Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 42

Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla

Devanagari script

अथ सर्जरसादीनां गंधै: पार्थिव दारवै: । फाणितासवसंयुक्तर्मनुष्याणां विधीयते

Transliteration

atha sarjarasādīnāṁ gandhaiḥ pārthiva dāravaiḥ | phāṇitāsavasaṁyuktaṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ vidhīyate, pṛthvīnātha! |

Translation

Śukra dit : « Ô seigneur de la terre, pour l’usage des hommes on prépare un mélange parfumé artificiel : on y réunit les senteurs de substances résineuses telles que le sarja, ainsi que d’autres aromates d’origine terrestre et ligneuse, puis on les lie avec un sirop sucré et une essence fermentée. Tel est l’encens composé dont les humains font le plus souvent usage. »

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• सर्ज-रस-आदीनाम्: of (things) like resin and juices (etc.)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ज; रस; आदि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• गन्धैः: with fragrances/odours
• गन्धैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• पार्थिव: O king (earth-lord)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• दारवैः: wooden/derived from wood
• दारवैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारव
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• फाणित-आसव-संयुक्तम्: mixed with molasses and fermented liquor
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फाणित; आसव; संयुक्त
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• मनुष्याणाम्: of humans/for people
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• विधीयते: is prepared/ordained
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (वि + धा)
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Singular

• पृथ्वी-नाथ: O lord of the earth
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी; नाथ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

शुक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Shukra
• pṛthvīnātha (a king addressed)
• sarja-resin (sarjarasa)
• phāṇita (syrup/molasses)
• āsava (fermented essence/extract)
• woody/earthy aromatics (dārava/pārthiva gandha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how certain fragrances used by people are deliberately compounded from resins, woody/earthy aromatics, and sweet/fermented binders—implying a distinction between natural scent and manufactured (kṛtrima) preparations, relevant to discussions of proper ritual materials and practical human usage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Shukra is instructing a king, describing the method and ingredients by which humans prepare a mixed aromatic substance (incense/perfume compound), situating it within a broader didactic explanation of substances and their proper application.