Shloka 23

Devanagari script

त्रिकालमभिषेक श्न होत्र॑ त्वृषिकृतं महत्‌ । समाधिसत्पथस्थानं यथोद्दिष्टनिषेवणम्‌,दोनों प्रकारके ही ऋषियोंका यह महान्‌ कर्तव्य है कि वे प्रतिदिन तीनों समय जलनमें स्नान करें और अग्निमें आहुति डालें। समाधि लगावें, सन्मार्गपर चलें और शास्त्रोक्त कर्मोंका अनुष्ठान करें

Transliteration

trikālam abhiṣeka-snānāh hotraṁ tv ṛṣikṛtaṁ mahat | samādhi-satpatha-sthānaṁ yathoddiṣṭa-niṣevaṇam ||

Translation

Śrī Maheśvara said: “For sages, this is a great and time-honored duty: to bathe with water at the three daily junctures, to maintain the sacred fire and offer oblations, to cultivate meditative absorption, to remain established on the true path, and to carry out the disciplines enjoined by the scriptures.”

Word by Word

• {'trikālam': 'at the three times (morning, midday, evening)', 'abhiṣeka-snānāni (abhiṣeka-snānāḥ)': 'ritual bathings/ablutions with water', 'hotram': 'fire-offering

• the act of offering oblations into the sacred fire', 'ṛṣikṛtam': 'established/observed by the ṛṣis (sages)

• sanctioned by seers', 'mahat': 'great

• of high importance', 'samādhi': 'meditative absorption

• deep concentration', 'satpatha': 'the good/true path

• righteous conduct', 'sthānam': 'abiding

• being established (in)', 'yathoddiṣṭa': 'as prescribed

• as specifically enjoined', 'niṣevaṇam': 'practice

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Maheśvara
• ṛṣis (sages)
• water (for bathing)
• agni (sacred fire)
• homa/hotra (oblations)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a balanced dharmic discipline for sages: regular purification (three daily baths), maintenance of sacrificial duty (fire oblations), inner cultivation (samādhi), moral orientation (walking the true path), and faithful performance of scripturally prescribed practices.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheśvara is instructing about the proper conduct and daily regimen expected of ṛṣis, presenting it as an ancient, authoritative duty established by seers and aligned with scriptural injunctions.