
• Pitṛs (ancestral Fathers)
• Āśrama (hermitage/abode)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dharmic discipline: before entering or acting within a sacred domain—especially one connected with ancestors—one should be ritually and ethically purified, expressing reverence and self-restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker describes a moment of entering/being in the Pitṛs’ hermitage after performing a purification act (touching water/ācamana), emphasizing the sanctity of the setting and the required state of purity.