Shloka 39

Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्

Devanagari script

हर प्ज् (४ ब्र्‌ कर ४ [४4 वसिष्ठ उवाच शतेन निष्कगणितं सहस्रेण च सम्मितम्‌ । तथा बहु प्रतीच्छन्‌ वै पापिष्ठां पतते गतिम्‌

Transliteration

Vasiṣṭha uvāca | śatena niṣkagaṇitaṃ sahasreṇa ca sammitam | tathā bahu pratīcchan vai pāpiṣṭhāṃ patate gatim ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha dit : « Recevoir un seul niṣka (pièce d’or) peut entraîner une faute équivalente à celle d’en recevoir cent ; et en recevoir mille peut être tenu pour plus grave encore. Ainsi, celui qui accepte beaucoup de telles pièces tombe dans la voie la plus pécheresse du destin. »

Word by Word

• शतेन: by/with a hundred
• शतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• निष्कगणितम्: reckoned/valued in niṣkas
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्कगणित
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सहस्रेण: by/with a thousand
• सहस्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

• सम्मितम्: measured/equated (as)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्मित
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: thus; likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• बहु: much; many (as an amount)
• बहु: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रतीच्छन्: accepting; receiving
• प्रतीच्छन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-इ (प्रतीच्छति)
• Form: Present (participle), Singular

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

• पापिष्ठाम्: most sinful; very wicked
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिष्ठ (पाप-तमा)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पतते: falls
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular

• गतिम्: state; course; destiny
• गतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• niṣka (gold coin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that accepting wealth—especially in large amounts—can carry serious moral fault and lead to a degraded destiny; restraint in receiving gifts is part of ethical discipline.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha is instructing about the ethical danger of receiving monetary gifts (niṣkas), emphasizing that greater acceptance brings heavier moral consequence and a sinful end.