Shloka 169
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
जो रातमें राहुके मुखमें प्रवेश करके स्वयं चन्द्रमाके अमृतका पान करते हैं; तथा स्वयं ही राहु बनकर सूर्यपर ग्रहण लगाते हैं, वे परमात्मा मेरी रक्षा करें ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | ye rātrau rāhoḥ mukhe praviśya svayaṃ candramasaḥ amṛtaṃ pibanti, tathā svayam eva rāhur bhūtvā sūrye grahaṇaṃ kurvanti, te paramātmānaḥ māṃ rakṣantu || ye cānupatitā garbhā yathā bhāgān upāsate | namas tebhyaḥ svadhā svāhā prāpnuvantu mudantu te ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Que me protejan esos poderes supremos: aquellos que, de noche, entran en la boca de Rāhu y beben por sí mismos el néctar de la luna; y aquellos que, volviéndose Rāhu, tienden un eclipse sobre el sol. Salutación a las deidades y a los ancestros (pitṛ) que nacieron después de Brahmā y que se acercan a sus porciones asignadas en el sacrificio como niños que buscan su parte. Que obtengan lo que les corresponde mediante las invocaciones “svāhā” y “svadhā”, y queden satisfechos y gozosos.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames cosmic phenomena (eclipses) and sacrificial order as expressions of a higher divine governance: one seeks protection by honoring the powers that regulate the cosmos and by giving each class of recipients—gods and ancestors—their proper ritual due through ‘svāhā’ and ‘svadhā.’
Bhīṣma utters a protective invocation: he calls upon the supreme powers associated with Rahu’s eclipsing of the moon and sun, then offers salutations to the deities and ancestors who receive their allotted portions in sacrifice, praying that they accept the offerings and be pleased.