Shloka 19

अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः

The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī

Devanagari script

जो चितकबरे रंगके बैलोंसे जुती गाड़ीपर बैठकर नदीके जलको पार कर रहा हो, उसके पितर इस समय मानो नावपर बैठकर उससे जलांजलि पानेकी इच्छा रखते हैं ।। सदा नावि जल तऊज्ञा: प्रयच्छन्ति समाहिता: । मासार्थे कृष्णपक्षस्य कुर्यान्निर्वपणानि वै

Transliteration

yaś citrakabare raṅgake bailaiḥ yutāṁ gāḍīṁ āruhya nadī-jalaṁ pārayan bhavati, tasya pitaras tadā nāvam āruhya iva tasmat jalāñjaliṁ prāptum icchanti. sadā nāvi jalatāḥ ajñāḥ prayacchanti samāhitāḥ. māsārthe kṛṣṇapakṣasya kuryān nirvapaṇāni vai.

Translation

Bhishma says: When a man crosses a river seated on a cart drawn by variegated, well-adorned bulls, his ancestors at that very time are as though seated in a boat, longing to receive the offering of water from him. Therefore, with a collected mind, one should regularly give water-offerings (jalāñjali) to the Pitṛs; and especially, in the dark fortnight of the month (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa), one should certainly perform the prescribed ancestral offerings (nirvapaṇa/śrāddha-related rites).

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा
• Form: indeclinable (adverb)

• नावि: in a boat
• नावि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नौ
• Form: feminine, locative singular

• जल: water
• जल: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल
• Form: neuter, accusative singular

• तृप्ताः: satisfied
• तृप्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप्त
• Form: masculine, nominative plural

• प्रयच्छन्ति: they give / offer
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (प्र + यम्/यच्छ् as present-stem)
• Form: present tense, parasmaipada, 3rd person plural

• समाहिताः: composed, attentive
• समाहिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाहित
• Form: masculine, nominative plural

• मासार्थे: at the end of the month / for the month's purpose
• मासार्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मासार्थ
• Form: masculine, locative singular

• कृष्णपक्षस्य: of the dark fortnight
• कृष्णपक्षस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णपक्ष
• Form: masculine, genitive singular

• कुर्यात्: one should do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: optative (vidhilin), parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• निर्वपणानि: offerings (oblations), rites of offering
• निर्वपणानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वपण
• Form: neuter, accusative plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै
• Form: indeclinable (particle)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Pitrs (ancestors)
• river (nadī)
• boat (nāva)
• water-offering (jalāñjali)
• cart (gāḍī)
• bulls/oxen (baila)
• dark fortnight (kṛṣṇapakṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should not neglect ongoing obligations to the ancestors: offer water (tarpana/jalāñjali) with a focused mind, and observe the appropriate lunar timing—especially the dark fortnight—for ancestral rites (nirvapaṇa/śrāddha-related offerings).

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is instructing on ancestral rites. He uses a vivid image: as a person crosses a river on a bullock-cart, the Pitṛs are imagined as if seated in a boat nearby, eagerly awaiting the water-offering from him—underscoring immediacy and duty.