Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31

Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla

Devanagari script

तीक्ष्णवीर्यस्ति भूतानां दुरालम्भा: सकण्टका: । रक्तभूयिष्ठवर्णाश्न कृष्णाश्वलैवोपहारयेत्‌

Transliteration

tīkṣṇavīryāsti bhūtānāṃ durālambhāḥ sakaṇṭakāḥ | raktabhūyiṣṭhavarṇāś ca kṛṣṇāś cāśvalaiḥ upahārayet ||

Translation

Śukra said: “For beings such as bhūtas, one should offer flowers whose potency is sharp and forceful—flowers that are hard to handle, thorny, and predominantly red or black in color. Such offerings are considered appropriate for those spirits and their rites.”

Word by Word

• {'tīkṣṇa-vīrya': 'of sharp/strong potency

• intense in effect', 'bhūtānām': 'of bhūtas

• spirits/elemental beings (often classed with ghosts)', 'durālambhāḥ': 'difficult to grasp/handle

• hard to touch or pick up', 'sakaṇṭakāḥ': 'with thorns

• thorny', 'rakta-bhūyiṣṭha-varṇāḥ': 'having color mostly red

• predominantly red-hued', 'kṛṣṇāḥ': 'black/dark-colored', 'upahārayet': 'one should offer/present (as an offering)'}

Speaker

शुक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śukra
• bhūta (spirits)
• flowers (offerings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Offerings should be matched to the nature of the recipient: for bhūtas and similar spirits, flowers characterized by sharp potency, thorniness, and intense red/black coloration are prescribed as suitable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śukra is giving ritual guidance within Anuśāsana Parva, specifying the type of flowers to be presented in rites connected with bhūtas (spirit-beings), emphasizing qualities believed to align with their temperament and mode of worship.