Shloka 17

अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa

Devanagari script

षड्रात्रभोजनश्लैव तथैवाष्टहभोजन: । सप्तरात्रदशाहारो द्वादशशाहिकभोजन:,कभी छ: रात बिताकर खाता है और कभी सात, आठ, दस अथवा बारह दिनोंके बाद अन्न ग्रहण करता है

Transliteration

ṣaḍrātrabhojanaś caiva tathaivāṣṭāhabhojanaḥ | saptarātradaśāhāro dvādaśāhikabhojanaḥ ||

Translation

വസിഷ്ഠൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ചിലർ ആറു രാത്രികൾ കഴിഞ്ഞ് ഭക്ഷിക്കുന്നു; ചിലർ എട്ട് ദിവസങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷം. ചിലർ ഏഴ് രാത്രികൾ കഴിഞ്ഞ്; ചിലർ പത്ത് ദിവസങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷം; മറ്റുചിലർ പന്ത്രണ്ട് ദിവസങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷം മാത്രമേ ആഹാരം സ്വീകരിക്കൂ.

Word by Word

षड्रात्रभोजनशीलःone whose habit is eating after six nights

चand

एवindeed/just

तथाlikewise

एवindeed/just

अष्टाहभोजनःone who eats after eight days

सप्तरात्रदशाहारःone whose intake is after seven nights or ten days

द्वादशाहिकभोजनःone who eats at an interval of twelve days

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

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 disciplined restraint through measured fasting—showing that austerity can be practiced in graded forms, with control over appetite serving ethical and spiritual self-mastery.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha is describing different ascetic regimens in which individuals take food only after fixed intervals (six nights, eight days, seven nights, ten days, or twelve days), illustrating varieties of tapas discussed in the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct.