Shloka 23

मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity

Devanagari script

सदा द्वादशमासांस्तु जुह्दानो जातवेदसम्‌ | अलुब्ध: सत्यवादी च ब्रह्मण्यश्वाविहिंसक:

Transliteration

sadā dvādaśa-māsāṁs tu juhvāno jātavedasam | alubdhaḥ satyavādī ca brahmaṇyaś cāvihiṁsakaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Bhīṣma: «Aquel que, durante los doce meses del año, ofrece continuamente oblaciones al fuego sagrado, Agni (Jātavedas), y que está libre de codicia, es veraz, reverente con los brahmanes y el orden védico, y no violento—ese hombre encarna las señales de la conducta justa.»

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• मासान्: months
• मासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तु: indeed/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• जुह्वानः: offering (as oblation), sacrificing
• जुह्वानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जातवेदसम्: Jātavedas (Agni)
• जातवेदसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातवेदस्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अलुब्धः: not greedy
• अलुब्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलुब्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सत्यवादी: truth-speaking
• सत्यवादी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यवादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ब्रह्मण्यः: devoted to Brahmins / pious
• ब्रह्मण्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मण्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अश्वाविहिंसकः: one who does not harm horses
• अश्वाविहिंसकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्व-अविहिंसक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Agni (Jātavedas)
• Brahmins (brāhmaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Righteous life is defined not only by ritual practice (regular offerings into Agni through the year) but by inner virtues: freedom from greed, commitment to truth, reverence for Brahmins/Vedic dharma, and non-violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, lists qualities and practices that characterize a virtuous person, combining sacrificial discipline with moral restraints.