Shloka 110

Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

नित्यं यज्ञक्रिया धर्म: पितृदेवार्चने रति: । सर्वातिथ्यं च कर्तव्यमन्नेनोज्छार्जितेन वै

Transliteration

nityaṁ yajñakriyā dharmaḥ pitṛdevārcane ratiḥ | sarvātithyaṁ ca kartavyam annenocchārjitena vai ||

Translation

Maheshvara sprach: „Regelmäßig Opferhandlungen zu vollziehen ist Pflicht; man soll Freude an der Verehrung der Ahnen und der Götter haben. Und jedem Gast ist Gastfreundschaft zu erweisen—ja, mit Speise, die ordnungsgemäß zum Teilen beiseitegelegt wurde.“

Word by Word

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य
• Form: Avyaya (adverb)

• यज्ञक्रिया: sacrificial rite/act of sacrifice
• यज्ञक्रिया: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञक्रिया
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मः: duty/righteousness
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पितृदेवार्चने: in the worship of ancestors and gods
• पितृदेवार्चने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृदेवार्चन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• रतिः: delight/attachment
• रतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वातिथ्यम्: hospitality to all (guests)
• सर्वातिथ्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वातिथ्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya (conjunction)

• कर्तव्यम्: should be done/ought to be performed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular (gerundive/obligative: 'to be done')

• अन्नेन: with food
• अन्नेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• उच्छार्जितेन: set aside/left over (reserved)
• उच्छार्जितेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्-√सृज्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular (past passive participle)

• वै: indeed/verily
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै
• Form: Avyaya (emphatic particle)

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrīmaheśvara (Mahādeva/Śiva)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Devas (gods)
• Atithi (guest)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines everyday dharma as a threefold discipline: regular performance of prescribed sacrificial/ritual duties, heartfelt worship of ancestors and gods, and universal hospitality—especially expressed through sharing food that has been intentionally reserved for guests.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Śrīmaheśvara speaks as an authoritative teacher, laying down practical norms of righteous living—linking ritual observance and devotion with social ethics through the obligation to feed and honor any guest.