Shloka 170
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
तयोर्निश्श्वासवातेन मन्युना च भृशं पुनः । तपः क्षरति ते नित्यं तस्मात्पूजय तौ द्विज
tayorniśśvāsavātena manyunā ca bhṛśaṃ punaḥ | tapaḥ kṣarati te nityaṃ tasmātpūjaya tau dvija
Par le vent de leur souffle et, de nouveau, par leur colère ardente, ton austérité s’écoule jour après jour ; c’est pourquoi, ô deux-fois-né, honore-les tous deux.
Unspecified (context-dependent narrator/advisor within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa Adhyaya 50)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तयोर्निश्श्वासवातेन = तयोः + निश्श्वासवातेन; तस्मात्पूजय = तस्मात् + पूजय.
FAQs
It teaches that proximity to powerful beings—especially when marked by anger—can cause one’s accumulated tapas (ascetic merit) to diminish, so one should respond with reverence and worship rather than opposition.
It implies that spiritual merit gained through austerity is not permanently fixed; it can be depleted by adverse influences such as anger, conflict, or disrespect toward potent beings.
The verse refers to two previously mentioned figures in the surrounding narrative of Adhyaya 50; since their names are not present in the given line, identifying them requires the immediately preceding shlokas.