Shloka 10

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

Devanagari script

यज्ञ बहुसुवर्ण वा वासवप्रियमाचरेत्‌

Transliteration

yajñaṃ bahusuvarṇaṃ vā vāsavapriyam ācaret

Translation

યજ્ઞ કરવો અથવા બહુ સ્વર્ણદાન કરવું—વાસવ (ઇન્દ્ર)ને જે વિશેષ પ્રિય હોય, તે જ આચરવું।

Word by Word

• यज्ञम्: sacrifice
• यज्ञम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• बहुसुवर्णम्: having much gold / rich in gold
• बहुसुवर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुसुवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• वासवप्रियम्: dear to Vāsava (Indra)
• वासवप्रियम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वासवप्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आचरेत्: should perform / should undertake
• आचरेत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-चर्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Vāsava (Indra)
• yajña (sacrifice)
• suvarṇa (gold)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

To pursue dharmic merit through sanctioned religious action—either by performing sacrifice (yajña) or by giving abundant wealth (gold) as a form of righteous generosity—framed as deeds that please Vāsava (Indra), a marker of Vedic approval.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, in his instructional discourse (Anuśāsana Parva), continues advising on righteous conduct and merit-producing acts, recommending yajña or lavish giving as exemplary practices aligned with traditional Vedic ideals.