Shloka 49

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

वायुभक्षा जलाहारा: पर्णभक्षाश्न॒ तापसा: । नानानियमयुक्ताश्व तथा स्थण्डिलशायिन:

Transliteration

vāyubhakṣā jalāhārāḥ parṇabhakṣāś ca tāpasāḥ | nānāniyamayuktāś ca tathā sthaṇḍilaśāyinaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: Había ascetas que vivían del aire, otros que subsistían sólo con agua, y otros que comían únicamente hojas. Observando muchos votos y disciplinas, algunos incluso dormían sobre la tierra desnuda. Así, en la ribera del Sarasvatī, estos sabios renombrados—por su austeridad y dominio de sí—acrecentaron la santidad y el esplendor de ese río supremo, haciendo de su orilla un visible asiento del dharma y de la maestría interior.

Word by Word

• वायुभक्षाः: air-eaters (living on air)
• वायुभक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायु-भक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जलाहाराः: water-sustained (living on water)
• जलाहाराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल-आहार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पर्णभक्षाश्च: and leaf-eaters
• पर्णभक्षाश्च: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्ण-भक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तापसाः: ascetics
• तापसाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नाना-नियम-युक्ताः: endowed with various observances
• नाना-नियम-युक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना-नियम-युक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• तथा: also/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• स्थण्डिल-शायिनः: those who sleep on bare ground
• स्थण्डिल-शायिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थण्डिल-शायिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Sarasvatī (river)
• tāpasas (ascetics)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights niyama (disciplined observance) and tapas (austerity) as visible expressions of dharma: restraint over bodily needs and steadfast practice are portrayed as sanctifying both the practitioner and the sacred space they inhabit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a riverside scene on the Sarasvatī where many kinds of ascetics reside, each following distinct austerities—living on air, water, leaves, and sleeping on bare ground—thereby adorning the riverbank with an atmosphere of holiness and rigorous spiritual practice.