Shloka 119
Devanagari script
नक्तं न कुर्यात् पित्र्याणि भुक्त्वा चैव प्रसाधनम्
Transliteration
naktaṁ na kuryāt pitryāṇi bhuktvā caiva prasādhanam
Translation
Bhishma said: “One should not perform the rites for the Pitṛs at night; and after eating, one should likewise not undertake ritual preparations or acts of ceremonial purification.”
Word by Word
नक्तम्at night
नक्तम्:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनक्तम्
FormAvyaya (temporal adverb)
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
FormAvyaya (negation)
कुर्यात्should do / should perform
कुर्यात्:
TypeVerb
Rootकृ
FormVidhi-lin (optative), parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular, present-system
पित्र्याणिancestral rites (pitṛ-related acts/offerings)
पित्र्याणि:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपित्र्य
FormNeuter, accusative, plural
भुक्त्वाhaving eaten
भुक्त्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootभुज्
FormAbsolutive (क्त्वा), indeclinable; prior action to main verb
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
FormAvyaya (conjunction)
एवindeed / just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
FormAvyaya (emphasis)
प्रसाधनम्adornment; grooming; dressing/decoration
प्रसाधनम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootप्रसाधन
FormNeuter, accusative, singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhishmaP
Pitrs (ancestral spirits)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Ritual acts—especially ancestral rites—must be performed at proper times and in a state of appropriate purity; night-time performance and post-meal ritual preparation are discouraged as contrary to prescribed discipline.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and correct conduct, giving practical rules about śrāddha/Pitṛ-related observances and standards of cleanliness and timing.