Shloka 36
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
गजच्छायायां पूर्वस्यां कुतपे दक्षिणामुख: । यदा भाद्रपदे मासि भवते बहुले मघा
gajacchāyāyāṃ pūrvasyāṃ kutape dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ | yadā bhādrapade māsi bhavate bahule maghā |
Viśvāmitra berkata: “Wahai para dewa, dengarkan rahasia tertinggi tentang dharma ini. Bila pada bulan Bhādrapada, di paruh gelap, rasi Maghā sedang berkuasa, maka seseorang yang menghadap selatan, pada waktu suci ‘kutapa’—ketika bayang-bayang gajah jatuh ke arah timur—berdiri di dalam bayang itu dan menghadiahkan makanan terbaik bagi para Pitṛ, dikatakan memperoleh buah yang luas: dengan satu pemberian itu saja, ia patut dipahami telah melaksanakan śrāddha agung bagi para Pitṛ di dunia ini selama tiga belas tahun.”
विश्वामित्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that properly timed and intentioned charity—especially the gift of good food dedicated to the Pitṛs—can yield exceptionally large merit. It emphasizes dharma as disciplined giving aligned with sacred time (nakṣatra, fortnight, and muhūrta) and correct ritual orientation.
Viśvāmitra addresses the gods and reveals a confidential rule about ancestral rites: under a specific calendrical configuration (Bhādrapada, dark fortnight, Maghā) and at the kutapa time, a person facing south and standing where an elephant’s shadow falls eastward should give food as an offering for the Pitṛs; the act is praised as equivalent to sustaining a great śrāddha for thirteen years.