Shloka 27

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

Devanagari script

सदा द्वादशमासान्‌ वै जुह्मानो जातवेदसम्‌ | सदा त्रिषवणस्नायी ब्रह्मचार्यनसूयक:

Transliteration

sadā dvādaśa-māsān vai juhmāno jātavedasam | sadā triṣavaṇa-snānī brahmacāry anasūyakaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : « Celui qui, durant douze mois entiers, verse sans relâche des oblations dans le feu sacré (Agni), qui se baigne régulièrement aux trois moments du jour, qui vit dans la discipline de la continence, et qui est exempt d’envie—celui-là incarne la conduite stable et purificatrice que le dharma célèbre. »

Word by Word

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

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश
• Form: Gender: masculine; Case: accusative; Number: plural (agreeing with मासान्)

• मासान्: months
• मासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास
• Form: Gender: masculine; Case: accusative; Number: plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• जुह्मानः: offering (in sacrifice), sacrificing
• जुह्मानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (जुहोति)
• Form: Participle: present active (शतृ); Gender: masculine; Case: nominative; Number: singular

• जातवेदसम्: Jātavedas (Agni)
• जातवेदसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातवेदस्
• Form: Gender: masculine; Case: accusative; Number: singular

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

• त्रिषवणस्नायी: one who bathes at the three daily savanas
• त्रिषवणस्नायी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिषवण-स्नायिन्
• Form: Gender: masculine; Case: nominative; Number: singular

• ब्रह्मचारी: a celibate student; one observing brahmacarya
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचारिन्
• Form: Gender: masculine; Case: nominative; Number: singular

• अनसूयकः: free from envy; non-censorious
• अनसूयकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनसूयक
• Form: Gender: masculine; Case: nominative; Number: singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Agni (Jātavedas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is strengthened by sustained discipline: regular sacrificial duty (fire-offerings), daily purity practices (three-time bathing), celibate restraint, and a mind free from envy or fault-finding.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he lists exemplary observances and virtues—year-long offerings to Agni, tri-daily bathing, brahmacarya, and non-envy—as marks of a righteous practitioner.