Shloka 12

Devanagari script

हविष्यभोजनं स्नानं सत्यमाहारलाघवम् । अग्निकार्य्यमधःशय्यां नक्ताशी षट् समाचरेत् ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

haviṣyabhojanaṃ snānaṃ satyamāhāralāghavam | agnikāryyamadhaḥśayyāṃ naktāśī ṣaṭ samācaret || 12 ||

Translation

हविष्यभोजन, स्नान, सत्यपालन, आहारातील लाघव, अग्निकार्य, भूमीवर शयन आणि नक्ताशी—हे सहा नियम नक्तव्रतीने आचरावेत.

Word by Word

• हविष्यभोजनम्: eating haviṣya (sacrificial/simple food)
• हविष्यभोजनम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हविष्य + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘haviṣya-food eating’

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सत्यम्: truthfulness
• सत्यम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘truthfulness’

• आहारलाघवम्: moderation in food
• आहारलाघवम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहार + लाघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘lightness/moderation in diet’

• अग्निकार्यम्: fire-ritual duties
• अग्निकार्यम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘fire-ritual duty’

• अधःशय्याम्: sleeping low/on the ground
• अधःशय्याम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधः + शय्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Accusative singular; ‘low bed/lying on the ground’

• नक्ताशी: a nakta-observer (night-eater)
• नक्ताशी: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्त + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘one who eats at night’

• षट्: six
• षट्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; here used as numeral adjective ‘six’ (indeclinable-like form)

• समाचरेत्: should practice
• समाचरेत्: क्रिया (Kriyā/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should practice’

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a vrata/niyama context, as preserved in the Uttara-Bhaga)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Nakta (as part of a sixfold vrata-niyama set)

Verse Rasa

Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"bhakti","emotional_journey":"Enumerative calm: a checklist of observances that deepens from bodily purity to truth and sacrificial duty, ending in austere simplicity."}

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It lays down core vrata-niyamas—purity (snāna), truth (satya), restraint (āhāralāghava, naktāśī), and sacred duty (agni-kārya)—which purify intention and stabilize the mind for merit, pilgrimage practice, and devotion.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By prescribing disciplined living, it supports bhakti as a lived practice: bodily restraint and truthfulness reduce distraction and ego, making worship, japa, and remembrance more steady and sincere.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Ritual practice is central: agni-kārya points to Śrauta/Smārta procedure (kalpa) and correct performance of homa/aupāsana, while dietary rules like haviṣya and naktāśī reflect vrata-vidhi used in dharma and ritual manuals.