Shloka 61

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठ उवाच नैतस्थेह यथास्माकमग्निहोत्रमनिर्ठठतम्‌ । सायं प्रातश्न होतव्यं तेन पीवाउ्छुना सह,वसिष्ठजीने कहा--हमलोगोंकी तरह इसको इस बातकी चिन्ता नहीं है कि आज हमारा अग्निहोत्र नहीं हुआ और सबेरे तथा शामको अग्निहोत्र करना है; इसीलिये यह कुत्तेके साथ खूब मोटा-ताजा हो गया है

Transliteration

Vasiṣṭha uvāca: na etat stheha yathāsmākam agnihotram aniṣṭhitam | sāyaṃ prātaś ca hotavyaṃ tena pīvā ucchunā saha ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Orang ini tidak menanggung kegusaran seperti kita—bahawa Agnihotra kita telah tertinggal dan mesti dipersembahkan pada petang dan pagi. Maka, dengan berkawan dengan anjing itu, dia menjadi gemuk dan kenyang.”

Word by Word

वसिष्ठःVasiṣṭha

उवाचsaid

नnot

एतत्this (thing/this one)

अस्तिis/exists

इहhere

यथाas/just as

अस्माकम्of us/our

अग्निहोत्रम्Agnihotra (fire-offering)

अनिष्ठितम्not performed/unfinished

सायम्in the evening

प्रातःin the morning

चand

होतव्यम्is to be offered/should be offered

तेनtherefore/with that (reason)

पीवताbeing fat/well-fed

उच्छुनाswollen/plump

सहtogether with

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

Agnihotra

dog

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts the conscientious performance of daily Vedic duties (Agnihotra at dawn and dusk) with a life of negligence and indulgence; ethical steadiness is shown through fidelity to prescribed responsibilities rather than comfort-seeking.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha remarks that someone lacks the anxiety felt by disciplined practitioners when a daily rite is missed; instead, by associating with a dog and living without such obligations, he has become well-fed and complacent.