Shloka 65

Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda

Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity

Devanagari script

हव्यवाहस्य दीप्तस्य समिध॑ ये न जुह्नति

Transliteration

havyavāhasya dīptasya samidhaṁ ye na juhvati

Translation

Śakra sprach: „Jene, die, selbst wenn das Opferfeuer (Agni) lodernd erglüht, keine Opferhölzer (samidh) hinein darbringen—“

Word by Word

• हव्यवाहस्य: of the oblation-carrier (Agni)
• हव्यवाहस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्यवाह
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दीप्तस्य: of the blazing (one)
• दीप्तस्य: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप्त
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• समिधः: fuel-sticks
• समिधः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: समिध्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• जुह्वति: offer (in oblation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Agni (Havyavāha)
• samidh (fuel-sticks)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse points to the ethical fault of neglecting one’s rightful religious duties: when the means and proper occasion for worship/oblation are available (the fire is already blazing), failing to offer what is due signifies disregard for dharma and gratitude, and becomes a basis for moral censure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra (Śakra) is speaking within a didactic passage of the Anuśāsana Parva, using the image of a blazing sacrificial fire and the unoffered samidh to illustrate a class of people who fail to perform prescribed acts, setting up a broader statement about conduct and its consequences.