Shloka 56

Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

तिलान्‌ गन्धान्‌ रसांश्वैव विक्रीणीयान्न चैव हि । वणिक्पथमुपासीनो वैश्य: सत्पथमाश्रित:

Transliteration

tilān gandhān rasāṁś caiva vikrīṇīyān na caiva hi | vaṇikpatham upāsīno vaiśyaḥ satpatham āśritaḥ ||

Translation

ശ്രീ മഹേശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—വൈശ്യൻ എള്ള്, സുഗന്ധദ്രവ്യങ്ങൾ, രസങ്ങൾ (മദ്യാദി മത്തുപാനീയങ്ങൾ) എന്നിവ വിൽക്കരുത്. പകരം വാണിജ്യജീവികയുടെ യുക്തമായ മാർഗം പിന്തുടർന്ന് സത്പഥം ആശ്രയിക്കട്ടെ.

Word by Word

तिलान्sesame seeds

गन्धान्fragrances, perfumes

रसान्juices, essences

चand

एवindeed, just

विक्रीणीयात्should sell

नnot

चand

एवindeed

हिfor, indeed

वणिक्-पथम्the path/way of a merchant (trade)

उपासीनःpractising, following

वैश्यःa Vaishya

सत्-पथम्the good/right path

आश्रितःhaving resorted to, adhering to

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Maheśvara

Vaiśya

tilāḥ (sesame)

gandhāḥ (perfumes/aromatics)

rasāḥ (liquors/intoxicants)

vaṇikpatha (merchant’s vocation)

satpatha (righteous path)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that a Vaiśya’s commerce should align with satpatha (righteous conduct): certain trades—here listed as sesame, perfumes/aromatics, and rasāḥ (commonly taken as intoxicants)—are discouraged, while legitimate, ethical mercantile activity is endorsed.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction context, Śrī Maheśvara is laying down norms of conduct for social roles; here he specifies ethical boundaries for Vaiśya livelihood, contrasting prohibited items with the ideal of following the proper merchant’s path.