Shloka 776

Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda

Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity

Devanagari script

वर्षासु दीपदानेन तथैव च तिलोदकैः । “तपोधनो! नीले रंगके साँड़ छोड़ने, वर्षा-ऋतुमें दीप देने और अमावास्याको तिलमिश्रित जलद्वारा तर्पण करनेसे क्या लाभ होते हैं?”

Transliteration

varṣāsu dīpadānena tathaiva ca tilodakaiḥ |

Translation

Śakra (Indra) fragte den Asketen von großer Askese: „O du, dessen Reichtum Tapas ist! Welchen Nutzen bringt es, einen blau gefärbten Stier freizulassen, in der Regenzeit Lampen zu spenden und am Amāvasyā-Tag mit sesamvermischtem Wasser (tilodaka) die tarpaṇa-Riten zu vollziehen?“

Word by Word

• वर्षासु: in the rainy seasons
• वर्षासु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्षा
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• दीपदानेन: by the giving of a lamp
• दीपदानेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीपदान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तथा: thus; likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed; just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तिलोदकैः: by waters mixed with sesame (sesame-water offerings)
• तिलोदकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलोदक
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• dīpa (lamp)
• tilodaka (sesame-mixed water)
• varṣā-ṛtu (rainy season/monsoon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic concern: actions like lamp-offering and sesame-water rites are not merely ceremonial but are evaluated by their intended spiritual fruits—merit, purification, and fulfillment of duty (especially toward ancestors and the sacred order).

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakra (Indra) addresses an austere sage and asks what benefits arise from specific monsoon-time practices—lamp donation and the use of tilodaka—seeking an authoritative explanation of their results.