Shloka 48
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
Devanagari script
आत्मानमुपजीवन दीक्षां द्वादशवार्षिकीम्
Transliteration
ātmānam upajīvan dīkṣāṃ dvādaśavārṣikīm
Translation
«Ne vivant que par sa propre discipline et son propre soutien, qu’on entreprenne une dīkṣā, un vœu d’initiation, durant douze années.»
Word by Word
आत्मानम्oneself
आत्मानम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootआत्मन्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
उपजीवन्living (by), subsisting
उपजीवन्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootउपजीव्
Formशतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular
दीक्षाम्vow, consecration, religious observance
दीक्षाम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootदीक्षा
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
द्वादशवार्षिकीम्twelve-year (lasting)
द्वादशवार्षिकीम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootद्वादश-वार्षिक
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Characters & Entities
Ś
Śrīmaheśvara (Mahādeva/Śiva)Ā
ātman (the self)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores sustained self-discipline: one should rely on one’s own regulated life (ātma-niyama) and undertake a long, consecrated observance (dīkṣā) for purification and firmness in dharma.
Śrīmaheśvara is speaking, prescribing a specific ascetic-religious regimen: a twelve-year dīkṣā characterized by self-reliant subsistence and disciplined conduct, presented as a means to spiritual and ethical attainment.