Shloka 36

Devanagari script

नित्याज्जलिकृतान्‌ ब्रह्म जपत: प्रागुदड्मुखान्‌ । मानसो नाम स जपो जप्यते तैर्महात्मभि:,'वे प्रतिदिन ईशानकोणकी ओर मुँह करके हाथ जोड़े हुए ब्रह्मयका मानसजप करते थे

Transliteration

nityāj jalikṛtān brahma japataḥ prāg-udag-mukhān | mānaso nāma sa japo japyate tair mahātmabhiḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Every day, with hands joined in reverent posture and facing toward the auspicious northeastern direction, they would repeat the sacred Brahman-formula. That repetition was known as ‘mental japa’—a silent, inward recitation—practised by those great-souled men.”

Word by Word

नित्यdaily/always

अञ्जलि-कृतान्having made (their hands into) añjali; with folded hands

ब्रह्मBrahman / the sacred formula (brahma)

जपतःof (one) reciting/muttering

प्राक्eastward / facing east

उदङ्-मुखान्north-facing

मानसःmental (performed in the mind)

नामindeed/namely (as it is called)

सःthat

जपःrecitation; japa

जप्यतेis recited

तैःby them

महात्मभिःby the great-souled ones

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Brahman (as sacred formula/utterance)

Northeast direction (Īśāna)

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

What is the core teaching?

True spiritual discipline can be inward: the verse highlights mānasa-japa—silent, mental repetition of a sacred formula—as a refined practice of devotion, marked by regularity, reverence (añjali), and mindful orientation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes the daily religious practice of noble practitioners: they face the auspicious northeastern direction with joined hands and perform japa, emphasizing that their recitation is primarily mental (internal) rather than merely vocal.